Is Jerry Springer the reason West Virginia is stereotyped?

Question

We are not any more inbred than any other state. We are poor, we are white and black, and we are definitely not stupid.

It's time the United States recognizes WV as a state full of hard working, underpriveleged Americans. Try visiting here before you judge us. West Virginia is beautiful, and our citizens are tired of being stereotyped.

Answer 1

Hi,I'm a neighbor in Pa. and we don't think of West Virginia as a hoaky state. Who believes Jerry Springer? I don't. I would prefer reality and visit the state myself. I think the drinking issue comes from the University of West Virginia with students bragging about being THE biggest partying university in the nation. They should present  themselves in a more positive way.

Answer 2

West Virginia is as good or bad as any other state in the US - it has its share of wise/stupid, hardworking/lazy and various other categories of excellent, good, mediocre, indifferent, and bad people.

Salutations to West Virginia as also to all other states and people of the US (and the rest of the world).

May we all see good in all before we see bad but not close our eyes to the latter but with positivity.

Answer 3

i was born and raised in ohio..all my life WV was considered a hillbilly state...trailer trash...etc..the home of front yard junk cars...i have visited WV in my latter yrs when my daughter married a guy from elkins..i fell in love with this wild and wanderful state..i retired at the age of 57...i drive all over WV when i get the chance..very scenic...the people here are more than friendly..some of the out of state dwellers should try seeing what these coal miners go thru..they are proud people...and this state has some very modern businesses...and good highways..better than all the orange barrels from ohio

Answer 4

Ever since I was a little girl I can remember people making fun and jokes about WV. I think it started sometime long ago for some stupid reason and just stuck, like the jokes that go around about different nationalities and religions, they just stuck with people. I know that WV is not the state that people make jokes about. I remember when I was around 16, I met some people who were visiting from WV and I asked them if they had television (remember, I was only 16) because I was brought up thinking people in WV didn't have TV and they were so insulted and then I saw pictures of where they lived and the house they lived in was big and beautiful, nicer then where I lived and the other pictures of WV was beautiful too and the people visiting was very well dressed and intelligent. It was then that I knew my thoughts about WV was wrong and it wasn't the place that I heard about in all those jokes. Since then I have met many people from WV and I had the same experience with them. They are all just like us. The only thing different is their accent. So, the bottom line here is that WV has the reputation that it has because of some people long ago who started making jokes about it and it just stuck with people even though it isn't true. I think it is ignorance really that people think that it is really like the jokes that they hear. If I ever hear anyone saying anything bad towards WV, I always correct them and tell them what it is really like because I don't like that stereotype either. As far as Jerry Springer, I never watch him because I know his show is staged and I can't stand all that craziness anyway. Maybe some people get their view of WV from him, but not anyone that I know. So don't worry about all those stupid stereotypes because it is only ignorance and I think some people just think they are being funny when they say the things they say.