Loyal Jones' Reflections On "Appalachian Values" Forty Years Later

 Roger D. Hicks and Loyal Jones September 7, 2017-- Photo by Candice Hicks

On September 7, 2017, in addition to touring an art exhibition by Connie West at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center in Berea, KY, my wife Candice and I had lunch with Loyal Jones at a local restaurant and talked about various aspects of life, Appalachian Studies, and the writings of Loyal Jones.  Loyal brought me a copy of a recent reflection he had written at the request of Berea College on his classic book "Appalachian Values" which I have written about at length and frequently recommend to others who wish to learn about Appalachia.  Over the last couple of years, Loyal Jones and I have become acquaintances, and I hope on some levels, colleagues in the field of Appalachian Studies.  I hope we still have time to become friends.  During our lunch, Loyal suggested that I might also reflect in writing on his recent reconsideration of his classic work.  Yes, I was flattered.  In an E-mail prior to our lunch, he had said the following: 

"I have just run across your review of it again, and I am much obliged, as my father would have said, for your kind words. That book is still being used in a course on cultural diversity here at Berea College, And last year, they asked me if I would like to reflect on the essay after 45 years from when it was first published as an article. I  agreed, and wrote a seven-page reflection, in which I had to admit that all of these values have diminished in the general culture and also in Appalachian culture. If you are interested In reading it, send me your address, and I’ll send you a copy. I want you to know that I greatly appreciate your kind words about Appalachian Values.  It is indeed the most-read thing that I have written."

First of all, let me say that, in my opinion, "Appalachian Values" should clearly be the most-read thing that Loyal Jones ever wrote.  It is a deceptively brilliant piece of work which is often mistaken for a coffee table book because of the beautiful photographs by his collaborator, Berea photographer Warren Bruner.  The ideas which Loyal Jones expressed in that book were precisely on point at the time and most of them still are today.   But, in his recent reflection, Loyal Jones also discussed some areas in which Appalachia has changed significantly from the period in which the book was written and published. In some of those areas, I agree completely with Loyal Jones. In a few, I take slightly different positions.  Let's reflect together on what I see in our culture today in light of Loyal Jones' writing from fort-five years ago.

Loyal Jones September 7, 2017 Photo by Candice Hicks

 Religion

First and foremost, Loyal Jones brings up the changing diversity of Appalachia since the original publication of "Appalachian Values".  He is absolutely correct in that statement.  Every state in the region has had an influx of foreign born persons over the last forty years along with significant interstate immigration of native born American citizens.  This changing demographic is also reflected in the religious distribution of both church members and particular types of religions and denominations.  Loyal Jones mentions that "we are far less religious than we were two generations ago,... and we are probably the most tolerant of religious differences." On some levels I agree with Loyal Jones in this area and on some others I must respectfully disagree.  We are seeing the construction, incorporation, and proliferation of mosques, temples, and synagogues all over Appalachia with the influx of Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, Taoists, Rastafarians, and Hindus.  However, I must insist that the recent swing in Appalachia toward the extremist politics of Donald Trump and the Right Wing Radical groups and their members who support his extremism is causing a proliferation of verbal, physical, and criminal assaults on these religions, their members, and their places of worship all across the region.  This incredibly dangerous radical shift of opinion in much of the region has been primarily a response to the extremism of Donald Trump.  He has allowed members of the Right Wing Radical coalition which supports him to believe they are free to say or do anything they wish to anyone with whom they disagree.  Hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Traditionalist Workers Party, Aryan Nations, and all stripes of white nationalism are all growing in numbers, openly challenging the civil and religious rights of immigrants, and staging rallies and membership drives in any community which is willing to tolerate them.  This shift in public opinion is, however, not universal and many, including myself, are standing up to and speaking out against their vitriolic, virulent, and violent ideas.  The regular occurrence of hate crimes such as the Mother Emmanuel mass murder just outside the boundaries of Central and Southern Appalachia and the vehicular attack against peaceful protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the heart of Appalachia, is becoming more commonplace.  This is a sad and terrifying aspect of a minority of the people living in Appalachia today which must be confronted, resisted, and stopped in its tracks if we are to remain the socially tolerant and ideologically progressive region we have generally always been.  

