Road Kill Laughter

Laughter is good for the soul....especially when you can laugh at yourself. The Governor's alleged comment in the on-line Newsweek shows a surprising lack of understanding; both of this principle and of the fact that Pocahontas County is leading our State in tourism and new ways to market ourselves. I was a participant myself in this past Road Kill Cook Off cooking up 500 "Wrecked Wings" (lemon juice and olive oil soaked chicken wings) and marveled at the large crowds and great distances visitors had come for the event. It puts Marlinton on the map. And it shows that West Virginia can have a good laugh at itself. Maybe we ought to be more concerned with our image of environmental havoc and mountain top removals. Our wonderful county is alive with fresh ideas and enthusiasm for being West Virginians.

Martin,
Thanks for letting us know about this article. What a shame! I have attempted to write a reply to Newsweek, but with no success. I am posting it here, if ok with you. Maybe someone else can get it to them.
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Well, geez, I don't know where to start. How unfortunate to have a publication such as this slander the good people of West Virginia. I am a native of this State, and have lived here since birth (so far). At age 51, I've seen every part of this State and most of it's type of people. I am educated, putting myself through an engineering degree with all the help my parents could muster at the time. I worked during my breaks, and paid $50 for my first car, so that I could commute to college. I worked on what was broken and earned my degree from WV Institute of Technology (now WVU Tech). I had several offers with out-of-state firms, but chose to stay in this State. I raised a wonderful family here and manage one of the premier scientific research facilities in the world. Yes, right here in WV! Pocahontas County, as a matter of fact! I meet with community leaders and citizens alike on a regular basis. In the same room will be older men with long flowing beards, young and old men with crew cuts, cowboy hats, ball hats, and no hats at all. Some are freshly-showered and some are fresh from the field. Some wear ties and some are in bib overalls. There are women of distinguished look and women dressed distinctively. However, there is one trait that is abundant and clear; everyone I meet is deeply grounded in their love of this State, their community, and their way of life. Some look for change and some look for security, but they all look for the right to be free, worship as they choose and, when worse comes to worst, be left alone to live the life of their choosing. The one thing that does not ever seem to change is not these folks and their beliefs, but the view of superiority poured out on them by the ignorant and the self-righteous. This story is simply another in a long list of media bloggers that feels the need to "awaken" the world to the plight of the backward, and backwood. I have visited a good many States throughout America, and I can with all sincerity tell you that I would choose to live nowhere else in this great land. I see guns on a daily basis, yet never feel threatened. On the contrary, I feel safest of all, because I know that these people know what I know, and that is the responsibility involved in the God-given right to carry a gun. I see law enforcement daily yet never feel threatened, as I know that I am law-abiding and know the sacrifice these good people endure to protect me and mine. I see mining activities back home yet do not feel disgust, for I know what an unbelievably difficult job these people have, and I am able to turn on my lights at night because of it. Should there be some change in our energy production? Sure. Is there another alternative? Not yet. When there is, you can bet that the people of West Virginia will be at the forefront. Did you use a router to post over the internet? You bet you did, and thank a West Virginian because he is running the company that probably provided it (thanks, John). I have seen the toothless (rarely), yet I do not feel pity. They don't. I see tobacco-chewers and cigar smokers, yet am not appalled. That is a choice that they make, and who am I to judge them. What I don't see is conformity to someone else's ideal. What I do see is a fiercely independent set of people, not unlike the people that founded this country. Every individual has a life story and is different in their make-up. That is what makes them who they are and what they bring to the table, and no where is this more keenly evident than in this great State. There are problems here, sure, but no more so than anywhere else. Here they always seem to be balanced, as a minimum, by the good that is done or the grace that I see proffered by these same "backward" folk. I am proud to count myself among them. I am sorry for the ignorant and I feel bad for them for their lack of understanding. I suppose the ability to grandstand the perceived "poor hillbilly" image makes them feel better about their standing in life, but it sure doesn't make them better. I wonder if they are truly afraid of the independent nature of West Virginians, that we are somehow out of their control and that makes us fearsome. What a shame that through lack of effort to truly understand the State and it's people, they have allowed themselves to become all the poorer.

Thanks, Linda. I did send it to the 'Letters to the Editor' link on the web page. Doubt it will get printed, though. What a shame that things have not changed after all these years. I remember when A. James Manchin went after the hot dog market due to an ad campaign that depicted a WV hot dog as dirty and coated with coal dust. I still have my hot dog paper holder with his autograph on it. That was 30 years ago! Seems the media are the unchanging masses.