Discourse

      
      Before taking this course, I knew nothing about the discourse of Appalachia other than the negative stereotypes that are common in today's society. I had never really had a reason to explore and learn more about these people or the region. Through our discussions as a class and our reading assignments I now have a better understanding of the discourse of Appalachia. The current state of Appalachian rhetoric and discourse is a negative one and I don't think many that will change for many people unless they study it like we have in the class. I am glad I have had this opportunity to see the other side of Appalachian discourse through this class.

Appalachian Discourse

     As an Environmental Geology major discourse in Appalachia boils down to one thing: Resources. From the abundance of coal, to the recently discovered Marcellus shale needed for fracking, Appalachia seems to be much debated. In my field of work we read journals and research topics effecting certain areas, but of recent the only rhetoric we have been reading is taking place in Appalachia. These topics are very controversial from protecting the land and the people around it, to gaining resources used in our every day life.

      The guest speakers who came to our class towards the end of November helped to exemplify this discourse. One speaker in particular was Elisa Young, and is an anti-coal activist in the Appalachian region. She spoke of the many issues now being debated and how coal mining is so detrimental to the beautiful land in Appalachia. Not only that, many aspects of the coal mining and production have created many health problems for people in those areas. Fracking is the newest form of energy harnessing, and can be found in just about any news paper you pick up.
     While the discourse we read and talked about in class may not have touched as much on this natural resource problem, it is still a highly debated and talked about controversy. From the citizens of Appalachia, to the newspapers on our door steps, natural resources are a big part of Appalachian discourse.

Colton Creal

Blog 6: Knead, Snowville, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

    Like many of the Appalachians I've met, I sincerely care about my food. Here, in and around Appalachian Ohio, we're constantly discussing our local food options. Athenians, Columbusites, and Pittsburghers alike have taken to local produce, meats, and dairy products with a fervor. "Buy Local" and other green font bumper stickers are abundant, and seemingly quite effective, it least on me. The more you can tell me about my meal, the more inclined I am to come back. One restaurant in Columbus' downtown area, "Knead," has a beautiful map of Ohio featuring all of the ingredients used in their restaurant. Now, ordering from a menu anywhere else is, by comparison, a lackluster affair. I believe there's also a similar map in Athens' organic pizza shop, "Avalanche," my go-to place for quality 'za.

    Snowville Creamery, another favorite of mine, may play an even bigger role (beyond just their delicious milk) in the future of the local movement. This is due to the fact that Jeni's, another Columbus establishment, uses only Snowville Creamery cream to make their phenomenal ice creams. Now, when I say, "phenomenal," I do mean, "phenomenal." If you haven't already tried it, head on over to Jackie O's, Fluff, or Kroger's to pick up a pint. Go ahead, I'll wait - I worked for Jeni's for almost two years, and it's still the best ice cream I've ever had. With eleven locations across central Ohio and Tennessee, Jeni's has become a beacon of local, organic excellence, and they will no doubt continue to make us proud. Their headquarters may be outside the realm of "Appalachia," but without Snowville, and other Appalachian family farms, there would be no delicious ice cream.

#3: Story

Despite my Appalachian roots, I don’t often think of my life experiences in terms of storytelling. And despite knowing that I've heard many family tales from my dad and his family before, I can’t recall a single one of them well enough to retell here.

But I suppose a ‘story’ I’d consider worth passing down about myself would be something my dad brought to my attention when I was interviewing him for my exploratory essay. Growing up, my family (my mother, father, older sister, and occasionally my older half brother) moved around often for a period of about five years. Before that, my parents had owned a small music shop here in Athens, though even before that we lived in Columbus. But the shop went bankrupt due to economic circumstances outside of their control. I assume this had to do with why we moved around so much. We always stayed inside Ohio, though we stuck around the Cleveland area, and so I have childhood experiences in both Appalachian Ohio and more urban parts of Ohio.

Eventually, my dad’s Guitar Center job transferred him to Florida, and we stayed there for a period of just under two years when I was in 4^th and 5^th grade. My sister and I hated it there. We wanted to go “home.”

We’d moved around so often since my sister and I were born that my parents didn't know what “home” was, from our point of view. It turns out both of us meant Athens County, specifically the house we lived in when they owned their music shop- the house we now live in today.

My house.

I wouldn't have thought this a story worth telling until my dad pointed out how Appalachian it is to feel such a strong connection to one’s “home.” I've only come to recently appreciate the fact that I have a place I can really feel like I can call home where I belong, when many people don’t have or experience that in their lives. 

Bonus Blog: In The Future....

