Most of us country folk just wanna be left alone when it comes to government. We don't put out trust in government. Northern VA and Richmond took the riches from our fathers backs in the coal industry, and local politicians let them take it. Used the miners and truck drivers as pawns for their political gain. Promising lies, and then when the industry dies because of the same politicians, they take the money and run, leaving broken promises. Same goes for the average working man in rural America. We'd be better off with less government. If they could have it all their way they'd put us all in cities and we'd be completely dependent on the government. That's okay if people wanna move for a brighter future for them and their children, but for people that don't mind to lower their standard of living and live within their means, a life in the mountains can be good medicine away from big government oppression. We just wanna be left alone as I said. We just wanna be as free as possible. Make our own way now. Yes, no doubt there is a problem with substance abuse. There is a certain amount of people with government dependency too, fostered by politicians taking coal without a plan to use manufacturing in replacement to sustain a higher standard of living. Taking the coal industry and leaving nothing but what used to be hard working Americans behind. We have played a significant role as a wheel in the machine for decades through the industrial revolution to today. We fueled urban areas with electricity where the rich live, fueled their pointless and meaningful wars, paved the way to the future. People forget that. Ordinary city folk and the rich forget that, or the rich know but don't care. We love the Appalachians. Though it's no longer home to some... It's still a home to us. I'll live out my American dream as long as I can. I'll live free, and I'll stay free for as long as we have a republic. Same goes for those who choose to leave. We just have a different perspective of freedom.🇺🇸
@@jamesherbert1628 Wow! You're a good man James. I read your entire comment and agree with every fiber of it. I live north of Baltimore MD and absolutely hate it. I long to be there in the Mountains where I feel I belong at heart. I love the Lord and want to be around good people that work together to make things better for each other. There aren't too many people like that around here anymore. GOD bless James and stay safe...
@@johnmathis1754 Thank you for your time to listen. If you read a lot of the other comments on this documentary you read about people bashing our way of life. I see them looking for a way out because they look to government to fix all their problems. I see that the government is the problem to some respect. People in the comments say we blame the government for all our problems. The answer to THE PROBLEMS that everyone talks about lyes within self sufficiency and relying less on the government because the truth is that the powers that be do not always have your best interest at hand. Modern government has become a machine of self interest and it gains power by promising to fix all of the "people's problems." Modern society has a very contagious sickness. Lack of personal responsibility and self sufficiency. It comes to them like a child looking to the government as it's mother to protect them from life's dangers, problems, and transgressions. Yes, politicians and corporations deals effect our way of life whether it's for better or for worse. When it gets worse you have to find a way to overcome the choices they have made that effect you and your people, no matter if it was in your interest or theirs. Root hog or die. Make a way whether it's escape, live within your means, or push back. Government is getting too big and is now becoming more and more oppressive to our way of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. For those of us willing to protect our posterity, families, and communities, we will not take it forever. We will make our own way when tyranny gets in the way. As you know they are shoving gun legislation down our throats. If we let this happen, we will no longer be able to defend ourselves from a tyrannical government. There are truths to our history and other's around the world that are not taught in public schools. If you want to know the real history you have to look and find it for yourself because the government does not want you or your children to understand.
As someone who grew up in the heart of Appalachia, southern WV, this short film rings true in many ways. I left in 2009 when I was 25 to live in the Front Range metro of Colorado (from one mountain range to another) because of the lack of opportunity in WV. Part of me feels bad for these folks. I lived in Clay, WV for middle school and high school and I went to a tiny college in the mountains there on a scholarship, Concord College. In many cases, these folks' pride, contentment, and religion is what keeps them poor, unhealthy, uneducated, drug addicted generation after generation. We had many programs for folks to get educated and find new work but a lot of times the attitude in these tiny towns is "he's only going to college because he ain't man enough to work in the mines" or "why you always exercising and so picky about what you eat? Sissy boy" or some shit like that. My ex was a school teacher and she had students who would say "I don't need to learn to read or do math because I can make more money than you (the teacher) just by going to work in the mines". If you can't tell, obesity is also a huge problem in this region. You'll notice how these folks express how blessed they feel. It's easy to feel blessed and content when every day you are way out in the mountains, surrounded by so many forests with critters and creeks and cliffs and waterfalls that are amazing in each season and it seems like all the problems in the world, all the business and places on tv are a completely different world, a million miles away. But that becomes a problem when it makes folks really resistant to any change or any outsiders, and they stay stuck in the past and stuck in their holler. They imagine that "the good ol days" when mines were open were so great when really those good ol days were still filled with poverty and ill health compared to everywhere else in the country. WV and places like Ivanhoe in VA have lost so much population, especially younger folks like me, that it really is a crisis. For folks who stay, their best option is often to find a way to get on disability. The central Appalachian region around WV, KY, and western VA has the highest rate of disability in the country. It has the highest rate of obesity and drug addiction, and tobacco use as well. But after so many years of trying to help folks get trained for good jobs, get them healthy and off painkillers, off Mountain Dew, off tobacco, a person like me eventually has to say to them, you know, you make your bed so you have to lie in it. If you're poor and obese and addicted, you need to change that yourself instead of always saying how blessed you are and then in the next sentence mourning about the sad state of your community. There have been opportunities for many of these folks but the attitude is often "we don't need none of that fancy college or trades! My grandpappy was a miner and he fed his 8 kids just fine, so I should be one too!" And then when the mine closes they just leave behind a ruined economy and a bunch of polluted creeks and flattened mountains. It happens time and time again but folks never change. I