at worst the world will sing along

beguines:

nick—mulligan:

nick—mulligan:

pechebeche:

pechebeche:

yknow it would be really nice if everyone into like cryptic culture and ~cottagecore~ and all that actually like….gave a shit abt appalachia

like i people don’t INTEND to commodify or sensationalize us, but every time i see people hyping up cryptids i always get the unpleasant reminder that people only care abt my state for ~mothman~ or to conveniently stereotype in debates abt gun control. please please if you have spent any time learning abt cryptids, also learn abt wv coal miners, who work a dying industry because it’s the only job a cycle of Incredible poverty makes accessible to them, have had absolutely no protections against COVID enforced, despite not only working in incredibly cramped, dangerous positions, but Already being at high risk for respiratory diseases like black lung. learn abt the governor who was reelected in the midst of all the other major politics last year, the only millionaire in west virginia, who at one point owed 7 billion dollars in fines for mine safety violations that he still hasn’t paid and whose family STILL owns most mines in the state.

that’s just two things! in one state!!! the opioid epidemic and the steady defending of education and the absolutely abysmal conditions that people live in across appalachia are staggering in their weight. if you love cryptid culture i am begging you, please please love and care for and talk abt the people who created it and keep it going.

if you have ever bought merchandise abt how much u love the flatwoods monster or w/ever, please please also consider supporting one of these organizations (these are mostly wv-centered because it’s where i live, i encourage ppl from other states to add links if they have them!):

• Holler Health Justice, a queer BIPOC-led nonprofit that provides access to abortion, free EC, and other mutual aid across Appalachia
• Appalachian Mountain Advocates, which works across Appalachia to shift towards clean energy and end fossil fuels and fracking
• Mountain Justice, which works in West Virginia to fight environmental damage, in particular mountain top removal
• WV Free, a group that advocates reproductive rights in west virginia
• Fairness WV, a group that advocates lgbt+ rights in west virginia
• WV Can’t Wait, a political group that focuses on helping & promoting candidates across west virginia who want economic change

This is literally the only time on the internet I’ve seen anyone not blame poor people in rural areas for being poor? “They work in coal mines and they’re uneducated, ew” Do you understand how poverty works?? Do you?? Anwyay @pechebeche​ mad props for sticking up for Appalachia. I have been yelling about it for years but nobody on ANY side of the political balance beam wants to listen.

Ooh I forgot I had resources to share looool

• Foxfire  - in 1966, a bunch of high school kids in Southern Appalachia (Georgia) created a magazine featuring interviews from their family and community members about Appalachian culture and history. Now, not only has the magazine creation been passed down from generation to generation of high school students, but there’s an entire center and foundation for Foxfire.
• What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia - don’t read Hillbilly Elegy; read this book instead. It genuinely changed my life and my understanding of this nation. This is a “why didn’t they teach us THIS in school” book filled with important knowledge, defense of minority groups in Appalachia, dispelling of myths… seriously it’s such a good book.
• How Half of America Lost Its F***ing Mind - this article is less Appalachia-centric, but it offers a pretty balanced look at why rural counties glowed red in 2016 and 2020 (note: this article was written back in early 2016, when liberals never fully believed Trump would get any votes, but the also liberal author of the article knew more than he thought he did). Again, one of the few articles on the Internet that doesn’t use “uneducated” as an insult.
• Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia - this book was filled with interviews from black Americans who grew up in Appalachian coal mining towns. Fair warning, the editing and formatting in this book is fully atrocious, but the information is still insanely valuable!

A few bones to pick.

I’m personally not very concerned with people who romanticize rural life (as in Cottagecore) or have taken an interest in cryptids and other Appalachian lore, but I do think it’s important to understand the complexity of issues in WV and central Appalachia as a whole—especially considering the frequency with which we and rural America generally have been in the news since the 2016 election. I can, however, see how it could be a source of frustration for others.

I would encourage everyone reading this post not to donate to WV FREE, but instead to Holler Health Justice. Here and here are two posts about the experiences of a person of color at WV FREE, detailing the racism (and misgendering/transphobia) they encountered while working for the organization.