The future for me is very unknown as of now. I am currently working towards becoming an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, and therefore cannot really pick where I will be living. However, I am excited for the fact that I will be able to see the world and meet various people and cultures. My main goal is to become a pilot, and one air base is located in Cherry Point, North Carolina. While this is not in Appalachia itself, I would imagine that there is still some Appalachian influence, or at least an atmosphere that comes along with living in the South. I have always had a certain interest in living in the South, mostly because of the stereotypical small towns and laid-back way of life that most people present it as. If I end up there, I plan to embrace this lifestyle as much as I can, and really immerse myself in the Southern culture. This could include trying new foods, learning a few words that I might not have known before, and a life in the South would not be complete without a few hunting trips every now and then.

Aside from the southern lifestyle, I would also enjoy living in one of America's most beautiful cities of Annapolis, Maryland. I have family members that live there, and the atmosphere there is amazing. Located right on the Chesapeake Bay, it is surrounded by fresh seafood and sailboats. I plan on adapting to this life of luxury, if I am fortunate enough, and learning the trades of sail-boating. The language there is not so much different, however, there is some southern influence. It is located near Washington D.C which is a culture of its own, so I may try to experience that as well, however it is too fast-paced for me.

Wherever I end up, I know that I will not take the environment for granted, and experience what it has to offer. However, it is important to me that I recognize where I came from, and still carry the values that my family and friends have taught me thus far.

Blog 6: Appalachia Today

Before taking this class, I was very unaware of the Appalachian culture, its people, and even where exactly it was located. I simply saw it as a region of hills covered in tress, in which the people under those trees lived in the most basic way possible and spoke something close to English. However, after the entirety of the semester, my view has very much changed.

On the local level, I believe that the perception of Appalachia is changing for the good, but is not quite where it should be. Through classes such as ours and clubs at Ohio University supporting the Appalachian culture, I think a great deal of awareness and respect of Appalachia can be achieved. The main obstacle is to dissolve the powerful stereotypes that exist from those not originally from Appalachia.

A main advantage I see on a local level is the fact that Ohio University has become a sort of melting pot of those from Appalachia, and those who are not. With college education being of more importance, many people in the Appalachian region who may have not considered college before, are doing so now. This creates a culture of its own here at OU as kids from Illinois are becoming friends with kids from West Virginia, and so on. With friendship comes conversation, and with conversation comes knowledge. This knowledge, I believe, is being spread locally to create an accepting environment for the Appalachian culture.

On the national level, I see a different picture. Still today we see movies being created that contain countless stereotypes of Appalachian people, from unintelligent people, to insane, and even barbaric. Most notable to me is the documentary of the White Family of West Virginia which portrays an outlaw family; sprinkled with drug use, heavy abuse of alcohol, and crime. While entertaining, it goes to show that America still feels the need to poke fun at a certain culture.

I was not here for the speakers from the Appalachia club, however I did ask a few of my classmates about the speakers. From what I have gathered, their opinions are reflective of mine. They see progress on the local level, but are still trying to overcome the stereotypes, especially on a nation stage.

Blog 5: Jack Daniel's

The topic of my Exploratory essay was Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. Located on the edge of Appalachia in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Jack Daniel's is a symbol of American history and pride. What was most interesting to me was to learn that the county in which Lynchburg (Pop. 361) is located in is actually a dry county, meaning that none of its residence can actually purchase the very thing that keeps their town alive. However, they do sell commemorative bottles for holidays and such.

The history of Jack Daniel himself was also very interesting to me. He was born into a very large family, and lost both of his parents at a very young age. He was then taken in by a minister, who ironically, was the one who taught him the whiskey making skills he would later become famous for. When the minister was forced by the people of the town to choose whether he valued his religion or whiskey, the minister decided upon religion, and passed down his trade to Jack. Jack Daniel then created the product we know today, using fresh spring-water from a cave that is still used today. The water is used to create a mash consisting of barley, oats, and wheat, which is then used to create a clear liquid. This liquid is then filtered through over ten feet of sugar-maple charcoal that the distillery makes on-site. This is what gives the whiskey its famous flavor and richness. Overall, the process is one that is not based on a specific time, but rather is independent on each barrel of whiskey. The process can be seen with this video..

Jack Daniel's is also giving back to the community as it is part of many sponsorships and services. My favorite is the Operation Ride Home organization that Jack Daniel's is helping out with. This organization provides the resources, whether it be money for gas or a plane ticket, to allow our servicemen and women to be home for the holidays. With the average pay of a newly-enlisted soldier being at about the poverty-line, many military families cannot afford to be home with their families. Operation Ride Home gives them this opportunity, and Jack Daniel's is very proud to be a supporter.

