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MarkCevoli
01-29-2015, 20:52
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

sympathetic joy
01-29-2015, 20:59
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

Are those banjos I hear off in the distance....

jumbojimbo
01-29-2015, 21:27
Better stay at home...

Connie
01-29-2015, 21:31
Hike a different trail, unless, well, uh there could be bears.

But then you would have a better chance with four-legged predators than two-legged predators.

Coffee
01-29-2015, 21:43
Stereotypes. Small town people are by and large much more friendly than people in big cities. There are definitely some "characters" out there but that's true in the city as well.

Sarcasm the elf
01-29-2015, 22:19
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

I don't mean this to sound rude, but think about it this way; all of those sorts of stories about stereotypical podunk folk could just as well been set in the backwoods of Maine.

I've lived in NYC and in several cities in Connecticut, all of those places are much more dangerous than anywhere on the A.T.

WingedMonkey
01-29-2015, 22:25
You could go south-bound.

Then when you quit, at least you will still be in Maine.

:sun

Connie
01-29-2015, 22:27
Isn't there a scarey movie about the backwoods of Maine?

Sarcasm the elf
01-29-2015, 22:29
Isn't there a scarey movie about the backwoods of Maine?


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139414/

:D

Connie
01-29-2015, 22:41
That's it! That is classic.

bigcranky
01-29-2015, 23:02
You could go south-bound.

Then when you quit, at least you will still be in Maine.

:sun

I about spit my whisky all over the living room. Which would have been a shame.... :)

yerbyray
01-29-2015, 23:29
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

I have been all over the US and crazy is everywhere.

I guess that I am a resident expert (born and reared here in western NC) and have worked in law enforcement 15 of the last 21 years (six years being CEO for a large non-profit that interacted with all aspects of humanity) My parents were a newspaper editor and a state trooper. I know the types around here.

Western NC was hit hard about eight years ago with the meth epidemic. That replaced the crack cocaine of the 90's which replaced the pot epidemic of the 70-80's, which replaced the moon-shine of the 30's-40's-50's. Meth is much smaller issue as the state cracked down on the psued. purchasing so the meth labs are the "shake n bake" small quantity lower quality kind. Lord knows what is next. Crime in western NC is based on drugs to a large extend. They seek money to buy the next good time. Rates are down and even the petty crap is going away as the economy recovers.

Folks are folks. There are a lot of people who are clannish and do not take to strangers and are set in their ways. They are open minded hippie types who will hug you and the tree you are leaning on. There are a thousand types in between.

A lot of the original mountain folks are all gone. They have been bought out for scenic views and vacation homes. For every Eric Rudolph there is 10,000 Andy Griffins. Where ever you go......Argentina to Zaire just treat people with respect and don't talk down to anyone and you will be fine. No one likes a know-it-all or smart-a@%.

vamelungeon
01-29-2015, 23:59
I thought "The Devil All The Time" was set in Ohio, not Appalachia. I could be wrong though.

Trailweaver
01-30-2015, 02:01
We here in the south tend to hear stories about weird people in Maine, too, but I try not to believe everything I hear and judge people by the way they treat me. Come on down - I think you'll be both surprised and delighted.

Fireonwindcsr
01-30-2015, 02:56
Pot epidemic? Hmmmmmm

SwissGuy
01-30-2015, 02:56
I thought "The Devil All The Time" was set in Ohio, not Appalachia. I could be wrong though.

Never read the book, but SE Ohio is part of Appalachia.

illabelle
01-30-2015, 06:48
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

Mark, I haven't read the book, so I'm not familiar with its stories, but as a resident of a small community in the southern parts of Appalachia (where are its boundaries anyway???), I can assure you that many of us are bizarre and strange! We eat possum! We eat road kill! We even eat grits!! Not only that, but even though the department stores are full of merchandise, you will still find a lot of us barefoot. In fact, I'll confess and say that I'm barefoot right now! First thing I do when I get home is kick off my shoes. I slip on some crocks in the winter when I go outside to do chores, but us folks of Appalachia love the feel of dirt and grass between our toes. Being barefoot also makes us more stealthy when we sneak up on outsiders to do 'em in. There's an old cistern on my property from an earlier owner. Some rocks weigh down a sheet of metal covering the top. Ain't no telling who mighta got throwed in there once upon a time - I ain't looked to see!