Independence, Self-Reliance, and Pride

In his discussion in the manuscript of Independence, Self-Reliance, and Pride, Loyal Jones discusses the recent shift in population dynamics from rural settings to cities and towns and states "Urban life perhaps requires more interaction and cooperation than individualism and self-reliance." On the face of it, this statement is correct.  But I would suggest that the computer age with the proliferation of wireless, hand held devices and social media as the primary focus of the lives of many of our citizens has caused widespread isolation even in congested cities and towns.  Today, we do not converse on street corners and park benches.  We might sit at the same bus stop without ever speaking, with all parties engrossed in their video screens and ear phones.  The rise in incidents of both distracted driving and distracted walking support this contention.  However, this type of self-centered activity does not make its practitioners self-reliant and independent.  It makes them socially isolated living with the illusion (I might say delusion.) that they are a member of a large social group.  But, in my case simply as an example, of my 204 Facebook Friends less than a handful would actually be likely to leave their homes to give me a ride if I called them to say I was stuck on the roadside with a flat tire or an empty gas tank.  I realize that my paltry number of Facebook Friends does not compare to the size of most people's lists on social media platforms but I have recently pruned my list down to eliminate most of those whom I do not actually know on a personal level.  But I insist that the same holds true for nearly every person in Appalachia and the world who uses social media.  If you don't believe me, send them all a message stating one of the above emergencies and see who offers to assist you in your hour of need.  We are a socially isolated population living under the lie that we are incredibly well connected.  In his discussion of Pride, Loyal Jones states his agreement with the writer David Brooks in his book "The Road To Character". In the book, Brooks "...has warned against the modern weakening of humility and modesty in today's society".  I agree with both David Brooks and Loyal Jones and I am, at this moment, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Brooks' book in my mail  box.  

Neighborliness and Hospitality

The Loyal Jones manuscript discusses Neighborliness And Hospitality by saying that "...we have become less trustful of strangers...our manners and customs have changed, so that we may only invite friends and neighbors we already know to meet for a meal."  He also mentions the increase of crime across the region as a factor in these changes.  Loyal Jones is absolutely correct in these statements.  The widespread drug epidemic and related crime wave across Appalachia has made us all afraid, to one degree or another, of anyone we don't know or who might appear to possibly be under the influence of any drug or alcohol.  Home invasions, robberies, burglaries, kidnappings, child murders, and all categories of violent crime are more common in the rural areas of Appalachia today than they were when "Appalachian Values" was first published.  It is far worse than it was even 25 years ago when I was working as a door to door salesman in Southern West Virginia and South Eastern Kentucky. In the late 1980's when I was a salesman, I was regularly invited to eat meals in the homes of total strangers in the region. Two of my most precious memories involve such meals. I cannot imagine what it would be like to spend a day knocking on doors in those regions today, meeting total strangers in their homes, and attempting to gain entrance to those homes to conduct a sales presentation.  That would be a tough proposition today even if one was working on what are known as qualified leads, calls to people who want to see your product and know you are coming or to whom you have been referred by family or friends.

Familism

In his modern discussion of Familism, Loyal Jones states simply that "...the modern family is different from the old, rural, close-knit family."  Once again, Loyal Jones is absolutely correct.  Familism still exists today in Appalachia.  To a degree, native Appalachians do maintain strong family ties and will assist family members more than some other cultures.  But the degree of contact is more limited.  The levels of support freely given are far more restricted.  The willingness to travel back up US23, US52, or US421 to grandma's house on a holiday weekend is weakened.  To put all these statements in older, more easily understood terms, I would surely hate to have to call any of my cousins to go my bail for a misdemeanor in today's world in Appalachia.  You can rest assured that none of them bring me or mail me fruit cakes and pies for Christmas anymore.  