feel so bad for the little girls here because they are going to grow up around fools like those meth heads and klansman and many will never leave the holler, they'll just hear how much better they have it than those fancy city folks or all those folks who could could never make it living in the mountains. I have a real love/hate relationship with my home. This video doesn't even touch on the opioid epidemic, and Appalachia is ground zero for that. I went to a high school with 300 kids and by the time I was 30 I knew over 40 my age who overdosed on painkillers. It hit that region hard before it spread to the rest of the country. That's why they call it "hillbilly heroin". And believe me, Donald Trump isn't going to bring these places into the 21st century. The coal industry isn't going to come back and make them all rich. The coal industry may have employed young men in the past but the coal industry also waged war against them when they asked just to be paid in real money instead of mine scrit. There are plenty of documentaries about the WV mine wars on this website. I don't know what the solution for Appalachia is but folks need to let go of coal and they need to take care of their health and environment and they need to place value on education and modern jobs. That will never happen as long as they have these conflicting ideas that they are somehow so blessed but also so cursed. It won't happen if they wait for their religion to fix everything and it won't happen as long as they blame everyone else for their problems, especially outsiders and governments. EDIT: Formatting UPDATE: Wow I didn't realize this post had so many responses. I went back to Concord 4 months ago (first time in 10 years!) to see some family and friends and do some rafting and some hiking in those beautiful mountains in the most beautiful season there, autumn. I still feel so at home once I get out into the mountains there, but then when you get to the nearest town you see the devastation. Beckley, Oak Hill, Hinton, all of these are towns in southern WV that once had maybe 20,000 - 30,000 people at their peaks but are now nearly abandoned and main street boarded up. All that's left is Walmart up the interstate. Once you get away from where the towns used to be and into the mountains where there never was a town, then it's like life and the world is gone and it's just you in that beautiful little holler... it's easy to forget the state of the community once you get isolated deep in the forest and have your own little creek whispering to you and your dog each morning outside. Despite my frustration, I really do love it there and have so many great relationships with people there still. I would encourage anyone reading this to do like I did and get a few nights at a park there and spend your days in the mountains. I recommend Pipestem, Hawk's Nest, or Twin Falls state parks because they are right next to rafting country and have many waterfalls to see and great spots for swimming and hiking. Anyways, thanks for all of the responses.
being honest, they need to fix the problems themselves. if they bring in a bunch of outsiders, it just ruins the small town it once was. but, if you think they can handle a bunch of folks who don't belong and think the two will be just fine, i think you're missing a point of why they don't want outsiders coming in. and honestly, i doubt things will ever get better in terms of a lack of work and a drug epidemic.
We never have gotten it back. But then again they just combined it with the one in Austinville, about 15 minutes down the road. It really was not such a big deal. This documentary is so twisted. I am really pissed. I might have to make one of my own to show the other sides of Ivanhoe. This just shows one dimension and a few that are fictional LOL.
@@lisamarieva3514 Uh. All of the people interviewed are residents of Ivanhoe; literally every word recorded in the video is uttered by a resident of Ivanhoe, so how on earth could it be "twisted" unless your neighbors are the ones doing the twisting?
I'm from where the Rust Belt overlaps Appalachia, and I learned young that if I was ever going to do anything in my life, I had to get out of there. And in order to get out of there, I had to do it as early as legally possible. "You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way". Two weeks after I turned 18 my bags were packed and I left the town, the state and the country. 22 years later I still don't regret that decision, even though living abroad has had its fair share of moments.
I think there’s a trade off. Some might see us as poor, and without. We see city slickers as poor, and without. See, what we don’t have in technology, we make up for in actual human contact. Unlike our friends in the city, we tend to all know our neighbors, we help each other every chance we can, and we all tend to genuinely care about one another. Now most of our city friends...they don’t even know their neighbors, much less have groups of real friends to help them with things...well without having to pay them, and that’s not a real friend. Then you throw in the gorgeous views we get to see every single day, compared to the same old skylines in the city. You see? We might be devoid of the monetary means of the city slickers, but we’re rich as human beings.
Not at all. Did you see one person crying over what they didnt have? Hell no. I live not too far from here. You wud be surprised if you went to small towns in wv....its like seeing sumtn on feed the children...no shit !! Alot of houses dont have running water still. But were happy bc we are what we are and were proud of it. Yall be good now
These mountains can bring peace and beauty, but the struggle can also bring evil. At 41, I've lived in East Tennessee mountains all my life. I've been married 19 years and have 17 year old twins. Rarely can you find marriages that hold strong, especially in my generation. Financial or addiction problems seem to plague many families within this region. I've told my children many times.. "get out of these mountains." People often say that's the wrong approach, but nothing is promising about a town with 16 loan/pawn shops within 2 miles. It's a peaceful region, yet you'll be hard pressed to find a mind at peace....
I too grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee, near LaFollette, and it was a good thing for me to leave over 20 years ago. My family stills there and is stuck in a generational quagmire, and it seems a spirit of ignominy pervades the whole region. I can understand the fear of a curse because trial and heartache are ubiquitous with too many there.
Beth Whitehead don't worry mama, there is never a wrong way to want better for your kids. I'm not raising my daughter where I'm from, I wanted her to worry less about surviving and more about living. I am still proud of my family and where I came from, I just wanted her chances in life to be better! I think that's what you're meaning too, good job mama!!
@Garbanzo Crazy Some of these people are without the education and money to make a decent move. You think you're smart but you still quote that shitty poem.
@@clairepod1 This country was founded by people who endured weeks on a creaky wooden boat to get here so they could come here, clear land, build a cabin, plant some crops, and pray that the soil was good and they had enough to survive the winter. They travelled hundreds of miles to go somewhere that they had no idea if it would be better or not. These hicks can surely hop in their pickup and move whenever they wish.
