In what way were we trapped?
where, our mistake?
what, where, how, when, what way,
might all these things have been different,
if only we had done otherwise?
if only we might have known.
James Agee, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
| UNDERLYING QUESTION | SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN | UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS (PROFESSIONAL) |
| What is the relation of man to nature (and supernature)? | Man subjugated to nature and God; little human control over destiny; fatalism | Man can control nature or God works through man; basically optimistic |
| What is the relation of man to time? | Present orientation; present and future telescoped; slow and “natural” rhythms | Future orientation and planning; fast; regulation by the clock, calendar, and technology |
| What is the relation of man to space? | Orientation to concrete places and particular things | Orientation to everywhere and everything |
| What is the nature of human nature? | Basically evil and unalterable, at least for others and in the absence of divine intervention | Basically good, or mixed good and evil; alterable |
| What is the nature of human activity? | Being | Doing |
| What is the nature of human relations? | Personal; kinship-based; strangers are suspect | Relatively impersonal; recognize non-kin criteria; handle strangers on basis of roles |
| MIDDLE CLASS AMERICAN | SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN |
| Emphasis on community, church, clubs etc. | Individualism; self-centered concerns |
| Thoughts of change and progress; expectation of change, usually for the better | Attitudes strongly traditionalistic |
| Freedom to determine one’s life and goals | Fatalism |
| Routine-seeker | Action-seeker |
| Self-assurance | Sense of anxiety |
| No particular stress on maleness | Stress on traditional masculinity |
| Use of ideas, ideals, and abstractions | Use of anecdotes |
| Acceptance of object goals | Rejection of object goals |
| Oriented to progress | Orientation to existence |
| Strong emphasis on saving and budgeting | No saving or budgeting |
| Desire and ability to plan ahead carefully | No interest in long-range careful planning |
| Placement of group goals above personal aims | Precedence of personal feelings and whims over group goals |
| Recognition of expect opinion | Expert opinion not recognized |
| MIDDLE CLASS AMERICAN | SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN |
| Child-centered family | Adult-centered family |
| Responsibility for family decisions shared by husband and wife | Male-dominated family |
| ‘Togetherness’ of husband and wife | Separateness of husband and wife; separate reference groups |
| Home tasks shared by husband and wife | Sharp definition of home tasks between husband and wife |
| Many family activities shared (vacations, amusements, etc.) | Few shared family activities |
| Disciplined child-rearing; stress on what is thought best for the child’s development | Permissive child-rearing; stress on what pleases the child |
| Family bound by common interests as well as emotional ties | Family bound by emotional ties; few common interests |
| Family a bridge to outside world | Separation of family and outside world |
| MIDDLE CLASS AMERICAN | SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN |
| Reference group less important | Reference group most important |
| Object-orientated life pattern | Person-orientated life pattern |
| Association between sexes | Little or no association between sexes |
| Strong pressure of status | No status seeking |
| Striving for excellence | Leveling tendency in society |
| Readiness to join groups | Rejection of joining groups |
| Ability to function in objective ways in a group | Ability to function in a group only on a personal basis |
| Attachment to work; concern for job security and satisfaction | Detachment from work; little concern for job security or satisfaction |
| Emphasis on education | Ambivalence toward education |
| Cooperation with doctors, hospitals, and “outsiders” | Fear of doctors, hospitals, those in authority, the well-educated |
| Use of government and law to achieve goals | Antagonism toward government and law |
| Acceptance of the world | Suspicion and fear of outside world |
| Participation in organized amusements, cultural activities, etc. | Rejection of organized amusements, cultural activities, etc. |
From Yesterday’s People by Jack Weller (University of Kentucky Press, 1965)
All rights reserved by the original copyright holders
We mountain people are the product of our history and the beliefs and outlook of our foreparents. We are a traditional people, and in our rural setting we valued the things of the past. More than most people, we avoided mainstream life and thus became self-reliant. We sought freedom from entanglements and cherished solitude. All of this was both our strength and our undoing.
They came to a land of great natural beauty – high misty mountains, broad valleys and secluded coves and hollows, clear bouncing waters and frothing waterfalls. Wild game, roots and herbs for food and medicine were everywhere. The forests with their towering trees seemed endless, and underneath were rocks and minerals that would attract outsiders later on. For a people escaping from infringements of church and state, Appalachia was ideal for a new way of life, for a time, away from “powers and principalities.”
They came for many reasons, but always for new opportunity and freedom – freedom from religious, political, and economic restraints, and freedom to do much as they pleased. The pattern of their settlement shows that they were seeking land and solitude.
Although many were literate, evident from their letters, signing of public documents, and their possession of books, for a generation or two they left most formal schooling behind. This was a choice of profound significance for mountain people.
Life in the wilderness and the continuing relative isolation of Southern mountaineers made a strong imprint on us. The Appalachian value system that influences attitudes and behavior is different in some ways from that held by our modern countrymen, although it is similar to the value system of an earlier America.
From Appalachian Values by Loyal Jones (The Jesse Stuart Foundation, 1994)
All rights reserved by the original copyright holders