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Isolation
I have this problem as well. Where I live, it appears as though there are nothing but stereotypical small towns full of "redneck" people.
As stated in the last post, the reason this is so is because people in this town are very isolated. They have lived here literally their entire lives for generations! I'm from Pennsylvania originally, and the state has a VERY aged population. In fact, PA is 2nd in the whole country for older population behind Florida from what I understand. Their older generations of their families moved here way back at the turn of the 20th century from some Eastern European Communist Bloc country, settled here, and have lived here ever since for generations. Not only that, they rarely ever go beyond a 100 mile radius, EVER! Sure, they may have served overseas in the military, and they probably go on vacation to Ocean City or Myrtle Beach ever year or so, but beyond that, they stay put.
Also, PA is VERY rural between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In fact, some people joke that PA resembles Kentucky or Alabama in between the two major metro cities.
Thus, due to isolation and never hardly leaving and seeing the world, many PA small towns reinforce the small town stereotype. I have a friend who up until a couple of years ago lived in a small town, WAY off the beaten path trailer park. This trailer park was WAY out in the woods and almost impossible to find the first time around at least partly due to the fact there was absolutely NO signage pointing it out whatsoever in the woods! And when you DID find it, you wish you hadn't. Dilapidated trailers, a polluted lake, yards full of trash, complete with the rusted out shells of broken down vehicles, residents that looked like they got off the set of Jerry Springer or Maury Povich, the whole nine yards. I remember getting stared at incessantly as Blas mentioned in her post the first time or two, and when I mentioned it to my friend, he said "Well, yeah! Everytime a new car comes in here, the people are all wondering who it is, seeing as how this place is so far back in the boonies and not too many people even know about it!" His wife told me that her friends would no longer visit her out there because it was so depressing and nasty(their word, not mine!).
I agree that we shouldn't generalize and say that all small town folk are automatically Deliverance hillbillies that are totally out of touch with the modern world. I feel that JustADude hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the isolation that occurs in some of these small towns. These isolated folks, I think, tend to think that their little small town is the center of the World and Universe all rolled into one. IMHO, that is when you get the racism, narrow-mindedness, etc.. IT really IS important that people get out and see what's out there and expand their horizons. Being from PA, I feel that is why most young people anymore leave as soon as their schooling is over and done with. That, along with PA's unfortunately dismal economy!
I have this problem as well. Where I live, it appears as though there are nothing but stereotypical small towns full of "redneck" people.
As stated in the last post, the reason this is so is because people in this town are very isolated. They have lived here literally their entire lives for generations! I'm from Pennsylvania originally, and the state has a VERY aged population. In fact, PA is 2nd in the whole country for older population behind Florida from what I understand. Their older generations of their families moved here way back at the turn of the 20th century from some Eastern European Communist Bloc country, settled here, and have lived here ever since for generations. Not only that, they rarely ever go beyond a 100 mile radius, EVER! Sure, they may have served overseas in the military, and they probably go on vacation to Ocean City or Myrtle Beach ever year or so, but beyond that, they stay put.
Also, PA is VERY rural between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In fact, some people joke that PA resembles Kentucky or Alabama in between the two major metro cities.
Thus, due to isolation and never hardly leaving and seeing the world, many PA small towns reinforce the small town stereotype. I have a friend who up until a couple of years ago lived in a small town, WAY off the beaten path trailer park. This trailer park was WAY out in the woods and almost impossible to find the first time around at least partly due to the fact there was absolutely NO signage pointing it out whatsoever in the woods! And when you DID find it, you wish you hadn't. Dilapidated trailers, a polluted lake, yards full of trash, complete with the rusted out shells of broken down vehicles, residents that looked like they got off the set of Jerry Springer or Maury Povich, the whole nine yards. I remember getting stared at incessantly as Blas mentioned in her post the first time or two, and when I mentioned it to my friend, he said "Well, yeah! Everytime a new car comes in here, the people are all wondering who it is, seeing as how this place is so far back in the boonies and not too many people even know about it!" His wife told me that her friends would no longer visit her out there because it was so depressing and nasty(their word, not mine!).
I agree that we shouldn't generalize and say that all small town folk are automatically Deliverance hillbillies that are totally out of touch with the modern world. I feel that JustADude hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the isolation that occurs in some of these small towns. These isolated folks, I think, tend to think that their little small town is the center of the World and Universe all rolled into one. IMHO, that is when you get the racism, narrow-mindedness, etc.. IT really IS important that people get out and see what's out there and expand their horizons. Being from PA, I feel that is why most young people anymore leave as soon as their schooling is over and done with. That, along with PA's unfortunately dismal economy!
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