@Garbanzo Crazy Do you really think that's possible for everyone? There's one of those opportunities for every ten people in similar situations and they're kept like that because it makes other people more money.
My dad grew up in Ivanhoe. He left to join the Air Force and we only went back occasionally. My grandfather was a manager at the carbide mill until it closed down. He lived in the house shown around 8:11. I’ve seen Old pictures show a thriving town. A lot of what was left was burnt down by an arsonists in the 80s & 90s.
Exactly. I know its hard but farmers in the 19th century did it when they moved into cities. My Irish Scottish ancestors did it when a lot of them left never to see their families again. Some of them probably moved to Ivanhoe lol. Easy for me to say I guess. There should be some kind of assistance to help people relocate.
Fantastic coverage. Nothing was hidden, just a small community persevering through struggle and change with all of it's flaws intact. I wish media would do more stories like this instead of inflaming tensions among ourselves.
@@brianstonesthrow2727 Hahaha. I never dreamed I would have such an impact on world affairs. And since it's, apparently, obvious to you, what (exactly) is MY narrative? Or are you just another deranged, liberal, parrot screaming at the sky and spewing shit? I'm waiting.
@@normmacdonaldrules4602 Seriously! I'm thinking to myself, "These are just good folks that are going through hard times. Just because they're poor doesn't..." And then BOOM!, "I'm a Klansman." I'm like, "What in the ever living f*** just happened?!" 😯
He's technically correct. Crank probably does help some people to begin with, but he's conveniently omitting what happens further down the line if people keep using and become dependent on it.
@@MB-rh5pq the suburbs is where it's at a little bit past where you still have stores and all the conveniences of life but you also have little plots of land.. I guess on the outskirts of the suburbs would be more like it..
My compassion was chugging along until it got to "I'm in the Klan". Say what homie?! You ain't have nothing better to do in a town that's "cursed"? However, I managed to kick my compassion back into gear again. I hope things work out for these people. Life doesn't have to be that hard
It's a good thing that scene with the Klansman didn't last long, cause this video totally had me up until then also! I managed to turn it around too lol
Well,I like to think of like this,these are highly uneducated people in a part of the country that had slavery in it,you're not surprised one is like that? I also bet some of these folks would give you the shirt off there back if you needed it more,everyone is different.
@@Kgbruins They wouldn't give me their shirt! I'm black! LOL! More like they'd burn it off my back. But I guess that's why racism still exists. People like you are apologists for these ideas. You don't see them as inherently evil. Maybe because you have no skin in that game? Which is sad because we all as human beings should consider racism an affront to civilisation. People like me don't get to see "both sides" in that useless textbook way of yours. That being said, my heart goes out to them. Even the poorest in my country have got more hope and prospects for the future.
God, that guy at the stream talking about fighting for your family, his accent is so thick it sounds Scottish. Reminds you that’s where the Appalachian dialect comes from.
I completely agree with what he said an it looks like you an 7 other people need the proper drug education. Methamphetamine is even prescribed by doctors/psychs under the name Desoxyn right along there with amphetamine/methylphenidate aka adderal/ritalin. People can take small amounts
I am a Canadian Bluegrass Musician and head the opportunity to travel through Appalachia, play music, and meet the kindest people in the entire world. I came from a metropolitan upbringing and had the privilege to meet many families throughout Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee. I related at a real heart level with these people, God Bless the people of Appalachia, and thank you for their gift of your music. I play 5 string banjo, flat pick a beautiful Martin guitar, slap the big old dog house bass, and fiddle around with the dobro....it goes right to my soul...thank you to the people of Appalachia for the joy you have brought into my life. My prized possession is the picture I have playing banjo with Bill Munro who was playing my guitar at the Back home In Bean Blossom Indiana Bluegrass Festival, another great place to meet people from all over Appalachia, I can't say enough about these great people, they are my people.
Land-area wise, the MAJORITY of Virginia is this way. When people think of Virginia a lot of times they think DC area, Richmond, Norfolk. But the entire rest of the state is mainly rural with a few mid-size cities.. so it's not crazy at all to think this is 5 hours from DC. Hell, there are places just like this right outside DC
I may do it again, I may do it tonight, I might be doing it now. Wanna buy some? Its sad, I live less than 2 hours from there. Smith Mountain Lake, Va. Its across the universe in some ways. I went to a Klansman's house once back in 1994. Black guy took me, they called him Country. He had a helicopter in his backyard that he shot had down. Bought some pot out of an old Charlie Chips can and got the hell out of there. Its not like they're riding horses tearing up the countryside lynching and pillaging. Just country folks sipping 'shine selling dope sometimes. Their time has passed. Dont fuck with them though. Yer body will be buried in a backwoods "holler" and yer friends will be going: "What ever happened to Jim?" When the shit hits the fan when the EMP occurs, the Solar Flash, these guys will survive. Cityfolk be like Where's my Latte?
Judaism is a religioun unto itself. Jewish racial status was invented by rabis in 1390 due to the massive amounts of Jews in Spain converting to Catholicism in order to be like "no you cant convert because you're still Jewish by race"
Not to me. I knew he was creepy from his first sentence. "God gave us this country". I am pretty sure it wasn't God who drove the Native Americans down the trail of tears.
Ritalin is an amphetamine similar to meth, and it helps many people. They aren't so different. It's just that one is accepted in society because it's made by a big pharmaceutical company instead of someone's bathtub.