My perspective of Jack Daniel's has changed very much. I once thought it was just a drink for people to enjoy, but after learning of the process it goes through, handled with such care and precision, it makes me appreciate it more. What has furthered my appreciation is the service that Jack Daniel's has done in the community such as the one mentioned above. It is great to know that our military is still being recognized and taken care of for all that they do.

Blog 4: Carsey's Barber Shop

One of my favorite places to go in all of Athens is the old fashioned barber shop, Carsey's, located just at the end of Court Street. Upon opening the door, you are immediately greeted with welcoming smiles and hello's, as well as the aroma of shaving cream and barbicide (the blue disinfectant the combs are put into). I have been in there quite a bit over the past couple of years, mostly for a great old-fashioned haircut, but also to sit and listen to the stories and wisdom of older gentlemen.

I've heard all sorts of stories during my simple haircut from ones about one man being a Navy Seal during his day, to one about the time a man hit a fastball off a future major leaguer. Being in there almost seems like a movie setting with the big leather chairs, the traditional red-white-blue swirling post, and the decorative pieces hanging on the walls that are from a time that only my grandpa would know.

One day I was looking around the shop and noticed a picture of a man that looked older at the time, and the picture must've been taken awhile ago. So I asked the man cutting my hair who was in that picture, and he notified me that was, in fact, his father. His father was the original Carsey, and founded the barbershop in the 1940's. It has been an establishment ever since then here on Ohio University's campus, for all students and Athens residence to enjoy. He talked about stories of his father meeting a countless number of people a day, yet still having a good thing to say about them all. He also told of the time when the store moved locations, and also about how he decided he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.

Carsey's Barber Shop is a true time capsule of Athens, OH and Ohio University itself, and I encourage anyone to stop by for an old fashioned haircut, or at least a good history lesson.

Blog 3: Around the World

One of the most notable stories that has always been told to my family members is the one he tells about him sailing around the world. Now before you get too excited, he was not like that teenager who just recently accomplished that feat on his own, rather it was in the 1950's while he was in the U.S. Navy. My grandpa was part of the USS Rudolph, and was mostly stationed in various islands in the Pacific Ocean as he was part of the Korean War. However, when war time was over, he was given the luxury to be able to sail around the world on the aircraft carrier.

He tells many stories of his experiences while on the ship, whether it be the time his best friend was almost eaten alive by a shark, or the many claims he has of meeting countless girls in every country. But whichever side-story he throws in there to spice things up, he still is able to exhibit an overall attitude of pride an accomplishment for what he did while serving our country,

My favorite part of the story is the more tangible item that comes with it. In my grandpa's basement is a huge certificate that is decorated with maritime figures and mermaids, etc and congratulate my grandpa for his achievement of sailing around the world. It lists the starting port, and ending port, as well as the dates. It is very detailed and extravagant, and truly a sight to see. 

This story is something I will definitely pass down to my children, as it is always a popular conversation already among my cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles.  

Blog 5: Breaking Amish, an Appalachian Exploitation

    In general, I'm not big fan of "Reality Television." I've taken a few classes on documentary film, and have even worked on a couple myself, and therefore know enough to postulate that few, if any, filmic representations are fully "real." Even within the realm of cinéma vérité docs, such as Barbara Kopple's academy award winning film "Harlan County, USA," there are always issues of truth. Any piece of footage which is "edited" thereby surrenders it's contextual complexity in favor of a narrative arc, which we refer to as "writing the doc". Often, contributors will be credited as "co-director" or "co-writer," in addition to "editor," as the process of shaping footage into documentary is so creativity-based. Filmmakers like to refer to editing as "discovering" the documentary, much like how Michelangelo explained sculpting; but what gets lost in the pile of gravel that's been chiseled away?

    As I've written in many of my blogs, my family farm is located near the heart of the largest Amish population in the world. The Amish I've known have always been neighborly, hardworking, and fair, and yet I find aspects of their culture oppressive, and even cruel. This duality persists, in my mind, due to the secrecy and isolation of their culture, one which relies on the threat of "shunning" as a means of dissuading defection. I believe that the rituals and practices that define the Amish lifestyle have both merits and deficiencies, and that the community's lack of transparency falls into the latter category. For this reason, I became extremely interested in TLC's "Breaking Amish" from the moment I first saw it advertised. Even better, one of the show's subjects, Jeremiah, grew up just a few miles from our farm.