Personalism

In his recent discussion of Personalism in the manuscript, Loyal Jones discusses at length the changes in attitudes of strangers on the streets of his wonderful, beautiful, and broadly diverse hometown of Berea, KY.  He bemoans the fact that Berea College students rarely speak to him on the streets and are absorbed in their hand held devices.  He writes about not knowing many of the people in his small town today, a town that is often spoken of as an exemplar of all of Appalachia.  To some degree, that same shift in attitudes has occurred in my own hometown of West Liberty, KY.  However, five years ago in West Liberty we had the good fortune, relatively speaking, to be struck by a devastating tornado which both destroyed much of our community and bound us more tightly together in our mutual effort to save our beloved community.  In that respect, we are much luckier and more Personalistic than Berea and the rest of Appalachia.  Just before finishing this paragraph, I walked through the 2017 Sorghum Festival in West Liberty to buy a funnel cake and an apple dumpling from two churches and was spoken to by name on two occasions.  The seller of the funnel cake and I had a personal, joking interchange.  But West Liberty is an exception in these times primarily due to the closeness the tornado forced on us.

Love Of Place

Loyal Jones concludes his discussion of Love Of Place in the manuscript with the following cogent sentence: "We may encounter the value of home and place only at bluegrass festivals where musicians express their desire to return to the old homestead."  As Jones notes, we are more mobile.  We move away more freely and do so without that lingering glance in the rear view mirror which almost leaves us driving into Old Homeplace Creek instead of off to the industrial north.   Holiday weekends no longer see the long streams of cars returning to Raleigh, Knott, Sullivan, Dickenson, or Yancey Counties.  Distant aunts, uncles, cousins, and even grandparents are often buried today without the attendance of a single representative of the displaced extended family who drove off northward to work years ago.  Nowadays, there are even occasions when those relatives who did die in the industrial north and wished for their remains to be brought "back home" have made advance arrangements for those remains to be cremated in the north and mailed to a local representative or undertaker who scatters them among the briers on the old family graveyard or in the yard of the now collapsed home place.  To misquote the classic song "South Of Cincinnati" by my friend Morgan County Kentucky Native and Bluegrass songwriter Clarence Kelly "now there is [no] slow train moving south through Cincinnati".  

Modesty

In his discussion of Modesty, Loyal Jones states that now the lesson "not to put ourselves above others...has been lost in much of our modern political and capitalistic culture".  The first related story that pops into my head about this loss of modesty in Appalachia involves an elected county official who had no police powers but recently followed an attractive young woman in his vehicle for several miles and approached her on foot when she finally stopped in a public institution's parking lot whereupon he attempted to use his influence as a county official in a crude attempt to intimidate her for gains which we can only imagine.  That official, without a shred of modesty, claimed innocence when she had him arrested and took the case to trial where he was convicted on only one of several charges.  I would offer that Modesty meant less not only to that official but also to the members of the jury, the judge, the prosecutor, and the entire community which has allowed him to remain in office to this very day.

Sense Of Humor
Loyal Jones, in the unpublished manuscript, discusses the success of four books of Appalachian Humor which he wrote with his friend and colleague Billy Ed Wheeler as an indicator that "Appalachian humor is still being enjoyed here and throughout the country."  On a superficial level I agree with this assessment but on deeper levels I tend to doubt it.  I regularly listen to WSGS Radio FM 101.1 in Hazard, KY, which is owned by the descendants of Ernest Sparkman and I have written about WSGS on this blog On WSGS for many years, Ernest Sparkman played an Appalachian character known as Greasy Creek Bill who regularly delivered 15 second to 1 minute one liners of Appalachian humor on the station.  Today, Faron Sparkman, Ernest Sparkman's son who runs the family group of radio stations, regularly plays the sound bites of his father's humor more than seven years after his death.  Faron Sparkman has also for many years done a morning radio show with several co-hosts over the years which plays classic country music four days a week and devotes Friday morning to "Crazy Friday".  "Crazy Friday" is comprised of random humorous sound bites and country music humor by artists such as Jerry Clower, Jerry Reed, The Moron Brothers, String Bean, and Wendy Bagwell.  I should note for the record that all these performers are not native Appalachians. But it is pertinent that WSGS is a 100,000 watt super station with a transmission tower situated on one of the highest mountains in Kentucky.  Its signal blasts out over a region which covers the eastern half of Kentucky, and chunks of East Tennessee, Southern West Virginia, Western Virginia, and Western North Carolina along with occasional reports from listeners in Southern Ohio.  There is no more Appalachian radio station in the country when examined by the demographics of its listeners.

