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An Anthropology of American Hillbillies: The Horror Stories Might Have a Point
In this episode, the hosts delve into the rich and complex history of the greater Appalachian cultural tradition in the United States. The discussion uncovers the stereotypes and realities of this cultural group, exploring Jack stories and horror tales rooted in Appalachian folklore that reveal values of cunning, anti-elitism, and underdog triumph. The episode also connects these stories to modern political movements and cultural phenomena, such as the MAGA movement and the character of Bugs Bunny. With insights into the tradition's violent past, gender dynamics, and unique traditions like 'Charivari,' the hosts provide a comprehensive look at how Appalachian culture continues to influence American society.
Malcolm Collins: Hello Simone. Today's conversation is one I have been excitedly digging into. Yes, you have. The history of the greater Appalachian cultural tradition or the backwoods cultural tradition in the United States. This is the tradition that you and I hail from. Predominantly, like obviously everyone's a mix of a number of traditions.
They're also heavily from the Puritan tradition, and you're partially Jewish as well. But the, the main one is the greater Appalachian tradition. And the reason why it's important to understand this tradition. Is because this is the tradition that makes up the core of the MAGA movement in Trump's voter base.
And American sentiment shifting from the cavalier cultural tradition of the deep South to the greater Appalachian cultural tradition, shifting from an aristocratic to an anti aristocratic, anti elitist tradition represents a big change in American conservative politics. So there's a reason to understand it, but I'm gonna be exploring it with the lens.
Of its stereotype in eighties horror of like inbred, backwoods murderers who are gonna like hunt down people and, and murder them.
Speaker: She's just human. Why don't you go over there and talk to her? . Whatever you say, just smile and laugh. That shows confidence.
Speaker 2: You guys, uh, going camping.
Hey, hey,
Speaker: now
Malcolm Collins: because as you will see when we go into more about this tradition from their, from their own stories. Yeah, that may not have just been a negative stereotype. Oh
Simone Collins: oh boy.
Malcolm Collins: This reminds me where this first came up for me is I was having a laugh at the Mormons, because, you know, in Utah they had the highest rates of searches for polyamory on Google Trends.
And then after having a laugh at them, I was like, well, I should at least check my own cultural group's, negative stereotypes. You know, then that, that's certainly not gonna be a closet full of skeletons. And it's like. VOR and s and m and,
Sorry, I can't forget incest as well,
Malcolm Collins: and then, and all of the other like horrible. Yeah. Like
Simone Collins: it makes Paul, I mean, polyamory, if anything is just about social complication, hierarchy, bureaucracy, contracts.
Then they have like your culture. Our culture, which is just sa savagery. Animals savagery.
Malcolm Collins: Yeah. Okay. So. First I wanna go into Jack Stories as an a sort of cultural explanation. So this culture passes its traditions down through oral stories with the most common type of these stories being the Jack stories.
Although after this we're going to explore their horror stories as a way to understand them as well. You might be familiar with one Jack story, which is Jack in the Beanstalk. Yeah. But it comes from like a wider tradition of stories. In Jack stories there is generally a, a chain of events. A, a, a poor and lazy but otherwise quick witted boy stumbles upon either a giant or somebody with institutional power like a rich man or somebo
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago