One of the most interesting quotes of the movie came from one of the professors. When talking about government intervention in Appalachia, he said that the American government "rediscovered" Appalachia during LBJ's Great Society. After a healthy dose of attention during the New Deal, I sensed a popular sentiment that the Appalachian region felt abandoned by the government as it struggled through the 1940s and 50s, rough times for the area as the country began to become less and less dependent on coal.
In all, I was intrigued by the evolution of the relationship between Appalachia and the rest of the country. The region was clearly disparaged for a long time ("Hillbilly music"), ignored for some time ("people didn't realize that there was poverty outside of urban regions, too"), and occasionally acknowledged (i.e. the Tennessee Valley Authority, JFK's visit). I'm looking forward to learning more about the modern attitudes and prejudices that exist between Appalachia and the surrounding region.
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