    The Amish and Mennonite men and women of "Breaking Amish" have much to share with us. We experience with them their first airplane rides, their first hotel rooms, and their first time eating Sushi. From abhorrent dentistry to old world chauvinism, and even as far as bestiality, these kids air all of the dirty laundry they can think of. Between the elongated reaction shots, the intense mood music, and the frequent "next up" montage advertisements built into the episodes, the work feels very handled. The editors' method of presentation relies heavily on heightened suspense and the guttural "awkwardness" feeling you get when you watch someone embarrass themselves. It's effective, in that it keeps the viewer engaged with the characters, and, therefore, the commercial breaks, but it's also hard to swallow.

Reality TV Gossip: Is Breaking Amish Fake? 

    Entertaining as it may be, "Breaking Amish" is a difficult series to regard as "genuine." The exploratory essay I wrote details my understanding of the subjects' naiveté, biases, and truthfulness, as well their network exploitation. There were many skeptical online blogs, and even a few local investigative news reports, leading up to the 90 minute reunion special in which all of the "myths" of the show were finally debunked. Apart from the identity of Rebecca's child's father, the only remaining question is: what's next? They're clearly shunned from returning home, but are also, quite suddenly, internationally famous! What semblance of a normal life will they be able to salvage after this? And, now that the success of this show has almost guaranteed TLC will produce additional seasons, where, if ever, will it end?

Blog 4: NPR's "Modern Hunting" Segment

    Last month, NPR's "Talk of the Nation" ran a segment featuring huntress Lily Ragg McCaulou, author of the new book, "Call of the Mild: Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner." A few years back, McCaulou left her home in New York City for rural Oregon, in order to better understand where her food comes from. She has since become an avid hunter and spokesperson for local meat, and hopes to encourage more young people, especially women, to follow in her footsteps.

Talk of the Nation: Modern Hunting Lures A Younger Pack

   "Talk of the Nation" is one of a handful of NPR programs that I podcast, and, as usual, I was listening to this episode while I cooked dinner. Lucky coincidence brought this piece on as I was slicing up the last of my 2011 venison for Szechuan Chinese night. It was the final meal I cooked for my housemates before hunting season began, and McCaulou's careful arguments in favor of personal meat harvesting really spoke to my motivations as a hunter. This year, I was able to shoot a 4 pt. buck my first day out, and I can't wait to have fresh venison again. 

    I'll be going into further detail about this issue in future blogs and essays, but this article is a good jumping off point. Appalachia has a rich tradition of hunting as a food source, one that I hope will continue for as long as possible. As this article points out, the advent of a younger, and increasingly female, generation of hunters is coming. I'm a part of that generation, and I'd be glad to discuss it with anyone who's interested. If the only arguments for and against hunting you've heard have come from either the NRA or PETA, and you'd like to hear more from those of us in between, please start here.

Tucker & Dale Discourse

Scott O’Lone

ENG 3080J

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Discourse

            In class we talk a lot about media that portrays Appalachia negatively. I have watched the film Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, multiple times and thought it was a good example of a positive representation of Appalachia. The film plays on the simple horror film genre, using two groups of characters. One group is all college students, while the other group is composed of two sensitive “hillbillies.” The film shows both sides, but this time the college students are the bad guys. The hillbillies are just trying to fix up their vacation home. The college students use those stereotypes to fuel their attack on these two innocent hillbillies. I think that the film is great because it disproves Appalachian stereotypes by making a joke out of it. This may be a new movement in media, where Hollywood continues to play on stereotypes, but also disproves them in the process. 

Blog 6: Discourse

                                                

                At the beginning of this course I was very unaware about the lives of people from the Appalachian region. To be honest, I really never had to think about the people of Appalachia because it really never affected me in any way. Now I am proud to say I have learned something new about the people of a hidden culture. Negative stereotypes filled my mind when I began this class and coming out of this class I have a better understanding of the more positive aspects of this society. Family values, strong community bonds, and hard working individuals is all that fills my mind now when I think of the people of Appalachia.

                When looking into why I previously thought this way, I am able to set blame upon the media, ignorance, and myself for not looking into something before forming an opinion. The people of this region are some of the most independent, hard working individuals that I have read about and met thus far. These people face issues that many people do not even need to think about and this is what creates their socially constructed views on society. It is sad to see how people nation wide to not know these people and what they have to deal with. One example of this is fracking and coal mining. These are two huge aspects in their society that really only they are directly affected by. The guest speakers who came in to speak to the class really gave great opinions on their stance of this society and the problems they face which was very interesting to hear about.

                                                      

                I think that nationally, our people need to start looking into these problems and meeting the people that deal with these particular issues. If this was accomplished I feel like people will not be so divided and stereotypical with their assumptions. Although I can blame myself for my ignorance, taking this class was a great step forward in providing me with insider’s views of a variety of different issues. I am glad I finished this class and actually took something out of it because many classes here at Ohio University you are able to go through and not taking anything from it. This on the other hand proved differently and a better understanding of this culture was the main goal.

