J.D. Vance published his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” The book received praise initially by conservative readers and critics, and even reached The New York Times‘ bestseller list.
Since then, “Elegy”—particularly when compared/contrasted to its author as we know him today—is revealed to be more problematic that originally understood. The IRL Vance, creature of Ivy League education and Private Equity who actually had a suburban upbringing, is far removed from the book’s dramatic themes and scenes set in Appalachia.
Writing for MSNBC, poet and writer Willie Carver says Vance uses “ugly stereotypes that harm real Appalachians in order to advance a political career.”
“Unlike me, Vance is not Appalachian. He was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, well outside any maps of the distinct geographical and cultural region. Trump picking this Rust Belt charlatan as his running mate Monday sparked a resounding and unifying rant among conservative and liberal hillbillies alike in my social media feed: We do not acknowledge him.”
Glenville State University professor and historian Bob Hutton notes in a piece for Jacobin that Vance’s “Elegy” suffers from glaring lack of perspective. “Even if [Vance] truly believes that Appalachian poverty is somehow exceptional, he did not delve into the wealth of scholarship on the subject. Sociologists Dwight Billings and Kathleen Blee’s meticulously researched study of Clay County, Kentucky, The Road to Poverty: The Making of Wealth and Hardship in Appalachia, demonstrates that elite families dominated local industry and politics, laying the groundwork for a permanent low-wage economy before the Civil War.”
Hutton adds: “By virtue of their whiteness, the images of Hydrocodone-addicted ‘rednecks’ become, in the words of Harkins, set apart from politics. Like all other Americans, Vance’s subjects are categorized by their productivity as workers. The author is worried that they aren’t as productive workers as they could be.”
The “lazy worker” trope is familiar theme inside Vance’s book and political party, writes Noah Berlatsky:
Vance says that the poor are poor because they use drugs, because they’re lazy, because they come from broken homes. But there are lots of lazy rich people—just look at Donald Trump. There are lots of rich people who use drugs too; in the recent bestseller Stealing Fire, Jamie Wheal and Steven Kotler boast about all the billionaires they’ve seen doing psychedelics at Burning Man. There’s no shortage of rich people who get divorced either. Look at Trump, again. If you can stand it.
Carver adds in his MSNBC post: “Vance’s memoir of Appalachia, full of gun-toting, drug-addicted ‘lunatics’ aimlessly awaiting death, is at best a cherry-picking of the worst moments of his life. At worst, it’s a concoction of real memories and some of television’s worst stereotypes of what Appalachia is. I do not see my Appalachia in it.”
According to The New York Times, when Vance spoke at Appalachian Studies Association conference in 2018, a group called Y’ALL (Young Appalachian Leaders and Learners) began booing and singing Florence Reece’s anthem “Which Side Are You On?”
Also notable is Vance, as conference speaker, was identified as representing “Our Ohio Renewal,” the disgraced, bogus charity that shuttered after 2 short years.
I contacted Appalachian Studies Association for images or video from the event with protestors, and executive director Mary Thomas told me they are not in possession of any. If you were at this event or know someone who was, please reach out to me securely here.