Of course, I'm just having a little fun here. :) Reality is that I'm vegetarian and barefoot and there really is an old cistern. We looked in it years ago, but I don't remember what was there. Maybe we didn't have a flashlight... Anyway, small pockets of whatever "true Appalachia" is still endure here and there, but it's mostly about poverty and isolation. I found a helpful quote from Wikipedia:

Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_stereotypes) regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th-century writers often engaged in yellow journalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism) focused on sensationalistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalism) aspects of the region's culture, such as moonshining (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshining) andclan feuding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_feuds_in_the_United_States), and often portrayed the region's inhabitants as uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence. Sociological studies in the 1960s and 1970s helped to re-examine and dispel these stereotypes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype).[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia#cite_note-abramson1-3)

MarkCevoli
01-30-2015, 07:40
I know all is fine guys just a joke, and only illabelle answered the question ;) And yes it was set in Ohio, but the couple that drives around picking up hitchhikers would drive down south to Georgia and that area to do their photographing.

illabelle
01-30-2015, 08:07
Just in case anybody needs to know how to fix a possum, I found a recipe:

Well, I don’t know what you think about possums but us hillbillies takes ‘em serious. However, the stereotype of hillbillies eating possum are over exaggerated. The truth is that in most hillbilly homes you’d be lucky to see possum on the table two or three times a week. We always have possum less than three days out of the week at my house.

http://www.hillbillycrackpot.com/wp-content/pictures/possum-face.jpgDelicious Possum

Once I was in Brooklyn and a guy from Staten Island asked me if it were true that “you people” eat possums. He was dead serious, I suppose he learned all about hillbillies from watching television, he had never been out of New York. With a very serious face I told him that yes, of course we eat possums but not every day. I told him that I went two or three days in a row without getting to eat possum and now that I was working in New York I couldn’t seem to find it in any of the restaurants. I never told him any different.

To continue, click the link...
http://www.hillbillycrackpot.com/how-to-catch-and-cook-a-possum/

daddytwosticks
01-30-2015, 08:35
...you sure do have a purdy mouth. Can you squeal like a pig? :)

1azarus
01-30-2015, 08:53
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!

I don't mean this to sound rude, but think about it this way; all of those sorts of stories about stereotypical podunk folk could just as well been set in the backwoods of Maine.

I've lived in NYC and in several cities in Connecticut, all of those places are much more dangerous than anywhere on the A.T.

Now you've offended us Nutmeggers.

u.w.
01-30-2015, 09:01
We even eat grits!!

No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o... Please - PLEASE - Say it aint so!
LOL!!!

Thank you for the laughs :)

u.w.

RED-DOG
01-30-2015, 09:57
it's just "sterotype" i have dealt with this CRAP my whole life and i have lived most of it here in W.N.C, back in the 40's to 60's their was some blood feuds going on but they also had a reason, the movie Deliverance didn't help matters any, in my oppinion if you show people the proper respect you want have any issues. sure their is hillbilly's but nothing like what the movies or books pertray some of my best friends are the exact folks your talking about, I take offense to this thread. DON"T STEROTYPE ME.

Sarcasm the elf
01-30-2015, 10:06
Now you've offended us Nutmeggers.

As you know, most Nuttmeggers are in a continual state of offense, the tragedy is that they often don't have anyone to blame it on.

ki0eh
01-30-2015, 10:46
where are its boundaries anyway???

http://www.arc.gov/counties

And if you want to hike a trail that is much more in Appalachia than the Appalachian Trail is, try this:

http://www.greateasterntrail.net/
http://www.gethiking.net/

Getty
01-30-2015, 10:59
Proud to be from S.E. OHIO and yes we are weird.GO BUCKS!

Old Grouse
01-30-2015, 12:45
Now you've offended us Nutmeggers.

True!! For example, back country Greenwich is full of (gasp!) investment bankers!

moytoy
01-30-2015, 14:09
So I just read a novel titled "The Devil All the Time" which was about very bizarre and strange people living in Appalachia and it dawned on me there is a whole subsection of novels and movies about crazy people murdering or harassing people in these small towns in the south in Appalachia. Is this based on reality, stereotype, or pure fiction? Certainly don't want to be picked up by these characters!
So what we have here is a Mainer asking if it's right to call the kettle black. That is weird!

Wild
01-30-2015, 22:38
Great music comes from Appalachia

Wild
01-30-2015, 22:38
Just smile n act crazy

Coffey
01-30-2015, 22:57
As someone from one of the nearby towns Pollock mentions in the book, I can tell you that the characters are greatly exaggerated but not completely out of the question. It may be a partially accurate depiction of how crazy people were 50 years ago but these days its the meth heads ya' gotta watch out for. If you like that book, you might want to try his other book called Knockemstiff. Its full of good wholesome Appalachian nutcases.

Peepsinc
01-31-2015, 10:12
They never found the day hiker that went missing in the Smoky's the week before I got there. During my 2012 thru hike.....While on the trail You will hear or come a crossed people that taking advantage of hikers.There was a note taped to a tree that said "There is a guy in a red ford pick up outside Hellen NC offering rides then taking the hiker to nowhere & demanding $$$,pot,or sex. when the hiker exited his vehicle he would take off with they're pack in the back of his truck." Same area another guy was robbing hikers at knife point. I had a scary experience while night hiking.It involved a bunch of drunk locals at a gap in the middle of nowhere...... You'll learn to avoid any one thats not a thru hiker.

Peepsinc
01-31-2015, 10:19
PS.
there is FREE Shuttle in that area. ^

goatee
01-31-2015, 11:08
Proud to be from S.E. OHIO and yes we are weird.GO BUCKS!
I live in Columbus Ohio and hike to get away from people.I enjoy country folks and most people I meet in the small towns are friendly.
Anywhere you travel there are good and bad,use common sense.Go bucks is way overused.(no offense).