I second the recommendation for What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte, as well as Appalachian Reckoning. I think one of the best books about the region is Absentee Landowning and Exploitation in West Virginia, 1760 - 1920 by Barbara Rasmussen, which really lays the groundwork for understanding the current economic situation in the state and the region. I’ll also add To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice by Jessica Wilkerson.

I’d also like to address that much of the dialogue I see about coal mining in West Virginia misses some major points. Coal mining is and was not monolithically the major source of employment for every region in the state—as of 2017 it accounted for 2% of state employment. The fastest growing job sector in the state right now is the service industry, bolstered by Wal-Mart and the proliferation of gambling establishments. While more people are familiar with the Mine Wars (and if you’re not, I encourage you to read about them, particularly the Battle of Blair Mountain during which the federal government dropped bombs on striking miners—the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum is an excellent resource) and the state of labor in the early twentieth century, fewer seem to be aware that mining developed to be one of the highest paying jobs a person with limited education can get—you can build and maintain a fairly good quality of life with these wages, especially in UMWA mines (which nearly all of them used to be). When taking this into account, it’s extremely understandable that many West Virginians react to changing energy policies the way that they do. While our union density has fallen considerably—especially considering the repeal of prevailing wage, institution of right to work, and much of the legislation passed in this year’s session regarding contractor licensing and skilled trades licensing—historically it was quite high. When Hillary Clinton stated that she was going to “put a lot of coal miners out of business” during the 2016 election, she was effectively threatening the economic security of a decent chunk of the population—not just coal miners, but associated industries like coal-fired power production. There’s been a heavy emphasis on the “train coal miners to be programmers” tactic, which is unrealistic and frankly an ignorant suggestion. The tech industry is not some panacea for rural employment. Here’s a good article about that.

The oil and gas industry has also seen a resurgence in the region (though it’s been in a downturn recently). This has been plagued by the same issues as the other major exploitative and extractive industries in WV, timber and coal. We’ve seen the creation of large amounts of jobs (largely temporary, as in pipeline construction, facility construction, etc) and controversy when many of those jobs go to workers from outside the region. The same land grabs that coal mining corporations took part in during the early twentieth century are being replicated. Many residents are presented with attractive offers for mineral rights and do not have access to the resources to effectively negotiate contractual terms. If you do not allow a company to lease or buy your mineral rights (or to allow them to run a pipeline across your property, etc), there are policies in effect that allow them to do so anyways, expressly against your wishes. WV does not have forced pooling laws (though they have been introduced in every legislative session for the past few years), but companies can and do litigate against mineral rights owners to gain access. They’re quite successful, as it requires a significant investment of time and financial resources to fight against them.

The rural-industrial complex as a whole is also an important economic factor. A not insignificant source of employment in WV is industrial work. A large chunk of the area around Charleston is referred to as Chemical Valley, and many of the industrial plants in that region are being rapidly deunionized. The same issues of health, safety, and economic stability surrounding other industries are relevant here: the work and conditions can be dangerous, sources of employment with comparable wages can be scarce, and the shuttering of many of these plants creates significant job shortages. An interesting issue to explore with regards to this is Washington Works, the Chemours/DuPont/Kuraray plant in Washington, WV, and the issues surrounding its production and use of C8. The 2014 Elk River MCHM spill is another.

The upshot here is that issues of environmental justice require that we address issues of economic justice. We cannot do one without the other.

West Virginia has historically been one of the most consistently left leaning states in the country (and our shitbag governor, mentioned earlier in this post, ran and was elected as a democrat. He later went on to switch parties while in office). This only changed recently, with the 2008 election. A not insignificant part of that (in addition to environmental issues) is the dialogue surrounding gun control. This is a state where a surprising amount of people depend on subsistence hunting to feed their families, particularly in rural areas that are more impoverished. As many people in rural areas across the country are aware, it’s also a very popular recreational activity both for residents and for attracting tourism. Conservatives and special interest groups have been very effective in using fear tactics surrounding gun control to direct the voting power of the electorate.

All this to say that media representations—both fictional and those in the news—will almost never present a nuanced view of issues in central Appalachia. The region is not a monolith in terms of race, class, etc. What I’ve rambled about briefly here barely touches on the complexity of political and economic issues. If you’re relying on those media representations to form opinions of the region, they will not be well-informed.

(via sexchangelingcastiel)