W.Va. writer says Hatfield-McCoy 'reality' show offensively furthers negative stereotypes

The reality-television gods have invaded Appalachia once again to further negative stereotypes, this time for a History Channel show depicting the nation's most famous feud from a modern perspective. In "Hatfields & McCoys: White Lightning," members of the families are tasked with working together to create a moonshine that can be sold in liquor stores. West Virginian Janney Lockman gives her opinion about the ridiculousness of the show for the Daily Yonder. (History Channel photo: Mickey McCoy and Scotty May Hatfield sample a batch of moonshine)

"I’m embarrassed to say that I sat through an entire 21-minute episode," Lockman writes. "The unnatural twang and 'ain’ts' in the narrator’s accent was the first sign that something was deeply wrong. The appearance in a single episode of a turkey hunt, cursing matriarchs, donkeys and pigs in a house, moonshine recipes in the back of the family Bible, alcoholic cousins, a jug band and a hoedown made me wonder if the producers even spent any time in an Appalachia that was located outside a comic strip."

Lockman continues, "The Hatfield-McCoy distillery scheme follows the same pattern of much of the other economic activity ... that we attribute cultural significance to: Appalachia has a resource that someone outside of the region realizes can make a profit. Person from outside region uses the labor and natural resources of Appalachia, acts as if it will bring lots of money to the region, resource gets consumed, outside interest leaves area, communities are left struggling in its wake."

"While the show focuses on moonshine, it’s clear that the resource utilized here is a violent history," she writes. "The only 'history' the History Channel depicts with 'White Lightning' is the history of exploitation of Appalachian people for entertainment purposes. Whether the show is set in West Virginia or New Jersey, it’s just plain nasty to derive pleasure from violent regional stereotypes, especially ones that are packaged as 'reality'." The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. (Read more)