Appalachia in Athens

When people hear the word “Appalachia” many things come to mind. We each interviewed our roommates to find a wide range of answers.

Question 1: “What do you think about when you hear “Appalachia?”

Emily’s Roommate: “Mountains, poverty.”
Brad’s Roommate: “Mountains, poorly educated,

no teeth.”

Breanna’s Roommate: “Poor, mountains.”

Clearly, that question had a common theme in all three answers: mountains. The second question did too…

Question 2: “Are you Appalachian?”

Emily’s Roommate: “No?”

Brad’s Roommate: “No.”

Breanna’s Roommate: “No.”

Each one of our roommates happened to be from a rather large city. Whether it be Cleveland or Columbus. Now you can see why they wouldn’t consider themselves as Appalachian. Now the third question:

Question 3: “Do you personally know someone who is?”

Emily’s Roommate: “Yes.”

Brad’s Roommate: “Yes.”

Breanna’s Roommate: “No.”

Two-thirds of our interviewees personally knew someone who is Appalachian. After comparing answers we concluded that it’s important that our roommates and us, now being at OU, know and understand the culture of the Appalachian people to understand where people come from and how they are adapting to the world around them. This is important because we’re only residing here for maybe four years, while they make this their permanent home. The least we can do is learn and appreciate their culture.

-TwoGirlsOneGuy