Hard agree with everything in this article. I would add that those who are poor are also more likely to be disabled in some way or are caretakers of disabled children and family which is expensive. Copays, specialists, mobility aids, diapers, therapists, in-home nurse visits all add up. Also, rich people are allowed to have diseases the poor aren’t. Diabetic rich person, no problem. Diabetic poor person, put down those fudge rounds, you disgusting pig, you brought this on yourself, right? It’s such a gross, judgmental attitude and all it does is break people down even further.
And what qualifies as legitimate illness is gendered as well. This is why it takes close to a decade to get diagnosed with many autoimmune diseases when you're a woman, even if you have insurance and keep going to the doctor. It takes them that long and your symptoms have to get bad enough for them to stop "prescribing" bullshit like "stress reduction" and "self-care".
They tell me to reduce stress and practice self care but what they really mean usually is “be quiet”. Because reducing stress would imply getting rid of most of these patronizing physicians.
I bought Hillbilly Elegy when it first came out, because I was puzzled about why so many people thought trump was cool. Never got around to reading it. Thanks for the analysis: very glad I didn't spend my time on it.
I feel like Governor Beshear did a decent job of calling him out recently, because in the book the family he's looking down on the most aren't in Ohio, they're in Eastern Kentucky. There are MANY families with branches spread across I-75 or I-71, where one or two of the kids went to Ohio for factory jobs a couple generations ago. Some of those jobs are gone now. But Vance was only ever a tourist in Appalachia, his hubris at feeling like he had the right to use the term "Hillbilly" is just as offensive to me as someone using any other classist slur. Not being born in Kentucky and living in Louisville I can't use the term in most contexts unless I want to be that kind of asshole. His lack of real time on the ground is evident in how homogeneous he seems to think the area remains, as well.
I almost read Hillbilly Elegy when it was all the rage. Luckily, I decided to read “Strangers in Their Own Land” by by Arlie Russell Hochschild instead. It’s a much better book
Perfectly captures the smugness of judging others. Or worse, experiencing this dynamic, then judging it harshly and making money off of it! Soulless 🙄😳🤢
Nailed it!
Hard agree with everything in this article. I would add that those who are poor are also more likely to be disabled in some way or are caretakers of disabled children and family which is expensive. Copays, specialists, mobility aids, diapers, therapists, in-home nurse visits all add up. Also, rich people are allowed to have diseases the poor aren’t. Diabetic rich person, no problem. Diabetic poor person, put down those fudge rounds, you disgusting pig, you brought this on yourself, right? It’s such a gross, judgmental attitude and all it does is break people down even further.
And what qualifies as legitimate illness is gendered as well. This is why it takes close to a decade to get diagnosed with many autoimmune diseases when you're a woman, even if you have insurance and keep going to the doctor. It takes them that long and your symptoms have to get bad enough for them to stop "prescribing" bullshit like "stress reduction" and "self-care".
The number of times I’ve been told I just need to lose weight. Or that it’s just my anxiety. Or exercise. Gah!
They tell me to reduce stress and practice self care but what they really mean usually is “be quiet”. Because reducing stress would imply getting rid of most of these patronizing physicians.
I bought Hillbilly Elegy when it first came out, because I was puzzled about why so many people thought trump was cool. Never got around to reading it. Thanks for the analysis: very glad I didn't spend my time on it.
Yeah; I think reading James Baldwin or Kate Manne is more useful for learning about trumpism.
I never read the hillbilly book when it came out. Color me lucky - it would've made me more angry than I already was at the time.
I've read a few really good take downs of the book and JD - and yours is one of the best. Another one that I read in the Daily Beast, of all places, is by Caleb Miller: https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-grew-up-in-appalachia-too-jd-vance-is-a-hillbilly-phony-caleb-miller-writes?ref=wrap (it made it worth the subscription that I didn't want to renew).
There's a good book of responses to Vance called Appalachian Reckoning I just read...
I'm going to check that out - thanks!
I feel like Governor Beshear did a decent job of calling him out recently, because in the book the family he's looking down on the most aren't in Ohio, they're in Eastern Kentucky. There are MANY families with branches spread across I-75 or I-71, where one or two of the kids went to Ohio for factory jobs a couple generations ago. Some of those jobs are gone now. But Vance was only ever a tourist in Appalachia, his hubris at feeling like he had the right to use the term "Hillbilly" is just as offensive to me as someone using any other classist slur. Not being born in Kentucky and living in Louisville I can't use the term in most contexts unless I want to be that kind of asshole. His lack of real time on the ground is evident in how homogeneous he seems to think the area remains, as well.
I almost read Hillbilly Elegy when it was all the rage. Luckily, I decided to read “Strangers in Their Own Land” by by Arlie Russell Hochschild instead. It’s a much better book
I had to read it for a work thing. It's...not good.
Perfectly captures the smugness of judging others. Or worse, experiencing this dynamic, then judging it harshly and making money off of it! Soulless 🙄😳🤢