@Greatest Queen My son Ritalin or derivatives for his whole school experience...it calm him down. It calm him down so much that sometimes he couldn’t stay awake. The medication helped him focus on the task at hand. These people that really need Ritalin and other medications in that group, don’t get “high”. My son has all of his teeth, he didn’t pick at his skin, (but skin picking can be a side effect) he definitely didn’t stay up for days at time. I say this to say Ritalin is nothing like Meth...sorry.
As someone who has lived in the cities, I'd like to settle down in a small, tightly knit community filled with kind and warm people... "Hi, I'm with the KKK." I think I'll be going back to be city.
@@jsrandomgaming8653 Yeah, the town and her lost everything alright; just the fact she didn't lose the 500 lbs blob that is herself. I have nothing against overweight people. But when you obviously have no regard for yourself, yeah.
> kristawelch3821 How much time have you spent living in Ivanhoe to form such a notion? The film portrayed the folks of all races getting along fine - didn't you see the church gathering? Hope the limb you went out on is a sturdy one.
These are the last of Appalachian cities. Almost gone. While Trump is celebrating New Year's day at his Maralago with his 1% wealthiest members drinking champagne these people cannot get any help. He abandoned them years ago.
he says he's christian-based oh, my Bible teaches me you can't be a racist and go to heaven, Love Thy Neighbor not love thy neighbors that look like me.
Mick, the alcoholic bear ! I wouldn’t call it a Jewish Arab, perhaps Sephardic or Semitic. Arab would be after the split of Esau and Jacob according to the Bible. But there is a common ancestor of being ancestrally Semitic. Ashkenazi Jews or Europeans Jews is probably what most people think of in modern times.
Diving an Isuzu and wondering where all the jobs went and he probably buys Chinese junk shit from Wal-Mart and wonders why he can't get a job. People, you buy foreign vehicles(even if built here the profit goes back overseas) you are screwing yourselves. Buy American built and made every opportunity and we will all eat good. Be American, buy American.
This was truly great! Thanks for creating and posting. I was born and raised in the Appalachian mountains and have returned there to retire. This video shows how time has changed but the good people there still stand strong. Thanks!
Nobody is trash! We all bleed red, we are all humans, whether you got money or not! Material things don’t matter, life does and you West Virginians are living life the best you can! Stay caring and love life!
Linda Einhorn, you are my hero! That is a righteous conclusion. However, just as it is wrong to laugh at people's misfortunes, one should always remember that there is a spiritual component at work here as well. If this land was cursed for its evil ways, then it can also be delivered - by repenting and returning to God! It's always right to pray for anyone who has fallen on hard times. But they must also acknowledge their own complicity in sinning or condoning sin. The same God-given commandments are given to all people, all places, across all times! These folks do have some beautiful qualities, and I admire their can-do spirit, love, patriotism & creativity. (Also, the kids are precious!) God's Blessings to All! 😇
Lisa - This land was cursed because the lead factory workers wouldn't take a pay cut, so the operators pulled out, and the brightest moved away to more prosperous opportunities. Do you really think the people here are any more or less sinners than someone who lives in a successful, thriving city? Having a god is fine, but what this town needs to create, more than church recruits, is business opportunities.
It's Virginia down in the Appalachian region. It's a very different culture from the more liberal northern Virginia and DC, it might as well be West Virginia.
lol. i just watched the whole video, scrolled down and saw this comment, clicked on 11:41, saw a girl playing in a river and thought "huh? what's so bad about...? oh. yeah. that part was unexpected."
Stabbity the Cricket It is Virginia, try to pay attention, you know, the state that seceded from the union? Corporate America does all their dirty work in poor communities!
@@ru09vt11 That's nice to hear :) Being British/English I'm fascinated by these small Americam towns and the people who live there - they seem so rarely represented on TV. All we seem to hear about in England is NYC and LA which is why these videos are so wonderful and why this lovely lady made such an impression on me :)
Emerald City I wondered about her too. She literally lives in the same neighborhood as the KKK and has darker skin🤷🏼♀️ However I will say the actual KKK is moving away from the attack of African Americans or dark people to Jewish people. Or at least that’s what I learned watching a recent documentary.
Coming from a small town, the problem is so many people never leave. It leads to the obvious problem of “oh you’re so-and-so’s cousin?” and having to be cautious because ultimately everything you say is going to be repeated, but it’s bigger than that. All the people who don’t leave never get to experience what the world has to offer. There’s a lot of bad but there’s so many great things to see too. I hated going to middle school in that small town, if you were excluded from one group, that was it. The class size was so small, either you fit in or were completely excluded. There’s also a weird small town mentality - very much an echo chamber for certain mentalities. It makes me sad to know so many people are born, grow up, and die in the same place. I’ve been able to leave and see some of what the world has to offer. It’s beautiful and I want to see so much more, I truly wish others could take that step to leave.
What a beautiful place. God bless those precious souls. The song at the end lifted my spirits. They have a treasure most of America cannot see,due to greed. Each other.
@Rachel Smith, I'm with you in regards to that hymn at the end! I actually teared up as I sang along. It was an added joy to see poor blacks & whites worshipping together, in spite of what some MSM narratives would have us believe!
Jean and Linda are some good people.Just moved up here last year.Such great hospitality.Ever since we have moved in,Jean has always checked on us to see if we need anything and gave us canned food and jams! Love listening to his old stories.
I was born in the coal regions of PA and when they stopped mining my dad moved us to western NY and worked at many jobs until we were settled and bought a house - Others from the same area moved to Pittsburg, Detroit, Philly, any place they could find work - They never blamed other people for their luck and they were willing to move and learn a new trade - These people are stuck because they appear ignorant, not dumb, ignorant because they are unwilling to change and move on -
For real right? First impression was that he was the sharpest of the lot. Whoops. But I suppose it makes sense that the leader in any group will still be a bit brighter than the average rank and file.
