I really want to punch something right now.
During lunch today, one of my classmates Cole mentioned Jesco White. And everyone started laughing. Having never heard of Jesco White, I asked what in the world they were talking about, and Cole proceeded to get on YouTube and show me who Jesco White is. For those of you who don't know about The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia:
In case some of my flist doesn't know already, I was born and raised in West Virginia. My first reaction to the Whites? Not gonna lie, I laughed my butt off. It's so obvious to me that the only reason why this documentary has been made is so the general public can have something to laugh about. The Whites are true redneck rebels, something that would make most white trash around this state proud. But not so much for the rest of us, and the longer I think about this, the angrier I get. The Whites live in Boone County, which is about an hour or so from my house, but it's like they live in a completely different world. I mean, I will be the first to admit that I'm a pure-blood hick and also that my extended family is not dissimilar to the Whites--they are people who talk quite happily about their prison experiences, about "those fucking gay pieces of shit" and general hatred of anything that's "different", and about the slaves their forefathers owned and how proud it makes them to know that they're family line is "pure." Which is a lie, because some great-great-great-whatever grandmother of mine married a freed slave after the end of the Civil War. The point is, I personally know and are equally ashamed of people like the Whites, and it makes me more angry than I even know how to articulate to think that someone wants to show the whole country (or whoever might want to watch this pathetic excuse for a documentary) the family who embodies all the worst stereotypes of West Virginia.
Let me get this out of the way: I am trying not to sound too judgemental. But, by the same token, I do live here, so I know what I'm talking about. Anyone who thinks they might be offended should best leave now, because I absolutely won't tolerate people taking exception to the fact that I am going to throw around words and phrases like "trailer trash," "biggots," and "The Darwin Awards."
First off, I want to make sure everyone here knows what I mean when I say Boone County. This is a county map of West Virginia. Boone County is in the southern part of the state; it's green on this map. Anyway, Boone, Logan, and Mingo counties are stereotypically where a lot of white trash lives. It's because they are rural counties where there hasn't been as much urban development. It's a joke between my dad and I that in those counties, a city consist of a couple trailer parks, a McDonald's, and a Super Wal-Mart. Sadly, it's not so far from the mark. I know you guys think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. The general way of thinking, not just there but in most other parts of West Virginia as well, is very family-tradition oriented. If it's good enough for past generations of your family, it's good enough for you. Sorry, but to me, that's a little backwards. A big addition to the problem is that the unemployment rate in WV keeps skyrocketing and the fact that white trash families become white trash because someone loses their job, gets so bitter about working and worried about being laid-off or fired again that they don't want to find another job, and live on government assitence for the rest of their lives. Don't get me wrong: Welfare is there for a reason, and if you need it, there's no shame in taking it. It has a noble purpose, and isn't there to be abused. But I know people who have children because they'll get a bigger Welfare check. And I went to school with some kids who have been brought into the world this way and cannot wait to get out.
There are a lot of people in WV exactly like him. Any weird law book or website will tell you that in WV, it's legal to beat your wife only on the steps of the courthouse and only on Sundays. It is not uncommon for men in this state to joke about abusing their families, and sadly, not uncommon for them to actually do it. But Jesco takes the cake. This is a video interview that was on the news a couple years ago:
And this is Jesco White's very best life philosophies, recorded quite a while ago:
I can't even think of what else I can say, other than I have never really been ashamed to be from West Virginia until now. If you read the comments of any Jesco White YouTube video, you'll see why. It's certainly within people's rights to look up to him or defend him or whatever they might want to do, but it's my right to think he's nothing but white trash.
I am also going to say that whoever's idea it was to make a hero out of the White family needs to be shot. It encourages people in this state to act lik--or continue to act like--Jesco White and it proliferates the stereotypes that potray West Virginians as drunk, drug-addicted redneck biggots who shoot first and ask questions later. Most of us are decent people who work hard to get what they have, even if it's not a lot.
/stands down from soapbox. Sorry, guys, but I had to get that off my chest.
Click to viewIn case some of my flist doesn't know already, I was born and raised in West Virginia. My first reaction to the Whites? Not gonna lie, I laughed my butt off. It's so obvious to me that the only reason why this documentary has been made is so the general public can have something to laugh about. The Whites are true redneck rebels, something that would make most white trash around this state proud. But not so much for the rest of us, and the longer I think about this, the angrier I get. The Whites live in Boone County, which is about an hour or so from my house, but it's like they live in a completely different world. I mean, I will be the first to admit that I'm a pure-blood hick and also that my extended family is not dissimilar to the Whites--they are people who talk quite happily about their prison experiences, about "those fucking gay pieces of shit" and general hatred of anything that's "different", and about the slaves their forefathers owned and how proud it makes them to know that they're family line is "pure." Which is a lie, because some great-great-great-whatever grandmother of mine married a freed slave after the end of the Civil War. The point is, I personally know and are equally ashamed of people like the Whites, and it makes me more angry than I even know how to articulate to think that someone wants to show the whole country (or whoever might want to watch this pathetic excuse for a documentary) the family who embodies all the worst stereotypes of West Virginia.
Let me get this out of the way: I am trying not to sound too judgemental. But, by the same token, I do live here, so I know what I'm talking about. Anyone who thinks they might be offended should best leave now, because I absolutely won't tolerate people taking exception to the fact that I am going to throw around words and phrases like "trailer trash," "biggots," and "The Darwin Awards."
First off, I want to make sure everyone here knows what I mean when I say Boone County. This is a county map of West Virginia. Boone County is in the southern part of the state; it's green on this map. Anyway, Boone, Logan, and Mingo counties are stereotypically where a lot of white trash lives. It's because they are rural counties where there hasn't been as much urban development. It's a joke between my dad and I that in those counties, a city consist of a couple trailer parks, a McDonald's, and a Super Wal-Mart. Sadly, it's not so far from the mark. I know you guys think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. The general way of thinking, not just there but in most other parts of West Virginia as well, is very family-tradition oriented. If it's good enough for past generations of your family, it's good enough for you. Sorry, but to me, that's a little backwards. A big addition to the problem is that the unemployment rate in WV keeps skyrocketing and the fact that white trash families become white trash because someone loses their job, gets so bitter about working and worried about being laid-off or fired again that they don't want to find another job, and live on government assitence for the rest of their lives. Don't get me wrong: Welfare is there for a reason, and if you need it, there's no shame in taking it. It has a noble purpose, and isn't there to be abused. But I know people who have children because they'll get a bigger Welfare check. And I went to school with some kids who have been brought into the world this way and cannot wait to get out.
There are a lot of people in WV exactly like him. Any weird law book or website will tell you that in WV, it's legal to beat your wife only on the steps of the courthouse and only on Sundays. It is not uncommon for men in this state to joke about abusing their families, and sadly, not uncommon for them to actually do it. But Jesco takes the cake. This is a video interview that was on the news a couple years ago:
And this is Jesco White's very best life philosophies, recorded quite a while ago:
I can't even think of what else I can say, other than I have never really been ashamed to be from West Virginia until now. If you read the comments of any Jesco White YouTube video, you'll see why. It's certainly within people's rights to look up to him or defend him or whatever they might want to do, but it's my right to think he's nothing but white trash.
I am also going to say that whoever's idea it was to make a hero out of the White family needs to be shot. It encourages people in this state to act lik--or continue to act like--Jesco White and it proliferates the stereotypes that potray West Virginians as drunk, drug-addicted redneck biggots who shoot first and ask questions later. Most of us are decent people who work hard to get what they have, even if it's not a lot.
/stands down from soapbox. Sorry, guys, but I had to get that off my chest.