Blog 2: Whistlin' and Crowin' Women of Appalachia

                                                           

            The book called Whistlin’ and Crowin’ Women of Appalachia: Literacy Practices Since College by Sohn has been a very interesting read. It lures you into the deep rhetoric behind the people of the Appalachian culture. It lets the outsider take a look into the lives of various people from Appalachia throughout the whole book that normally people would not see. More specifically, Sohn takes the reader into the lives of women and how their hardships have shaped their well-being and personality in today’s world. Each woman had shared their own obstacles and difficulties that they had to face while trying to earn a modest living and education. It was very interesting to see how different people in Appalachian culture viewed education and the way women went about their educational endeavors. 

            What was very surprising to me was the hardships that women of this region had to face in their everyday life. It was interesting to read about their journey to becoming educated and their struggle in Appalachian culture to become the breadwinner in their family. Although many of the women I have met are very intellectual and study to become something bigger in life, I figured the women of Appalachia would have been on the same boat as well but in fact, they were a little behind.

                                                 

            This book really showed me the positive attitude that Appalachians had towards their success in life. Up until this book, I only had the negative stereotypes to go by because the media and peoples’ opinions really don’t show the positive aspects of their society. I think that Americans should really open their eyes to these cultures that aren’t necessarily well known in order to have a better understanding of these specific cultures and this will in turn provide us with a different attitude towards ‘outsiders.’

            

Blog 5: Researching Appalachia

My exploratory research essay was a paper that I found great interest in writing. Considering the Civil War had more deaths than World War II, World War I, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War combined, I wrote my essay to find the wide range of mental effects that fighting your family and fellow Americans had on your mental state, as well as its effects on the structure of our educational system in our country. This provided me with some very interesting facts about the Civil War’s aftermath that not many generations have had to deal with while fighting wars such to this extent. The Civil War could have been one of the most detrimental wars to the mental state of its soldiers and to America as a whole. Being in the military, this topic really intrigued me because I too deal with people who have had PTSD as well as see the effects that war has on certain individuals in today’s society. Taking a look into one of the toughest wars in American society was one of the most interesting studies I have done thus far.

                                        

What I found while researching was that soldiers that fought in the Civil War were of all ages. From kids at age 9 to adults at age 60, soldiers were soldiers and they all saw and dealt with the same turmoil as the brother (or occasional sister) next to them. While looking into the current minimum ages to join militaries around the world, the age 18 seemed to be a common number in regards to society’s eyes viewing an adult. Although we have the minimum age set at 18, back in the Civil War era, there really was no minimum age. People were literally fighting their brothers from the other side of the country. With no age limit and people actually seeing their family members on the other side of the battlefield, this made for a detrimental loss in the minds of individuals and made way for emotional problems to follow.

                                         

While digging into the Civil War aftermath, I was interested to find out the effects on America’s structure as well as the people’s state of mind. While uncovering interesting facts about pre and post-Civil War, I saw a revolution in the structure of America. Before the Civil War, education seemed to be up to par. People did not complain about the lack of education or really complain about anything. These people during this time period were tough and knew they lived a hard life and dealt with it. It kind of made me wonder where all these whiners came from in today’s society…With education not really being persued in pre-Civil War era, no one was really worried about forward progress. It kind of seemed like everyone was stuck in the way they accomplished tasks around the nation. For this reason, I believe the Civil War was a jumpstart or rejuvenation to society as a whole and it really revamped the way Americans thought about life. With African Americans starting to be integrated after the North victory, progress for basic human rights became apparent and America could officially move forward, which was very interesting to read and study about.

In the end, I think we can all agree the Civil War was one of the most detrimental wars to the mental state of being between Americans.

California? NYC? Chicago? (Bonus Blog)

As of right now, I'm not entirely sure what the future holds for me.  The plan is to apply for an internship with Miss Universe, which is based in NYC.  That would last about 6 months and you travel the world.

After that, I hope to move to either California, NYC or Chicago.  It's all up in the air.  I feel like California is so far away that I'm not sure if I can handle that big of a move yet.  No matter where I end up, with all three locations I will still be interested in figuring our a lot of the same things about my new home.

I will want to research the best areas to live around that are affordable, yet safe.  I want to make sure that whatever home I live in provides a sense of home because no matter where I end up, it will be far from what I know.  I like having a place that I can feel at home at.  This is a critical part of my living situation.

Another thing I will want to know about with where I end up living is about great places to go to for food as well as drinks.  Another part of knowing where to go for food and drink is finding a bar for Ohio State fans.  You can typically find them anywhere you go, so that's a must.  It will be a little piece of home, which I can't wait to partake in when it comes to living in a big city.

