This item was updated Friday morning.For most of the week, ABC Television has promoted "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains," a special edition of "20/20" that airs tonight at 10 (Eastern and Pacific time). The network promises "things you never expected to see happen here, in America." The show's focus is Central Appalachia, specifically the part of the region that lies in correspondent Diane Sawyer's native Kentucky. A network team spent two years looking at the region's poverty and related problems, and reports them largely through the lives of four children. (ABC photo by Heidi Gurman)
Thursday's excerpt on "Good Morning America" focused on dental problems, with emphasis on what some dentists call a regional addiction to Mountain Dew, the heavily sugared and caffeinated drink made by PepsiCo. "The biggest offender may be acid," Sawyer reported, noting dental research that showed Mountain Dew caused "two to five times the damage of regular colas."
Sawyer read a statement from the company calling the report "irresponsible news" and saying people should exercise more responsibility for their oral health. Friday morning, she reported "an eruption of reaction" to the report, on both sides, re-aired parts of it, and interviewed Dr. Edwin Smith of Barbourville, Ky., a dentist who spends heavily from his own pocket to provide free dental care to poor children."The thing that is unique about Mountain Dew drinkers is they keep a bottle handy" and drink frequently from it, Smith said. "You're soaking your teeth in sugar all day." As for Pepsi's view, he said, "I think it's blaming the victim, People could do a better job, of course." Asked what he would like to see Pepsi do, he said, "I'd like for them to help us educate people. ... They could help fund our program to help educate kids and restore some of these problems we see." Sawyer replied, "We'll go back to Pepsi."
While some in the region fear the 20/20 report will be overly negative and buttress stereotypes, the excerpts we have seen so far on the air and the ABC Web site all have a dose of hope and a degree of respect for the people profiled. Promoting the full report, Sawyer said Friday morning, "You're going to meet some extraodinary people who will rededicate your hope." In an interview with the main ABC affiliate that serves the region, Lexington's WTVQ, she said she wanted to take the story beyond stereotypes and show the subjects' "fighting spirit."
Sawyer was born in Glasgow, Ky., which is not in Appalachia but is amid some counties that Congress has designated as Appalachian. Her grandparents were from a few counties east, where the hill country of the Highland Rim or Eastern Pennyroyal region meets the Appalachian coalfield. She told Katya Cengel of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, where she grew up, that "she felt at home with the accents" she found a few counties still farther east, in Southeastern Kentucky. "Those are the accents I love," she said. "Those are my grandparents and great-grandparents. ... I love this region so much, I love these accents, I love the music, I love the mountains. I feel that this is my DNA." (Read more)
4 comments:
THE BAD THING ABOUT POVERTY IS THAT IT IS "PASSED-ON" FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT AND IT SEEMS A RARITY FOR THE CYCLE TO BE BROKEN.
I WISH TO THANK DR. SMITH(DMD)FOR HIS COMPASSION AND GENEROSITY TO THE UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN LIVING IN THE COMMUNITIES PROFILED IN THIS STORY. SURELY THERE WILL BE ABUNDANT REWARD FOR SUCH A CARING MAN IN THE LORD'S KINGDOM.
I watched Diane Sawyer's story about the poor kids of Appalachia Friday night. The more I think of it, the madder I get. All of the old stereotypes of Appalachians were brought up, and the entire program became one more example of exploiting the people there. Read my review of the program at peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com, and vote in my poll on what you think of when you think Appalachia.
As a central Appalachia resident, raising an intelligent, athletically-gifted, albeit poor, central Appalachia teenage son, I can certainly identify with this story. While it may be embarrassing (and somewhat stereotypecasting) to see our area's worst cases thrust into the spotlight, NOT talking about it does not make it go away anymore than sweeping something under the rug makes the floor clean. The depictions were true. The children and the struggles they face are real. Cases like this exist ALL around the profiled region. I know. I grew up in that type environment and the only difference between my family and those depicted were the fact that somewhere along the way SOMEONE was there to mentor myself and my brothers and sisters OUT of such an enviroment and to show us what was possible. What you saw in the children's eyes was the dimming of hope. Children are born with a hope instinct. But faced with such grownup obstacles as they are faced with, that hope begins to fade fast and is replaced by survival mode. With no hope comes hopelessness, and that is what the poorest of poor of Appalachia live in. They no longer believe there is any better life for them and so they don't try. They exist. We must find a way to show our children the possibilities that lie beyond these beautiful hills that we call home. Judy Garland sang about Somewhere Over the Rainbow. We must again help our children ask, if others travel there...why can't I? -Geneva Burton, Louisa, Kentucky neneburton@hotmail.com
As a central Appalachia resident, raising an intelligent, athletically-gifted, albeit poor, central Appalachia teenage son, I can certainly identify with this story. While it may be embarrassing (and somewhat stereotypecasting) to see our area's worst cases thrust into the spotlight, NOT talking about it does not make it go away anymore than sweeping something under the rug makes the floor clean. The depictions were true. The children and the struggles they face are real. Cases like this exist ALL around the profiled region. I know. I grew up in that type environment and the only difference between my family and those depicted were the fact that somewhere along the way SOMEONE was there to mentor myself and my brothers and sisters OUT of such an enviroment and to show us what was possible. What you saw in the children's eyes was the dimming of hope. Children are born with a hope instinct. But faced with such grownup obstacles as they are faced with, that hope begins to fade fast and is replaced by survival mode. With no hope comes hopelessness, and that is what the poorest of poor of Appalachia live in. They no longer believe there is any better life for them and so they don't try. They exist. We must find a way to show our children the possibilities that lie beyond these beautiful hills that we call home. Judy Garland sang about Somewhere Over the Rainbow. We must again help our children ask, if others travel there...why can't I? -Geneva Burton, Louisa, Kentucky neneburton@hotmail.com
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