Let me begin by saying that the town where I was raised (Paintsville, Kentucky) as well as the town where I currently live (Barbourville, Kentucky) were both featured in the ABC News documentary "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains." This documentary was a 20/20 special report from Diane Sawyer.

I was anxious about watching is program because I could already taste the controversy that it was about to create. Even before the documentary aired, online community websites like MySpace and Facebook were inundated with Eastern Kentucky residents' premature opinions and preconceived notions about "Children of the Mountains" and how it was going to portray us as hillbillies. This stereotype is the the thorn in the side of Eastern Kentucky. It is one that paints a picture of a toothless, dirty, uneducated, illiterate, drug-dealing, poverty stricken, poor excuse for a human being who resides in a shack in the the woods spending the day playing "Dueling Banjos." The irony is that while this stereotype is by no means an accurate portrayal of the residents of Eastern Kentucky, the plagues of toothlessness, illiteracy, high school drop-outs, drugs, and poverty are very real, and too often overlooked.

Appalachians, and particularly Eastern Kentuckians don't want to be seen as charity cases. We understand that Eastern Kentucky holds practically no legitimate job prospects and that there aren't many opportunities for advancement, however, there is such pride in the history, the culture, and the traditions of this region that we too often than not don't realize what a poverty stricken niche of the country that we live in. We have become so desensitized to the trash on the sides of the roads, the homes without running water or electricity, and the drug use that we aren't shocked by it anymore. We understand it as a part of life, yet, if we witnessed the same conditions in a foreign country we would be shocked and appalled.  We would probably even go so far as to sympathize with their condition; but when our neighbors are poverty stricken we shame and blame them.  Therefore, when ABC displayed before a global audience portions of our region that are not glamorous or flattering, many Eastern Kentuckians were more than a little furious.

The general consensus was that "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains" made us all out to be the very definition of the hillbilly stereotype, and that it was yet another example of how the media presents us to the world as a bunch of nobodies going nowhere. The vehement rejection of this documentary even spawned the creation of such Facebook groups as "I'm from Appalachia and 20/20 Can Kiss my Hardworking Ass," and "I am not TOOTHLESS, UNEDUCATED, or DIRTY but I DO live in and LOVE East KY." Does anyone else see the common thread here? The need for many Eastern Kentuckians to separate themselves from the stereotype, and from many people who are actually toothless, and uneducated (Kentucky's own brand of untouchables). They don't want to have to face the looks and the questions when they introduce themselves as Eastern Kentuckians.  However, the "us" versus "them" mentality that many people display is what Eastern Kentuckians should be ashamed of, not those who live in poverty.

"A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains" clearly displayed the hardworking nature of Eastern Kentuckians with the depictions of the young coal miners risking their lives to support their families. The documentary was also clear to state that there are two versions of Appalachia, one version that looks like most of suburban America, and a second version that is hidden behind a veil of shame and secrecy for fear of embarrassing those who managed to move out of the hollows, or who were born into the suburban version of Appalachia. 

I am one of the few who actually felt inspired by the documentary, and who thought that it was an accurate depiction of happenings that I often witness on a daily basis.  I own where I am from.  I accept the beauty, the culture, the tradition, and I rage against the poverty, not because I am ashamed, but because I want better lives for my neighbors.  For the most part, Eastern Kentuckians don't want handouts, they want opportunity. 

For those who watched the documentary I am happy to say that Shawn Grim, the featured high school football star, has been given a second chance at success and will be attending Union College in Barbourville, KY.