Since the 2016 election, the Appalachian region has been labeled ‘Trump Country.’ Is this title accurate or is it an overgeneralization? Who actually voted for Trump? Why might this have made sense to them? Throughout our project, we have aimed to find ways that ‘Trump Country’ claims may be true (after all, stereotypes often times do come from foundations of reality), but also an oversight. We hope to provide various perspectives on the individuals that occupy Appalachia through facts and analysis. We have found that by humanizing these people – that abstractly get ‘lumped’ together and blamed for our nation’s problems – a lot can be learned.
Find further content in relation to this topic on our StoryMap: https://arcg.is/1S4L11
from Twitter
“Every time you leave the state, you get it—someone will say, Oh, you’re from West Virginia, do you date your cousin? Wow, you have shoes, wow you have teeth, are you sure you’re from West Virginia? So when they see that the media élite is driven out of their mind at the success of Donald Trump it makes them want to root for him. It’s like giving the middle finger to the rest of the country.”’
“‘I don’t think anyone here in the coalfields thought [Trump’s] going to bring back every job,’ says Johnson. ‘But … I think everybody thought maybe he’s going to bring back my job.'”
( “In the Coal Counties Of Central Appalachia, Will Trump’s Promises Come True?” NPR.org. May 9, 2018. )