Both Loyal Jones and I have always been followers of Appalachian Humor and I would contend that we both understand it better than the average person who is not performing as a humorist full time.  I should also note that for a long period Loyal Jones was regularly hired as a humorous after dinner speaker all across the southeastern United States and has co-authored four books of Appalachian Humor. In my work as an auctioneer, I use a lot of spontaneous one-liners to hold the attention of my crowds. I grew up listening to comedians like Grandpa Jones, Bashful Brother Oswald, Wendy Bagwell, Speck Rhodes, String Bean, and the Duke of Paducah.  I still listen to their work today and frequently watch reruns of "Hee Haw" and "The Porter Wagoner Show" on RFD-TV.  But I note for the record that most of the writers on "Hee Haw" were Canadians which probably comes as a surprise to many of my readers. While Appalachian Humor survives today in limited enclaves, I do not believe that it is as strong today as it was when "Appalachian Values" was first published.   I cannot name a single Appalachian comedian under the age of twenty-five or thirty who is making a regular living on a full time basis as a humorist.  Most country music television shows of recent production do not bother to use a comedian in a regular slot. The RFD-TV show "Larry's Country Diner"does have a regular cast member who is a female working as a comedian known as "Nadine Nadine, The Church Lady".  Her website does not give any accurate biographical information as to her birthplace or home.  Her comedy is stilted, shop worn, and generally of poor quality.   "The Moron Brothers, a Bluegrass comedy band from Kentucky, are the only regularly working full time comedy music act to my knowledge.  I would also state that most of the so-called Appalachian Humor I hear today is actually hillbilly jokes which are not humor to me anymore than Black Face Comedy is humor.  The word "hillbilly" is an ethnic and cultural epithet which is personally offensive to me and, in my opinion, should be offensive to any native of the Appalachians or Ozarks. I consider the word "hillbilly" to be just as offensive as the "n" word, the "q" word, the "k" word, or the "f" word.   I must say that, in my opinion, Appalachian Humor is fading unless Loyal Jones and I are having lunch together.

Patriotism
In his manuscript reflecting on "Appalachian Values", Loyal Jones reminds us of the incredibly high numbers of native Appalachians who have joined the military, fought in our wars, and continue to do so.  He states correctly that about 8% of American military personnel have consistently been Appalachian but they have received "18% of the Medals Of Honor in Korea, and 13% in Viet Nam".  He also reminds his readers of research which has shown that "...if you were an Appalachian soldier in Viet Nam, you were 50% more likely to be killed than your comrades from elsewhere."  In my blog post on Patriotism, I also published very similar statistics about volunteerism, casualty rates, and rates of combat awards involving native Appalachian personnel. These statistics have been amazingly similar in war after war and, in my opinion, there are several reasons for that in addition to a natural proclivity for patriotism in Appalachian people.  Most of the Appalachian states and counties have had exorbitantly high rates of unemployment, under employment, and poverty over the last 100 years which always results in higher volunteerism simply to seek a steady paycheck.  There is also a link between deeply held religious beliefs and patriotism.  Religious people are more likely to seek to defend their country.  People who have grown up on stories about David and Goliath or  Joshua and the Battle of Jericho are more likely to emulate those heroes. Appalachia has produced numerous heroes in our wars such as Sgt. York, Jessica Lynch, Chuck Yeager, John Bob Elwell, and William Barber from my hometown of West Liberty.  It is highly likely that whatever, wherever, and when ever America fights its next war Appalachians will be on the front lines whether those lines are in a armed combat setting or on computer screens in hidden bunkers.

