The Putnam Scoop

OK, the topic of the day is what the average American pictures when they think of a West Virginian and what we can do to improve that image. Just to be sure addressing the real issue, I wrote a post asking some friends from across the United States to let me know what they previously thought of West Virginia and what they KNEW of West Virginia after actually getting to know someone here.

Actually, that’s pretty much just ME. I have a network of friends across the country, and for most of them I AM West Virginia. They even call me WV sometimes. And I answer to it.

I will only list a few of the preconceived ideas because they are the stereotypes we hear everywhere in the forms of jokes. (Even from our vice president and NO I haven’t quite dropped that yet!) One commenter said:

Okay, I know these aren’t really true, but here’s a few I’ve heard:
No indoor plumbing
Tens of stray dogs living under your porch
No phones (not sure how you setup this site using Morse code)
Legal (and common to marry your cousins)
Sandwiched between North and South Virginia
Go down the wrong street, end up on the set of Deliverance

Alright, alright, we get the picture. I even got this comment:

I know I was all wrong, that quickly changed after I met you! (even virtually)

Because AFTER you meet someone from West Virginia, you begin to think more like this:

I feel embarrassed to be honest because most of us on the West Coast know nothing about West Virginia and the stereotypes we think we know are so very wrong. Prior to the last year, what came to mind when I thought of West Virginia was hillbillies and coal miners. That’s it.

In the last year, I have come to know YOU and I have seen beautiful pictures of your state. I also have learned that there are some pretty famous people from West Virginia. I have learned how wrong the stereotypes are! I now view West Virginia as a beautiful place that I hope to visit one day. And I have learned that West Virginia has a lot of people who have great hearts and who desire to help others (I learned that from your blog!).

Maybe West Virginia is one of the most misunderstood states in the country?!?! I thinking that is probably true!

Yeah, maybe you can’t help adding a little qualifier at the end, because you know we’ve got big hearts and get that it’s a joke:

WV is *stunningly* beautiful country. The few people I’ve met from there are real and down to earth. And all of them had a full set of teeth.

I can live with that. : ) This one is still a stereotype, but I can’t help feeling like it’s OK. (Well, maybe not that last bit!)

I can’t seem to shake the mental image of a really dirty coal miner driving a slightly older model pickup truck, with slightly oversized tires (not the really big ones) and a gun rack. He would be coming home from work (he probably worked 14 hours) with soot all over his face and really looking forward to throwing his son over his head when the boy ran to meet him at the door, then melting into his recliner for a nap. The fabric on the recliner would be from the late 70’s and broken in just as he likes it, not because he can’t afford the new leather, but because leather gets sticky, and he likes his recliner. hmmm……..I could go on and on, but the essence is people who work hard, like what they like and could care less about today’s fashions or what the outside world thinks of them, and holds their family in the highest regard……..especially if their sister is cute, hahahahaa!! (OK, that last part was a joke)

I’ve experienced this one myself, this one is true:

In my travels through WV I have run across some amazing people, even just when I was lost and asking for directions.

But here’s what it really comes down to: If you want to change the way people “out there” think of West Virginia, you have let them get to know you and see for themselves what we’re really like. We’re pretty much like everyone else, but maybe we trust strangers a little more and we probably have a cousin that can fix anything.

As a West Coaster, unfortunately my view of WV happens to be you!
That’s it. Just you.
So I think all WV people must be honest sweet, and really really nice.
Am I wrong?

For that last one, I am the ONLY West Virginian that he knows. So I’d better be a good one.

Sometimes just one person represents us all, so if you’re a West Virginian, be a good one.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 11:45 pm and is filed under WV Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.