Waywerd Saint it’s why they’re stuck there. yeah poverty sucks but witj making the right decisions and getting out, you can certainly leave and make a good life for yourself. drugs, unemployment, racism run too deep and this is what happens
@@deeremies2266 making a reference to a foreign language isn’t being racist. the guy’s accent was very thick and it seemed like he has speech issues. The mandarin comment isnt kind, but its not racist.
@@Fayefaye90 yea i would have to agree, I'm from wise county, V.A. and I have never experineced meth having a positive influence on anyone. It must be some of that breaking bad quality ice.
@@SuperTonyony I'm from rural America. My family has been here since before this was even a Country and this side was still Louisiane. I'm creole and I don't experience this shit and never have. I grew up with friends of all colors and my mother did too and she was born in 53. I'm sorry you all believe Yankee lies. To be honest some of the people who have helped me the most or been there for me out of anybody were people who resemble the very people in this documentary and the people you pin false stereotypes on to!!
@@zenaidebuonaparte3882 I'm from rural Kentucky. Racism and homophobia are as common in conversation as religion and family affairs, even now. Hell, after Trump, they're even MORE common.
"So we're doing a segment on Appalachia? Well, we better make sure there is plenty of banjo in the intro song." -- every TV show segment director ever.
I grew up in Winchester, Virginia. Just listening to these people talk brings back some good and some bad memories. I got out once I joined the military and didn't look back.
Preacher Sheffey was my GG Grand dad. Not an urban legend. He went around doing things like that. There is a book about him. The Saint Of The Wilderness and a movie named Sheffey.
@Mike M He said "crank", big difference, lol. You gotta do crack every half hour and it makes people desperate, but crank lasts for daaaays, it can be scary shit, but I know several people who wouldn't have graduated college without it. I'm talking about scientists, at that.
I just don't see how he can talk about how they believe in Jesus and love every possible thing about Jesus and and all that then go to a KKK meeting, which is stereotypically opposed to people that aren't white, when there's a really big chance that Jesus could have had brown skin since he was from the Middle East. Baffles me every time I hear a KKK member preach anything Jesus.
I suggest you look up your historical facts. Economic factors, general prejudice in laws and many other factors were at play. The clan was certainly one of them... and the clan may not have been as virulent in all places. No group of human beings are ever all the same.
Dream Delirium I’m from Wheelwright KY so Yes! I’m VERY Appalachian. I would argue more Appalachian than a town than barely touches the mountains. Also most appalachians don’t call it “sodapop”. We call it pop. I’m offended that this person seems to believe that none of us are capable of being healthy and abstaining from pops that are known to cause “mountain dew mouth”. It’s meant to be derogatory when he says they keep mountain dew in business.
Dream Delirium I actually have terrible teeth as well but that comes from the fact that we lost dental benefits when I was barely 18 thanks to insurance regulations at the time and didn’t have the money to pay $300 or more every time I needed to go. I completely agree with you on most things. Nobody talks about it but in America, dental and vision care are often considered “luxuries” by insurance companies so they cover much less in those areas of health. SWVA isn’t too far from where I grew up, EKY.
Lol there’s not literally like, a curse. It’s figuratively cursed in the sense they still *figuratively* live in fucking 1993 and have no jobs or opportunities.
I live 5 minutes from Ivanhoe. The video is real and authentic , but I believe they explored the roughest part of the small small town. You can go 5 minutes up the road and find medium to high income communities. That are fantastic to grow up in. I actually went to high school with a lot of those kids, and they’re all really nice, great people. Small towns like this are common in Southwest VA, but they definitely aren’t the majority of the population of each of the counties they reside in.
Just like the shootings on the evening news do not describe all of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, or other cities, but we ought to be concerned about political policies that adversely impact the most vulnerable among us.
Loved the people dancing to the eighties funk and rap hits. Sure they've got problems, but their lack of self-consciousness was great, we could use a little of that in the rest of the country.
I agree. These people could live off grid and certainly thrive...that one old person said it right...we all know each other...and have each others back. 😄
You think the people of the USA, who have been divided culturally and spiritually by those with a political agenda to the point of hatred, could get along like that? I use to live in a big house in the country and my well to do cousins said I lived in a farm house. Fuck you guys.
"God gave us the greatest piece of real estate" 11:29 ..I guess he forgot the people that were here before./facepalm ...and he's a Klansman....not surprised.
It's pretty ironic that these people seem to think about the coal mining days as the glory days, when in fact those companies often paid their employees in company scrips that were inexchangeable for US currency up into the 1960's. This led to an inability of said coalminers to really save money over generations for their families. So in fact, the poverty that is rampant in these regions is partly caused by the very companies they hail as their lost patrons
And that's not even considering all of the constant and inevitable dangers to their physical well-being, overall health and even their life itself that they were in day to day and life long to work for these "valiant" companies. Companies that would then turn it's back and/or dismiss them rather than acknowledge, support or provide care and/or compensation in the event of an ailment, injury or death directly related to or as result of working for them in said mines.
Me: Omg these poor people. I hope someone can help th- Random guy: I'm a klansman! I'm the great grand wizard. Me: Yeeeaaaaaahh ima just go... I still hope the deserving people get the help their town needs though.
Believe me, he's hanging on something that's almost dead. I remember as a kid in the 70's the Klan was very much alive. Now you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the Klan. It's nothing like the media would have you believe.
