My husband and I just finished listening to Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance in the car on our various trips. We agreed that it was worth listening to, with engaging stories narrated by the author himself. But I had to keep putting my tablet on pause to vent some of my issues with Vance’s analysis.  Yes, I agree, the problems of the group of people he comes from, which he calls Hillbillies, are cultural – that is, learned and handed down. He says, “We spend our way into the poorhouse. We buy giant TVs and iPads. Our children wear nice clothes thanks to high-interest credit cards and payday loans. We purchase homes we don’t need, refinance them for more spending money, and declare bankruptcy. . . . Thrift is inimical to our being,” Betsy Radar, with the same Appalachian background but a thrifty family, takes issue with Vance in her response in The Washington Post.



And so do I.  First, because Vance’s background culture is not likely as monolithic as he presents it. And second, because he’s describing pretty much all of American culture, top to bottom, in the sense of making sometimes bad choices, overspending, bad health habits, not doing their share for the environment, not informing themselves with good sources and not participating in democracy--the “freedom from being held accountable for our actions in America”.  Why pick on the poor, those who receive government aid for basic necessities, mainly single parent families living in bad housing with bad resources and education opportunities? There may be generations of trauma and racism, as well as lack of social capital – how to navigate “the system” --as opposed to those with plenty of money who drive up housing and health care costs by overspending and not taking good care of themselves. Simply put, irresponsible behavior.


At this time, so many of our health problems are disease of lifestyle – not infection or famine or accidents.  Overeating, fast food, overdrinking, smoking, lack of exercise.  I’m not fat-shaming here. Some people are just big – and may be perfectly healthy. Someone thin may not be fit at all.  But – the extra weight or the lack of exercise – in many cases directly contribute to diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, arthritic joints, back pain, etc. This is costly to society in terms of insurance premiums, health care – and work missed.


Addiction in America doesn’t respect social or economic barriers. The opioid crisis may have come out of unregulated pain prescriptions, but comfortably middle-class young people have overdosed at record numbers. Is it really the high?  Or, perhaps, emotional pain, uncertainty, a lack of purpose – even from otherwise well off young people?


Money problems. Apparently Americans are not good at saving, either – no matter the income level.  For those with greater incomes, the extra spending may be for things they don’t need – mcmansions, big cars, eating out, private schools, children’s sports programs, expensive vacations – fine, until there’s nothing left to retire on.  Instead of paying down mortgages, some folks re-finance in order to pay off credit card debt.  If they’re lucky, they may get a bump when the grandparents die, but not necessarily--if they have a long or expensive old age.  Many folks in nursing homes are average middle class folks who had little saved and now depend on Medicaid – government aid.
As described by Vance, the problems of “hillbillies” are those of attitude as much as circumstance (not related to skin color, language, religion or ethnic customs) – partly related to the Scotch-Irish heritage and “honor culture” of their forbears, forces not well explained. These are, in many instances, problems of their own making – a kind of inability to manage strong emotions of anger and resentment; and a lack of forming communities of mutual support. As Vance sees it, money given to the poor is wasted and won’t change their lot. But not all poor are the same: refugees, immigrants, those affected by past and present racism, escapees from relationship abuse, those who work hard and are thrifty, but cannot achieve a living wage never mind the ability to put money aside.  They have actual, concrete reasons for their situation.



There are two problems here: the violent, self-defeating and self-medicating behavior of Vance’s version of Hillbillies.  And the overspending and unhealthy behaviors of Americans across the board.  Both seem emotional, not rational problems. “Poverty is the new obscenity” I once read.  Are the poor too repulsive to look at or consider? Or is a rich nation which picks on its poor that is so obscene?


e to edit.

My mother and I were talking about the recent NFL controversy regarding symbols: taking a knee, the flag, and the national anthem. We concluded only that symbols mean different things to different people, and that some people are very attached to the symbol itself, regardless of what it means to others.  My mother said she thought the players were taking a knee in honor of someone who had died, or, possibly for victims of the hurricanes.
She didn’t know the backstory about Colin Kaepernick taking a knee

during the national anthem back in the spring, generally agreed to mean in protest of police killing of black people, and racial injustice generally.  She heard on TV that some people felt the players were disrespecting the flag, the country, and, by extension, the military.  Others felt that it was the players’ right to express their views during the time before the game when the focus, by custom, was on the national identity. Only after Trump made his comments did the actions escalate by the players, and coaches, before the next games – in all different manners – as confused as diverse as the spectators’ reactions.
 That’s the problem with symbols. They don’t have inherent meaning – a rose does not mean love all by itself – we choose what the meaning is, and certainly it differs across time and cultures. A rose most likely does not mean love to those living in the Arctic, for instance.

Another example of this would be the Confederate monuments, meaning honoring the war dead to some; while others, certainly most black Americans feel threatened by it: the message they get is “we honor those who died trying to keep black people enslaved.”  The fact that many of the monuments were raised well after the end of the Civil war, many during the Jim Crow era, suggests the symbols retain some of the message of white supremacy.

The further problem is that we can’t insist that everyone view symbols the same way that we do. And if we try to, there is large room for mistakes and conflict. When one of the NFL players was interviewed, he was distressed to think that people interpreted the gesture of taking a knee as being against the military – not so, he said, many players had family members actively serving, and they would not choose to insult them.

So, taking the knee – as a symbol – is just what many athletes do when listening to the coach –a source of wisdom – and/or for a moment of prayer. It would seem mainly peaceful, humbling and an appeal for action and recognition.  On its merits, I don’t find it disrespectful, not like turning their backs or covering their ears, or mooning, for example.

The national anthem – as a symbol – is somewhat military based, celebrating battles in war.  I would rather hear America the Beautiful, myself.  I’m not sure why it became a custom during games – perhaps the “war” like confrontations on the field.  In any case, it’s not a prayer and it’s not in church. People respond in different ways, in my experience.

The flag – as a symbol.  We fly the American flag at our house every day; and one inside and one outside at the Cape house in Falmouth. This predates 9/11. I think it’s Don’s family as children of immigrants, they wanted to show – and be seen – as supporting the country.  After the last election, we wondered, “Does flying the flag now symbolize the new administration and its nationalist agenda?” Somehow the Trump voters were able to create that association; but that’s not the association we wanted. After some thought, I said. “Of course we’ll still fly the flag. We’re no less American.  We want it to symbolize all kinds of Americans, including us. ” By flying the flag, we choose it to mean our ideal of America, not another version that has been appropriated in recent years.

The NFL controversy has given way to the mass shooting in Las Vegas, and more, continuing news about the hurricanes.  Mostly, the start of game is back to normal – and we’ll never know if there was money at stake or jobs on the line.  It’s not a happy thing to see people protesting – in most cases there is some basis to it. But I feel that Americans have a right to freedom of expression, and I would defend that right in those circumstances by those players. Trump is right that the spectators can choose not to watch the game; that’s their right, too. 

In the end, Colin Kaepernick put his career on the line – for a principle. His choice. But a high price to pay for speaking up.  Most black Americans have been in this country for longer than most immigrant Americans – but their experience has not been great. When and where should they protest the unjust circumstances that endure?