Otherwise, another part I would really want to know about where I live is the places to see and go to.  I would love to go to good parks, museums, concerts, and various other places that make these cities such loved areas.  I want to make sure that where I live will provide me with activities and ways of being social.  I grew up in the suburbs, so I'm used to having things to do.  I think I can make wherever I live feel like home. 

Blog 4: Past and Present

One debate that is currently being discussed, and has been discussed in the past few months is whether or not President McDavis should receive a pay raise. At first glance, myself along with many other students took an obvious negative stance on this issue at hand. Our first thoughts included, where is this money going to come from and what has he done to deserve more of our money?! I wouldn’t say all students, but most students know that Ohio University is one of the most expensive schools in Ohio, second to be exact. So by coming to this school you should know that you are getting a good education. So if there is a hike in tuition, why don’t students have the same mentality and just keep paying for their good education? But what happens when the education does not meet the standard for the amount of money we pay? Is this why students are against the hike in cost?

If we know we are paying for this great education then why is a little tuition hike a problem? Our sports teams are performing better now and this is most likely what the tuition hike is going to go to but how do we know for sure? Is there anyone that actually informs the students exactly where this money is going and why we are paying it? To my knowledge, there is not, which makes me either oblivious or makes the University’s efforts not good enough.

                                             

In the midst of tuition hikes, President McDavis then asks for a raise. How does he think we will respond to this request? He can’t possibly think that we won’t care where our money is going. One problem that the students see through this raise proposition is that President McDavis is an invisible man. I guarantee that some students don’t even know who McDavis is but yet he is going to get more of our money.  With all the arguments set aside, let’s take a look at some key figures salary. In terms of salary, President Roderick McDavis gets paid more money than the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Canada, the President of France, and even gets paid more than the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama himself. In simple terms, does the president of Ohio University accomplish more than the chancellor, prime minister, or president of thriving nations? I think not.

Blog 3: My Generational Story

                                            

There are many stories throughout a person’s life that could possibly be passed down from generation to generation, but the moral of a story is something that makes that story one to learn from. Although I have many stories I can see one clearly in my head right now considering I am wearing a shirt to remember it from. Let me put you into my boots, figuratively, and tell you a little story about following directions.

            In my line of work, attention to detail is a very important quality that one must accomplish before moving on in our career field. Anyway, one morning the Army ROTC program was having our 0600 physical training again in the cold of the twilight just before sunrise. The birds were chirping and the soldiers were chanting. I was doing the pushup when one of my officers strolled up in front of me and asked me if I knew how to speak Spanish. Now of course I was a little weary and hesitant to answer this question because an officer just doesn’t come up to an average joe and start asking questions like this without a reason. I gave an answer of yes but warned him I wasn’t an expert or anything. He then followed it up with one of the best questions I had ever heard up until that date. “Would you ever like to go to Army Airborne School?” Of course I said yes and he explained that I would need to go to a Columbian cultural immersion program first but going to airborne school is one of those goals for almost all combat soldiers in which not many ever get the chance to go.

            Next thing I knew, maybe two weeks later, it was finals week and I was off to Fort Benning, Georgia for the immersion program and Airborne school. After I successfully completed WHINSEC, I was off to my first days as an airborne soldier in training. From the very beginning the sergeant airbornes yelled louder than Zues himself to pay attention to detail. “Attention to detail cadet!” they would yell. Other phrases we would hear would be “This will save your life,” or “Listen to this detail carefully or you WILL be sent home soldier.” Throughout the next two weeks of training I saw many soldiers get dropped out of our beloved airborne school for not paying attention to the details. For the most part, we all understood that details will save our limbs, so the people who were smart, paid extra attention to details like how to tie your gear to your body or how to jump out of the plane the right way.
                                           

            It was now week three, jump week. We were all nervous for what will come and we were surprisingly all silent as we waited in the jump warehouse with 1500 soldiers of all ranks, for the C-130s to roll in on the runway to whisk away 60 more jumpers. Jump week was almost over as we each completed four jumps at 1300 feet. Each jump provided the EMTs with soldiers that jumped out wrong and got hurt, collided in the air or landed the wrong way. So far, I had done everything according to what I had learned and was safe.

