It’s always interesting to witness people’s reactions when I answer the question “Where are you from?” Most are surprised, some are intrigued, and a few are deterred.
And then there’s the worst reaction of all: “You don’t sound like you’re from West Virginia.”
The first time someone said that to me a few years ago, I didn’t know how to respond. Perhaps because I was too shocked. Looking back on it, I wish I would have answered: “Well, what does a West Virginian sound like?” because there is nothing like watching a person fall apart when you ask them to explain an unfounded comment like that. They stutter over their words and fail to articulate their point. You know why? Because there is no point, no explanation for such a discriminating assumption.
I admit that I rat on my home state more than I should, but it’s a situation similar to when you tease a younger sibling. You do it out of love and a strong familial relationship, but when somebody else does it, you become defensive of your family. They have their faults, like anyone else, but they’re still your family. Though I was not born in West Virginia, I undoubtedly have West Virginian roots. I have lived there for as long as I can remember, about sixteen years, my grandparents are from the southern part of the state, and my great-grandfather was a coal miner. This state is a huge part of my heritage.
Photo credit: Library of Congress
It is also the target of a lot of stereotypes, some true, some false, and some in between exaggerations of the truth such as the “facts” that everyone owns a gun, hunts, lives in a trailer with a six-point buck head hanging on their wall, is married to their cousin, wears camouflage, and lacks a formal education. And some of those assertions are true for some of the population. But to generalize and say that everyone
fits under that umbrella? That’s like saying everyone from Texas is a right-wing Christian, everyone from California is a vegan, yoga-practicing, aspiring actor/surfer, and everyone from New York is a Giants fan. My guess is that if you are from one of those states, you dislike those assumptions and know for certain that while there may be people like that, there are millions of people that share your home and therefore are extremely diverse. There is not necessarily a balance of good and bad because the world isn’t that black and white, but rather there is a balance of differences.
That’s why those little phrases are called stereotypes.
So yes, I know a lot of people from home that own a gun and are hunting enthusiasts and have an extensive collection of camo in their closet, and I can name half a dozen places off the top of my head that are little mountain towns with three roads and a single traffic light. My hometown is only a little larger than that. However, that is a small percentage of what I associate with home, just as it is only one small facet of what makes up the state. And it is certainly not a basis for criticism for someone who has never stepped one toe inside the state lines.
Instead Consider What I Think of:
Photo credit: Only in Your State
Photo credit: Camels and Chocolate Blog
They don’t look real, do they? On the left is Black Water Falls, one of West Virginia’s most famous sites and a favorite place of mine. At the beginning of fall, the leaves ever so slowly start to change color until every mountain is covered in sunset tones. On the right, with the lush greens and river in the valley, is a view that can be seen from the top of any mountain in the summertime. Each picture represents a beauty that isn’t commonly associated with West Virginia. It gets overlooked for features that are viewed as more distasteful.
Society often dwells on the negatives and that’s how stereotypes manifest. They exemplify those perceived worst parts and dwell on them until all that remains is hollow black shell that is then used as a crutch for ignorance, which is so rampant in the world that it spreads the stereotype like wildfire. That’s how we end up where we are now. It’s rather horrifying to think that the ability to generalize and assume and discriminate is something that we, as a species, all have in common. How terrible and unaware must we be that what unites us is the tendency to judge each other on biases that aren’t true?
So don’t judge me. Don’t judge where I come from. Don’t judge anything at all until you have experienced it yourself or are informed enough to make an opinion that you can support. Never rely on whatever nonsense society has preselected and crafted for you ahead of time and blindly treat it as law. Establish your own perspective and think on your own two feet, but also make sure to be receptive to new information that may change the very foundations of what you believe. That is our best defense against stereotypes.
Photo credit: Etsy.com