West Virginia Day

Ok, so I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I DO live in Wild and Wonderful, after all. The project seems to be for all WV Bloggers to “set the record straight” by helping to change our “bad” WV stereotype. So, I’m off to a bad start, as most West Virginians I know are ALSO usually a day late and a dollar short…

My take on the whole stereotype thing is that we should STOP being so damned worried about being just like every one else! That “bad” stereotype just happens to be one of the things that makes this state DIFFERENT and therefore APPEALING as a vacation get-away. Oh yea, I forgot, we are not about being a TOURIST state, we are about being a coal mining, oil and gas, and a police state. According to Governor Manchin that is.

Yes, I think the worst things about this state are that the general opinion of those in power is that we ARE nothing but illiterate hillbillys who can be railroaded and manipulated and lied to at our expense.

Anyone who keeps up on WV news in the mainstream media would think all us citizens are just dummies, except of course the “leaders” who would appear to the outside world as if they were all corrupt. West Virginia has gotten very infamous for it’s troubles, from the ridiculous antics of Jack Whittaker to the obvious corruption of the Supreme Court, from coal mining fatalities to the improprieties of the scandalous coal king/coal mafia, from local state police criminality to WV University falsifying records so the Governor’s daughter can have a high paying job in pharmaceuticals.

Wait a minute. It seems as if those who would bring WV into the 21st century are the ones who are causing the most bad press…

So, eliminate all THAT, and we have one of the most beautiful (even if it IS the most polluted) states going. The entire state reminds me of huge state parks I have been thru, minus the roadside trash of course.

WV heritage, that horrid thing that makes outsiders think we are all illiterate and inbred, is actually the most appealing thing about the state. The old time flavor of true hospitality, the endless bluegrass festivals, yes even the “hillbillys” and their ways, are the true treasures of WV. Why does everyone think it’s better to be just like every one else? Why is it that we can not embrace this old-fashioned heritage rather than try to “live it down”? Why are all our real historical landmarks being allowed to fall to the ground and rot? Why are our “leaders” so determined to turn this magnificently beautiful state with all it’s good old boys (and girls) into a commercialized strip mine/landfill? Why does the mainstream media only offer BAD stories about the mainstream politicians and the seriously disturbed?

These things are our greatest enemies. The real people who actually live here and work the land which was passed down from their ancestors, the natural beauty, yes, even the image of a “poor” redneck hillbilly, THESE are the things of beauty that give this state it’s true charm.

WV was not supposed to be just like the rest! It CAN NOT be, due to it’s geography and history. Those who are presently “in charge” are the biggest offenders as far as the ruination of this mountainous state. Without them, we could all be happy and honest and REAL. And in this day and age those things are PRICELESS.