            It was my last jump and my stick had just been tasked to hop on the C-130. I was in a little bit more of a laxadazical mood than the last four jumps because they were completed flawlessly and my parents were also down in the landing zone, so my mind was a little clouded. “Stand up!” the sergeant yelled. “Hook up!” he yelled again. My heart was racing like the past times I have heard these last words and then he yelled, “GO! GO! GO!” Then we began to jump from 1300 feet in the air, from a perfectly good airplane.
                                              

            I was three people from the door and yet I was still not thinking about the correct procedure. I then got to the door, turned, and past off my parachute cord to the sergeant. I am telling this part as if it were slow motion but keep in mind from the time we hear “go, go, go,” there is about less than 30 seconds for all 60 people to jump out. I stepped up to the door, passed off my chord, and looked at the world below me. It was so far down and it was so loud up there that muscle memory just took over my body. Although this is what we wanted, we still needed to be thinking about what we were doing, which was the attention to detail part yet again. As I passed my chord and took my step out the door, head down, feet together, pencil dive type of position, I felt a tightening on my left arm.

            The chord was wrapped around my arm because I hadn’t passed it off correctly to the man at the door. I had a split second to react or else my arm would instantly get ripped from the chord down (which I felt on my bicep). A sense of fear shot through me like never before and I swung my arm back and out in a circular motion as I prayed that my arm would break free. A split second later, I was out the door and checking my parachute for holes. I then look down at my left arm and I broke free. A sense of thankfulness, shock and fear all ran through my blood as I had about five seconds to just hang out and check out the beautiful sight from above. I then needed to find a good landing spot and try to direct myself to it using the techniques I learned my first two weeks of airborne school.
                                              

            I looked up to get my grip on the pull chords and that’s when I see another soldier right above me through the center hole in my chute. Now although this may not seem bad to the average person, to us, this is bad. When someone is directly above you when you are parachuting, it can be dangerous because your parachute is taking all the air his needs to capture, thus making him fall right into the middle of your parachute and sending both of you to the ground in the full force of gravity. Thanks to paying attention to detail, instinct took over again as I yelled at him to pull his front right chord as I pulled mine so we could veer away from each other. I took a look down and we were almost at the ground. I pulled my clip and let my rucksack and rifle fall 20 feet below me attached by yet another chord so they would hit the ground first. I then look back up and he is swaying in and out into the side of my parachute. I was praying he wouldn’t get tangled in my chords or else we both would have been pancakes on the ground, yet another scare on this dreadful last flight. Next thing I knew I had to prepare for landing and performed the proper techniques. I landed just before he landed, 10 yards away. We gathered up our supplies within a few minutes and got off the landing zone.

            If I had not paid attention to all the proper techniques and contingency plans that day, I may not have been writing this story today. If I could pass anything down to the generations below me, it would be this: “PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL.” What seems like a small, obscure detail at the time, may just end up saving your life one day, especially at the United States Army Airborne School.

My Sense of Appalachia - The Role of Voice

After completing this class, I feel like I have a pretty decent handle on what’s going on in Appalachia. Overall, we’ve learned that Appalachia isn’t as simple as it seems. Just like any other culture, it’s complex. I’d argue that Appalachia is more complex both locally and nationally than any other American subculture because Appalachia’s image is skewed and distorted by the media, and by Appalachians’ themselves. Appalachia is certainly the first American culture, besides some inner-city cultures, that shames themselves and is embarrassed to be who they are.

We discovered how Sohn illustrated how the women she researched were afraid to speak with their accents, and even one of our guest speakers revealed that she was taught to speak “proper” in school, instead of accurately speak in her own dialect. Of course, Sohn removed all signs of dialect within her book, something I’ve rarely seen in a text like that. Everyone in America has some kind of accent, so I was sort of astounded when I learned that Appalachians were ashamed of the way they speak. We don’t see New Yorkers, Chicagoans, or Bostonians embarrassed of their dialects, and we all know how silly some of their accents sound. I think that Appalachians know that the national media already has given their culture a bad name, so they’re weary of being a part of the negative stereotype. 

I thought this dialect map was interesting to look at. You can see Appalachian dialects outlined on the map, along with the other accents I mentioned (New York City/Chicago Urban accents). The link below is a larger version of the picture attached:

http://robertspage.com/diausa.gif

During class, we watched previews of Hollywood films depicting Appalachians (or “hill folk”) as dangerous and creepy people. I feel that Appalachians are quite aware that they’ve been stereotyped unfairly like this, so they want to change it and act “properly.” I think Appalachians would be better off being themselves, being proud, and refusing to care what the rest of the country thinks about them – that’s the best way to gain respect.With unique geography, haunted histories, important ancestors, spread out towns, and complex individuals, Appalachia is a one of a kind place.  

1970 Marshall Thundering Herd Plane Crash

            Since I’m pretty heavily invested and interested in sports, the Marshall Plane Crash in 1970 was a seamless fit for my exploratory paper. Before I engaged in research, my knowledge of this incident was pretty limited – the 2006 film We Are Marshall (starring Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox). I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on sports history, and yet the most tragic sporting event of all time had slipped through the cracks. But how was it possible that I knew hardly anything about the worst disaster in sports history?

