Appalachian Stereotypes Essay -- Appalachia

Excuse me miss, but you confound the cutest little accent, the pizza delivery guy said.Well, thank you, I replied.If you dont mind me asking, where are you from? I know that you arent from around this area with an accent like that.I am from a little town called Hazard, I replied reluctantly, realizing exactly where this dialogue was headed.Oh, is that where the Dukes of Hazzard are from? he asks chuckling.No, that name is Hazzard, Georgia. I live in a little town in southeastern Kentucky.I bet you all deport a lot of barefoot, pregnant people there dont you? he asks with a discriminating smile.Well actually we don....Huh, I bet you all dont even have paved roads or indoor plumbing, he persisted.You know what? I dont feel very hungry anymore. Why dont you take that pizza back? I asked.Oh, miss, I was just joking with you.This conversation actually took place during my first semester of college. However, being quite accustomed to the questions that I am frequently asked about the place I call home, this conversation somehow made me more upset than usual. This conversation made me realize just how blind society can be towards other groups in society. Different stereotypes are placed on groups for various reasons-race, sex, occupations, and geographical locations-just to name a few. The last of these four different classifications is the one that distinguishes me from to the highest degree of society. Growing up in Appalachia has made me a minority (different from the rest of society), and also plagued me with many stereotypes. Everyone in society has heard the stereotypes. However, I would like to guidance on the hows and whys of them. How they came to be. Why society does perceive... ...ut trying to find your place within society as a minority is even harder. When you go for a calling interview and see the person you are being interviewed by shake their head when they hear your accent, you know that you are in trouble. Its the education that is lacking i n America. We are known to be this great melting pot. But it isnt until the stereotypes that plague so many Americans come to an end, that we will truly be united as one.Works CitedAsfahani, Magdoline. Time to Look and Listen. Newsweek Dec. 1996 18.Billings, Dwight B. The Road to Poverty The Making of Wealth and Hardship in Appalachia. Booklist 36 (1999) 38.Norman, Gurney. Kinfolks The Wilgus Stories. Frankfort Gnomom Press, 1977.Waller, Altina. Two Words in the Tennessee Mountains Exploring the Origins of Appalachian Stereotypes. Journal of Social History 32 (1999) 963.