Sense Of Beauty

In his reflections on "Appalachian Values", Loyal Jones speaks about his appreciation for Appalachian artists and performers such as Chet Adkins and Doc Watson while he has also benefited from performances from others who were recognized world wide as great performers or artists.  I can say the same thing.  I have admired multiple works by the Appalachian wood carver Edgar Tolson covering an entire wall in the Milwaukee Art Museum and I know that he has works in the Smithsonian even though I have never seen them.  Another famous Appalachian Folk Artist and acquaintance of mine, Minnie Adkins from Sandy Hook, KY, has received the Award of Distinction from the Folk Art Society of America in 1993.  Several of her works also adorn museums nation wide.  The Bristol Recording Sessions in Bristol, TN/VA, in 1927 laid the ground work for Country Music in America.  Nearly every time I am in the University of Kentucky Hospital or the Kentucky Clinic in Lexington, KY, I slow down to enjoy the dozens of works by native Appalachian Folk Artists hanging on their walls.  A sense of beauty rooted in the mountains, streams, and wild flowers of Appalachia permeates our people and they carry that sense of beauty all over the world.  I have written at length about the Big Sandy River Valley stretching from Ashland, KY, to Elkhorn City on the Virginia border and how it has produced an astounding number of famous musicians, actors, and public figures.  And now I must admit that the blog post to which I just provided you the link is already out of date.  Another famous musician has sprung up out of that valley to world wide fame.  In the time since I wrote that post, Chris Stapleton has burst out of Paintsville, KY, and won awards from the Grammy's, Country Music Association, and the Academy of Country Music.  In that same time frame, Pauletta Hansel, from Breathitt County Kentucky has been named the Poet Laureate of Cincinnati, Ohio.  My old friend and mentor, P. J. Laska, was a National Book Award Finalist in 1974. It is also pertinent to mention that both Pauletta Hansel and I attended Antioch Appalachia in Beckley, WV, where P. J. Laska, Robert "Bob" Snyder (Billy Greenhorn), Don West, Tom Woodruff, William "Bill" Blizzard, Jr., and Rod Harless were all faculty members.  The student body also included other published writers in addition to Pauletta Hansel and myself: Gail Amburgey, Joseph "Joe" Barrett, and Robert "Bob" Baber.  Shall I go on?  

 Conclusions
I do not believe based on our writings and our conversations that either Loyal Jones or I would make any blanket statements that Appalachian Culture is alive and well at the level it was in the early 1970's when he first wrote and published "Appalachian Values".  Acculturation and deterioration of native culture is occurring every day in the region.  The long term effects of interstate highways and outward migration are taking a toll on our language, our native arts, and our culture as a whole.  Yes, we are benefiting from the inward migrations of several thousand people of widely diverse backgrounds such as Mexicans, Indians, Syrians, Japanese, and Americans from the other forty or so states which lie outside Central and Southern Appalachia.  But that also comes with a cost.  Appalachian Culture is being diluted and not enough native Appalachians are working to keep it alive.  I spent this past Sunday, September 24, 2017, with my wife at a Memorial Meeting on the grounds of the Elijah Smith Cemetery at Dingus, KY, in Morgan County.  The service was conducted by ministers of the Enterprise Association Of Regular Baptists.  About forty people attended and several commented that the crowd was "smaller than it used to be".  Such services are becoming more and more rare today in Appalachia.  Our music, once rooted in the glens of Scotland and Ireland, is being diluted by an influx of reggae, rap, and opera. Our manners, hospitality, and openness are being destroyed by the digital equipment to which so many of our people are now addicted.  There are fewer and fewer young men and women in Appalachia who know how to make chicken and dumplings and include the egg bag of the hen they killed to make them, invite the neighbors and an occasional stranger to come in and help eat them, and then to carry the left overs down the hollow to the sick old woman who used to stand in her yard and wave at every passing car whether she knew you or not.