While I found this documentary interesting I found many of the comments ugly, depressing and sarcastic. So these people aren't the most educated people of the world but they have something a lot of us (I live in Chicago) don't enjoy; a real sense of community. In my opinion if they push education I think they would be able to do much better for themselves.
I live close to here they do push for education,the problem is drugs like a lot of places. But all areas have problems like Chicago gun violence,with all honestly I'll take a little ignorance over a shoot out any day.
they dont wanna learn anything new, there was programs put in place to try to retrain lots of the miners in other industries but they didnt want any part of it . Then Trump told them all hes gonna open the mines back up to get their votes
I was raised in the area. They don’t want education. They are very polite, but distrust anything that isn’t local. They don’t want help, they don’t want education, they just want to be left alone. It’s a proud ignorance.
You are a meddling liberal thinking they can do better by following your example. They never asked for your opinion. If anyone is aware, this is exactly how people lived in that region over the past century. They never needed the mines and did better without. If you have ever seen the TV show "The Waltons" this is it....same state - VA - and everything.
I live in Chicago and I can't even imagine living this way. Such a lack of opportunity on many levels. I had a reading disability and was behind in reading in second grade. My mom immediately moved into a better school district. There's a sense of community but they don't even want better for their kids. I don't see the community part as very positive.
Another wonderful, poignant, bitter-sweet production from the masterful Atlantic team! Beautiful countryside, strong, resilient, neighborly folk - (the wizard's claim that KKK is Christian, aside) - with truly wistful, even sad, stories to tell.
Mark Twain said " It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool. Rather than open it and remove all doubt. That said, would you rather he be who he is and not be open about it? Apparently more people prefer to live life and not know the truth as opposed to knowing the truth about the people around them.
I think the problem is more deeply rooted in the human psyche; religions and other organizations eventually leading to things like terrorism or coordinated suicide for example are just ways in which this inner malice manifests itself. Were it not for the name of Allah or the Holy Trinity (and don't you dare forget those terrorist Buddhists!), these men would have found their reasons for riling up the population and ascending to their respective abusive positions of power elsewhere. Any conflict at all is an easy means of manipulation between individuals, let alone nations or religions. For short, Christianity is not the problem, it is just not an exemption from our own problem. I will add that we often dehumanize examples like the wizard from the video, but by dehumanizing them we disconnect ourselves from the possibility that one day we might end up isolated and in disagreement with our surroundings ourselves, and the things that would drive us to, being social animals. It is not incomprehensible and quite human at it's core. I think it's sad that it has to come to this for him and our society he now contends with, in a sense his membership is almost a cry for help.
Me too but I honestly think the video showed the effects of the cursed, they became stuck in time. It's like no technological advances came to them. An old mine town lost in obsurity. But as long as they're happy😊
@@rorytennes8576 I understand that most people in USA are not like these people. In 1997-98 I toured America the economy was failing then. From my heart Rory Tennes, it sad to see the once greatness country in the world. Be reduced to it knees. I have two young pious American families who border either side of my property here in New Zealand. Penny and David left New York when Bush came to power, and Kay and Ben left California, when Obama got in to power. Good hard working people. As a Registered Nurse I can't help noticing the steady increase of Americans immigrating to NZ. Recently, I have viewed a lot of video clips film in various states, on present day America. Honestly, I think Trump is more detrimental to America, than helpful.
Roy Tennes-the world does not care whether the republicans or democrats govern America. The truth be known, the world needs America, as much as America needs the world. However, President Trump more or less, shunned the world, with his insane trade tariffs, which have not only hurt America. But has impacted on NZ small economy as well. Please vote for a president that will work in, with the world.
Robert Blackford I don’t ever remember BLM going around burning crosses, bombing churches, and lynching. They’re both radical for sure, but comparing is kind of hard when one is more openly violent than the other.
You gotta know these people. They're very superstitious, internet isn't big deal there, education isn't either. A lot of people have 9th grade education at best, some graduated but not many. Folks with college degree move out, bigger cities like Kingsport/Bristol, Winston-Salem, Roanoke... rest that stay work merger jobs, hoping for blue collar job to open up. If you make $20 hour in this area you're top notch on the pay scale. My dads family is from this area, my grandma had tons of haunted house stories, ghosts, curses. My dads family is big on that stuff, big time church goers. They're SUPER old fashion, very simple, and narrow minded, and racism is REAL. If you don't hunt or fish you got something wrong with you. These people have never heard of Game of Thrones, Kardashians, and they couldn't name any modern musicians... but they could smoke a bowl with you and quote a bible versus or two. And 90% supported Trump, and still believe USA is best country on face of earth and red white and blue means something.
Watch more videos in our Conspiracy Theories and Unexplained Mysteries playlist: ua-cam.com/video/ZwE8kIBd1xY/v-deo.html&
Most of us country folk just wanna be left alone when it comes to government. We don't put out trust in government. Northern VA and Richmond took the riches from our fathers backs in the coal industry, and local politicians let them take it. Used the miners and truck drivers as pawns for their political gain. Promising lies, and then when the industry dies because of the same politicians, they take the money and run, leaving broken promises. Same goes for the average working man in rural America. We'd be better off with less government. If they could have it all their way they'd put us all in cities and we'd be completely dependent on the government. That's okay if people wanna move for a brighter future for them and their children, but for people that don't mind to lower their standard of living and live within their means, a life in the mountains can be good medicine away from big government oppression. We just wanna be left alone as I said. We just wanna be as free as possible. Make our own way now. Yes, no doubt there is a problem with substance abuse. There is a certain amount of people with government dependency too, fostered by politicians taking coal without a plan to use manufacturing in replacement to sustain a higher standard of living. Taking the coal industry and leaving nothing but what used to be hard working Americans behind. We have played a significant role as a wheel in the machine for decades through the industrial revolution to today. We fueled urban areas with electricity where the rich live, fueled their pointless and meaningful wars, paved the way to the future. People forget that. Ordinary city folk and the rich forget that, or the rich know but don't care. We love the Appalachians. Though it's no longer home to some... It's still a home to us. I'll live out my American dream as long as I can. I'll live free, and I'll stay free for as long as we have a republic. Same goes for those who choose to leave. We just have a different perspective of freedom.🇺🇸
@starchildstrider Great comment! I totally agree.