            The plane crash occurred after a 17-14 loss to East Carolina. Typically, the Marshall Thundering Herd would play games within driving distance, but Carolina was just far enough away to fly. Just a few miles outside of the Thundering Herd’s home in Huntington, WV, the plane crashed into a hillside, killing all seventy-five passengers on board, including thirty-seven football players. Subsequently, Marshall cancelled their remaining game on their 1970 schedule – against the Ohio Bobcats, in Athens. Even though Marshall managed to field a team for the 1970 football campaign, they would never be the same.

            People know all about tragic sports history – racial problems in baseball are common knowledge for any fan, including the history of the Negro leagues. But there’s no event that can parallel the pure destruction that the Marshall Plane Crash entailed, yet the story flies under the radar. Well, it flew under the radar until Hollywood finally signed on to make a film featuring the plane crash and the resilient 1971. Instead of accurately depicting a great story, the writers chose to make up new characters and change crucial plot points, leaving Marshall fans and alum pretty disappointed.

            More than anything, I think location and the importance of the Marshall football program had a lot to do with keeping this story somewhat under the radar for sports fans. If this story would have occurred at Nortre Dame, USC, or Texas, it’d purely be common knowledge for anyone who’s ever picked up a football. Also, as we know, issues within Appalachia are often put on the backburner by the national media. In the end, the plane crash itself was a tragedy, but Hollywood’s treatment of this great story was hard for Appalachians to stomach, as well.

Grad School Discourse

Being a college student at OU, and living at my parent’s place during breaks and over the summer won’t last forever (hopefully). In a matter of about a year and a half, my life will likely change a lot – I’ll graduate college, try and grab a job, and move back to Chicago. Career-wise, I really don’t have a clue what I’ll pursue, but I do hope to go to grad school a few years after undergrad. Depending on which area I choose to pursue, I’ll have to beef up my discourse skills in order to stay afloat during discussions and other assignments throughout grad school.

Since I’m unsure what I’d like to study in grad school, I’ll likely have to study up before I start up classes. Luckily, the internet will greatly assist me in this voyage. There’ll be plenty of essays, research, videos and documentaries, speeches, articles, blogs, pictures, and books readily available for me to check out, and these sources will likely influence my decision in which field I’ll choose to pursue. I'll definitely have to take classes more seriously, and interact with my professors and classmates in an intellectual fashion.

I predict that the next year and a half at OU will definitely help me get a feel for the discourse within the graduate school community. I already have class with a few graduate students, and I’ve noticed they’re very active in group discussions and they seem to genuinely enjoy the material. So I’ll have to revamp my vocabulary and hopefully find a field that really interests me. Lastly, I’ll have to look the part. My wardrobe is half t-shirts, so I’ll have to upgrade clothing in order to look like an all-important graduate student.

(This was the Bonus blog for Blog 4)

Blog 6: Discourse

            Through the texts that we have read and our discussions in class, I was able to get a sense of Appalachia and what it is like. My understanding and outlook on Appalachia has changed drastically since we began this class at the beginning of the semester. Before, all I knew of Appalachia was really only what I had seen in movies or on television, which in most cases only portrays the negative stereotypes that are associated with it. Now, I associate Appalachia with having strong family values, hardworking and helpful people with bold personalities, and strong community bonds.

            In The Hunger Games, I think Suzanne Collins did a nice job depicting District 12 as being in Appalachia. As she describes the landscape it gave me a picture of what I had thought some parts of Appalachia to be, poverty stricken, and run down. Then as the book went on I started to get a sense of the community and the people, and it was easy to see that District 12 was a strong community of hard-working people. District 12 was the coal-mining district, which connected with one of the speakers who talked about her view on coal in Appalachia. Coal mining is a very hard and dangerous job, which the men in District 12 had to do once they turned 18. Katniss was the provider for her mom and little sister after her father died and throughout the book it was clear to see that she had very strong family values. She knew that she was the one keeping her mom and little sister alive and did everything she could to make sure that they would be taken care of if she did not return from the games. The community stood behind Katniss and Gale when they would defy the Capitol and hunt in the woods. In return Katniss and Gale would take some of their game into the Hob to sell. Everyone in District 12 would help each other and make sure that people had what they needed to get by.

            Nationally people probably have a different outlook on Appalachia because they only know what they have seen, as I did before this class. Being in Athens at Ohio University I never thought of it as fitting into the negative stereotypes associated with Appalachia. I was able to build my own sense of Appalachia throughout this class and through my own experiences while living here.