RockDoc
01-31-2015, 17:46
I took a wrong turn and got off the trail for a mile just north of Roan Mtn, TN and had to wander through a rural housing development. People were shouting and there were barking dogs at every house. One shaggy guy followed me down the road in a pickup truck to ask me strange questions and offer a ride which I did not accept. And every day in TN we could hear guns shooting and dogs barking off in the distance. Everywhere! No I don't think it had anything to do with hunting either.

Stix0307
01-31-2015, 23:17
The thing to remember is that there are crazy people everywhere. Sure, people in small town Appalachia can be crazy, but people can be crazy anywhere. Be open-minded, don't be unnecessarily judgmental (because even someone who you think might be a backwoods idiot knows if you are judging them, and a thick redneck accent does not mean a lack of intellect), and always trust your instincts, just like you would walking through any major city.

Also, I'm a 22 yr old girl who has lived/worked in one of the places Pollock mentions, and I promise I'm not dead and have not ever been told (except by my oh-so-clever friends) that I purdy mouth as a precursor to terrible things. Just saying.

double d
02-01-2015, 03:39
Just watch the movie Deliverance (or read he book by Jams Dickey) and that will answer your question.

fiddlehead
02-01-2015, 10:13
The more you travel, the more you learn how different cultures are.
Keep your mind, eyes and ears open and learn.
And try not to judge.
Just learn.

Hiking has shown me a lot of different folks, all acting the way their culture has taught them.
From the Sherpas, Hmongs, Aboriginals of Australia, to the Bible belters of Appalacia, and of course us Pennsyl-Tuckians where I come from.

Careful! You might fall in love with someone from a total different culture than you grow up.
I'm now happily married to a Thai woman, and living here, in her culture for 14 years.
Still learning...........

vamelungeon
02-01-2015, 11:37
I hate these stereotypes of people in the southern Appalachians. It's simply not true, and "Deliverance" does not present a factual picture. Anywhere you go there will be good people and bad people and we don't have any more bad ones than any other part of the country. No one is more likely to do anything bad to you here than they would be anywhere else. We might have a different accent and a different culture, but those things don't turn us into thieves or lunatics or psychopaths. If these stereotypes were true we wouldn't have all these people from up north moving here to live as our neighbors.

Ground Control
02-01-2015, 12:28
The LE from Newton made a few good points about the narcotics epidemic in parts of the southern Appalachians. Add in low education and income levels.

I lived in Western NC for many years, was always surprised by how many people lived off the grid. If you get on hiking trails or biking trails, it's not uncommon to chance upon small communities in the middle of the woods that definitely do not attend school and may not have a running vehicle. Trash heaps that have been in the family for generations. I've seen this on the backside of Howard's Knob, just miles from the campus of Appalachian State University. The same thing exists along the original Tweetsie Railroad line (long ago removed) just down the road in Foscoe, NC in the shadow of Grandfather Mtn.

You don't have to go looking, though. The local grocery chain in Asheville, (Ingles) holds an annual "Food Show" in the convention center. Admission is free, and each person is welcomed to take as many free samples as they can carry. I am not lying when I say flat beds full of indigent young families, each person holding a large trash bag shows up. It's the annual trip into the big city for the major haul, collect as many free food samples as they can. It's hard to believe how many hungry people are in the hills.

Connect it to hiking: how many of the theft reports along certain stretches of the southern trail are for food? Thousands of dollars worth of hiking equipment around at night, but the only thing taken is the food bag? That speaks volumes.

So yeah, poverty is a factor and leads to a lot of desperate situations.

That being said, the Appalachian Mountains feel much more safe and like home to me than anyplace else in the world.

4shot
02-01-2015, 14:09
Appalachian born and bred myself. Both of my grandparents lived on small farms (and one of them did not have indoor plumbing). They were mostly self sufficient. My own two boys, now fully grown, absolutely cannot believe this when I tell them.People in and around the mountains do indeed live a different lifestyle, although some (a lot) of it is disappearing. I never had any trouble but I never go looking for it either (no matter where I am). As others have already said, the drug issues are at the root of a lot of it.

Interestingly enough, there was a big demand for corn whiskey just a few years back as it became en vogue in some clubs and bars in the large cities (similar to the explosion around single malt scotch whisky). People who were making whiskey were making a fortune and could not make enough to keep up with demand. It became more expensive around here than regular "store bought" whiskey which we all had to start buying for awhile. Things are back to normal now in that regard.Although many of the whiskey makers are now cooking so prices have not returned to "pre-boom" prices. As any business person, legitimate or not, they follow the money.

BTW, if you enjoy Pollack (sp?), which I do, check out Daniel Woodrell's books (i.e Winter Bone). Good stories about crazy hillbillies except set in the Ozark Mountains rather than the Appalachians.

Speakeasy TN
02-02-2015, 17:39
Just watch the movie Deliverance (or read he book by Jams Dickey) and that will answer your question.

Excellent advice read fiction or watch TV................and offensive. True Chicago.