@@jamesherbert1628 Wow! You're a good man James. I read your entire comment and agree with every fiber of it. I live north of Baltimore MD and absolutely hate it. I long to be there in the Mountains where I feel I belong at heart. I love the Lord and want to be around good people that work together to make things better for each other. There aren't too many people like that around here anymore. GOD bless James and stay safe...
@starchildstrider 🙂GOD bless Star!
@@johnmathis1754 Thank you for your time to listen. If you read a lot of the other comments on this documentary you read about people bashing our way of life. I see them looking for a way out because they look to government to fix all their problems. I see that the government is the problem to some respect. People in the comments say we blame the government for all our problems. The answer to THE PROBLEMS that everyone talks about lyes within self sufficiency and relying less on the government because the truth is that the powers that be do not always have your best interest at hand. Modern government has become a machine of self interest and it gains power by promising to fix all of the "people's problems." Modern society has a very contagious sickness. Lack of personal responsibility and self sufficiency. It comes to them like a child looking to the government as it's mother to protect them from life's dangers, problems, and transgressions. Yes, politicians and corporations deals effect our way of life whether it's for better or for worse. When it gets worse you have to find a way to overcome the choices they have made that effect you and your people, no matter if it was in your interest or theirs. Root hog or die. Make a way whether it's escape, live within your means, or push back. Government is getting too big and is now becoming more and more oppressive to our way of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. For those of us willing to protect our posterity, families, and communities, we will not take it forever. We will make our own way when tyranny gets in the way.
As you know they are shoving gun legislation down our throats. If we let this happen, we will no longer be able to defend ourselves from a tyrannical government. There are truths to our history and other's around the world that are not taught in public schools. If you want to know the real history you have to look and find it for yourself because the government does not want you or your children to understand.
As someone who grew up in the heart of Appalachia, southern WV, this short film rings true in many ways. I left in 2009 when I was 25 to live in the Front Range metro of Colorado (from one mountain range to another) because of the lack of opportunity in WV. Part of me feels bad for these folks. I lived in Clay, WV for middle school and high school and I went to a tiny college in the mountains there on a scholarship, Concord College. In many cases, these folks' pride, contentment, and religion is what keeps them poor, unhealthy, uneducated, drug addicted generation after generation. We had many programs for folks to get educated and find new work but a lot of times the attitude in these tiny towns is "he's only going to college because he ain't man enough to work in the mines" or "why you always exercising and so picky about what you eat? Sissy boy" or some shit like that. My ex was a school teacher and she had students who would say "I don't need to learn to read or do math because I can make more money than you (the teacher) just by going to work in the mines". If you can't tell, obesity is also a huge problem in this region.
You'll notice how these folks express how blessed they feel. It's easy to feel blessed and content when every day you are way out in the mountains, surrounded by so many forests with critters and creeks and cliffs and waterfalls that are amazing in each season and it seems like all the problems in the world, all the business and places on tv are a completely different world, a million miles away. But that becomes a problem when it makes folks really resistant to any change or any outsiders, and they stay stuck in the past and stuck in their holler. They imagine that "the good ol days" when mines were open were so great when really those good ol days were still filled with poverty and ill health compared to everywhere else in the country. WV and places like Ivanhoe in VA have lost so much population, especially younger folks like me, that it really is a crisis. For folks who stay, their best option is often to find a way to get on disability. The central Appalachian region around WV, KY, and western VA has the highest rate of disability in the country. It has the highest rate of obesity and drug addiction, and tobacco use as well. But after so many years of trying to help folks get trained for good jobs, get them healthy and off painkillers, off Mountain Dew, off tobacco, a person like me eventually has to say to them, you know, you make your bed so you have to lie in it. If you're poor and obese and addicted, you need to change that yourself instead of always saying how blessed you are and then in the next sentence mourning about the sad state of your community.
There have been opportunities for many of these folks but the attitude is often "we don't need none of that fancy college or trades! My grandpappy was a miner and he fed his 8 kids just fine, so I should be one too!" And then when the mine closes they just leave behind a ruined economy and a bunch of polluted creeks and flattened mountains. It happens time and time again but folks never change. I feel so bad for the little girls here because they are going to grow up around fools like those meth heads and klansman and many will never leave the holler, they'll just hear how much better they have it than those fancy city folks or all those folks who could could never make it living in the mountains.
I have a real love/hate relationship with my home. This video doesn't even touch on the opioid epidemic, and Appalachia is ground zero for that. I went to a high school with 300 kids and by the time I was 30 I knew over 40 my age who overdosed on painkillers. It hit that region hard before it spread to the rest of the country. That's why they call it "hillbilly heroin". And believe me, Donald Trump isn't going to bring these places into the 21st century. The coal industry isn't going to come back and make them all rich. The coal industry may have employed young men in the past but the coal industry also waged war against them when they asked just to be paid in real money instead of mine scrit. There are plenty of documentaries about the WV mine wars on this website. I don't know what the solution for Appalachia is but folks need to let go of coal and they need to take care of their health and environment and they need to place value on education and modern jobs. That will never happen as long as they have these conflicting ideas that they are somehow so blessed but also so cursed. It won't happen if they wait for their religion to fix everything and it won't happen as long as they blame everyone else for their problems, especially outsiders and governments.
