A wildfire is raging across the Appalachian
area in Tennessee, leaving a trail of devastation of nature, homes and lives in
its wake. Jason Howard speaks to the
lack of media coverage of this devastation of the Smoky Mountains near
Gatlinburg to this uniquely beautiful part of the country in his article “Appalachia
Burning.” Tennessee is a state known for
country music. Country music artists
have dedicated many a song to the Smoky Mountain Range and the country settings
of Tennessee. The first time I ever
heard of the Smoky Mountains or Gatlinburg was through country songs. The songs that come from this area of the
country are full of love for family, nature, and the simple ways of life. Howard tells us how he feels about the people
in the Appalachian mountains and the great blaze that is tearing this region
apart.
Howards begins his descriptions of the Appalachia
people with his own parents’ modest wedding.
Howard tells us that his parent were not wealthy when they married. From his mother’s “borrowed . . . wedding
dress” to the inexpensive “cake-and-punch reception,” Howard tells us that
although his parents were poor, they loved each other, family and
traditions. His story of his parents’
honeymoon in Gatlinburg tells the story of many of the people of Appalachia. Howard tells us that Gatlinburg was the
closest, most affordable place for the people that lived nearby to go for some
simple fun and vacations or even just to treat themselves to a meal at the
Howard Johnson hotel. Howard’s
assessment that the Appalachian people are often represented as “poor, ignorant
hillbillies” is a stark contrast with how he clearly feels. Howard continues that people turn a blind eye
to the people of Appalachia, who are often represented as “hillbillies” who
must have accidentally set the fire from their “moonshine stills.” He portrays his parents as well as extended
family as very loving, goal oriented and successful. When he talks about sitting at a restaurant
in Gatlinburg with his husband and extended family, he demonstrates how
progressive and loving the people are who live in and love the area. A “backwater hillbilly” would perhaps not be
thought by popular opinion to be quite so progressive as to accept an openly
gay man, who married to another man. Howard
tells us that people who love the Smoky Mountain area of the Appalachians usually
have generational emotional ties of many memories of the beauty and rich
cultural activities found in and around Gatlinburg. Family fueds such as the ones between the
Hatfields and McCoys are the stereotypes Howard tells us dominate the
conversation about Appalachian families – when in actuality, close family bonds,
faith, and fun are valued so deeply by generations of families.
Howard evokes many emotional responses
from his readers. There is great sadness
at the loss of life, sentimental memories, and beautiful landscapes. Fear over the missing people “including
children” looms in Howard’s article.
Howard wants us to feel a sense of love for the people that live in the Appalachian
Mountains, to get a sense of their “cultural riches” and close connection with
family. He speaks fondly of his parents
and other family that live and visit the area.
The strongest emotion Howard shows us is that of anger over the fact
that such a large scale disaster hasn’t received an appropriate amount of
coverage in national mainstream media, nor has it received so much as a
statement from the president or the president elect. Howard feels that this is due to the bias
towards the poor people of the Appalachia and the stereotypes that people have
of them. Howard’s assessment that major
news media’s lack of coverage is evident when compared to local news coverage
and social media responses. He notes
that only two major news organizations, CNN and ABC’s “Good Morning America”
had only given “a few combined minutes of anemic coverage” of the epic
blaze. When compared to Howard’s
analysis of local media’s coverage of thousands of evacuated citizens, Red
Cross intervention, temporary shelters, missing and severely burned people and
loss of life and property, it is evident that the national news media entities
had plenty to talk about concerning this horrible fire that had been burning
for two days at the time of Howard’s article.
With the multitude of major news corporations in this nation, this truly
proves Howard’s assertion that the media is negatively biased towards this area
of the country. Social media on the
other hand, seemed to Howard to be a fast moving, real time documentary of the
effects of the fire on the local population, showing fires burning down places
of worship, coming dangerously close to people and highways, and smoke hanging
over the sky like a bad omen. Howard
notes that unfortunately, people on social media are restating and reinforcing
negative stereotypes of the Appalachian people.
Howard appears to be astounded as to the lack of response from Obama or
Trump about this disaster that has devastated so many people’s lives as well as
a true natural gem. Obama has commented
on less and Trump tweets about all kinds of silly things at all times of the
day and night. I understand Howard’s
frustrations with these two politicians.
Like the many country music artists and fans from this area in Tennessee, Howard is deeply saddened by the apparent triply bad luck of the Appalachia people. First, the people of this area in Tennessee are generally poor already. Second, their losses of life, health, livelihood, property, and memories are great due to this wildfire. And third, pathetic neglect of politicians and national news media to show the true devastations that is occurring near Gatlinburg. Surely, the rich culture of the Appalachia people will carry on in the Smoky Mountain Range.
Like the many country music artists and fans from this area in Tennessee, Howard is deeply saddened by the apparent triply bad luck of the Appalachia people. First, the people of this area in Tennessee are generally poor already. Second, their losses of life, health, livelihood, property, and memories are great due to this wildfire. And third, pathetic neglect of politicians and national news media to show the true devastations that is occurring near Gatlinburg. Surely, the rich culture of the Appalachia people will carry on in the Smoky Mountain Range.
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