EDIT: Formatting
UPDATE: Wow I didn't realize this post had so many responses. I went back to Concord 4 months ago (first time in 10 years!) to see some family and friends and do some rafting and some hiking in those beautiful mountains in the most beautiful season there, autumn. I still feel so at home once I get out into the mountains there, but then when you get to the nearest town you see the devastation. Beckley, Oak Hill, Hinton, all of these are towns in southern WV that once had maybe 20,000 - 30,000 people at their peaks but are now nearly abandoned and main street boarded up. All that's left is Walmart up the interstate. Once you get away from where the towns used to be and into the mountains where there never was a town, then it's like life and the world is gone and it's just you in that beautiful little holler... it's easy to forget the state of the community once you get isolated deep in the forest and have your own little creek whispering to you and your dog each morning outside. Despite my frustration, I really do love it there and have so many great relationships with people there still. I would encourage anyone reading this to do like I did and get a few nights at a park there and spend your days in the mountains. I recommend Pipestem, Hawk's Nest, or Twin Falls state parks because they are right next to rafting country and have many waterfalls to see and great spots for swimming and hiking. Anyways, thanks for all of the responses.
Thank you for your comment, I enjoyed reading it. I grew up in California and Hawai’i so this region of our country is fascinating and foreign to me!
So.....what religion keeps you addicted to drugs, uneducated and unhealthy? Never heard of that one before. Is 'Merica a religion ?
being honest, they need to fix the problems themselves. if they bring in a bunch of outsiders, it just ruins the small town it once was.
but, if you think they can handle a bunch of folks who don't belong and think the two will be just fine, i think you're missing a point of why they don't want outsiders coming in.
and honestly, i doubt things will ever get better in terms of a lack of work and a drug epidemic.
You gave an excellent, well- thought out analysis of how blind and stubborn the people of this shitty town truly are.
@DCM88 😂😂😂
I loved this documentary. It had a rawness that many documentaries do not have. I felt like i was there with those people. Amazing!
I loved it too! Wish we could help them rebuild their town. They're good people that need another chance. Especially the kids!
MidnightExpress, your comment nailed it, ditto. I love this kind of stuff, not sure why. Maybe because Im a McCoy but from the north not the south
Do you still have all of your teeth and were shoes?
Ha ha, yeah, for a 54 yr old, I have a full set of teeth, hate "wearing" shoes when not necessary & am a better speller then some, lol.
At least some of you people have a heart and morals...good to know. A lot of hateful losers here, too, so it’s good to see that not all are that toxic
“Let's all fight together to get our Post Office back.”
God damn. I don't know what to say.
We never have gotten it back. But then again they just combined it with the one in Austinville, about 15 minutes down the road. It really was not such a big deal. This documentary is so twisted. I am really pissed. I might have to make one of my own to show the other sides of Ivanhoe. This just shows one dimension and a few that are fictional LOL.
@@lisamarieva3514 Uh. All of the people interviewed are residents of Ivanhoe; literally every word recorded in the video is uttered by a resident of Ivanhoe, so how on earth could it be "twisted" unless your neighbors are the ones doing the twisting?
@@lisamarieva3514 As much as I'd _love_ to see you try to make a documentary, lmfao.
@@user-sf4fy8bq1h your name sounds like the noise a cat makes when its puking and shitting at the same time
@@DRC-of2ci Like you, this isn't my real name, genius. Try harder next time you pathetic sap.
Every dead mine town in america supposedly has the same curse.
In a way it does I suppose. 🤷🏻♀️😔
Its just happens unfortunately to many towns and also the carbide plant left our town also after many successful years.
Every town needs a legend 🤨😂
Really, that's so funny. I'm not American so this is very interesting to watch. I did giggle about the curse though
They need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and stop being perpetual victims.
Don’t matter if you live in Appalachia or Detroit... sometimes if you want opportunity you gotta MOVE.
I'm from where the Rust Belt overlaps Appalachia, and I learned young that if I was ever going to do anything in my life, I had to get out of there. And in order to get out of there, I had to do it as early as legally possible. "You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way". Two weeks after I turned 18 my bags were packed and I left the town, the state and the country. 22 years later I still don't regret that decision, even though living abroad has had its fair share of moments.
It's just funny to me that my Grandma's family all left Appalachia for Detroit to have a better life. Then they just had to move to the suburbs.
Katie Frank OMG! THAT QUOTE IS FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS!!! I LOVE ME SOME TRACY CHAPMAN!
SO TRUE 💯
Yeah but some people don’t have the money to move out of their situation. So the cycle of poverty continues
When you think you got it bad, watching something like this, makes you real greatful for what you do have.
Ray Shell shit they have way more than me im actually jealous , i spend $800 a month on booze and thats gotta stop
I think there’s a trade off. Some might see us as poor, and without. We see city slickers as poor, and without.
See, what we don’t have in technology, we make up for in actual human contact. Unlike our friends in the city, we tend to all know our neighbors, we help each other every chance we can, and we all tend to genuinely care about one another. Now most of our city friends...they don’t even know their neighbors, much less have groups of real friends to help them with things...well without having to pay them, and that’s not a real friend.
Then you throw in the gorgeous views we get to see every single day, compared to the same old skylines in the city. You see? We might be devoid of the monetary means of the city slickers, but we’re rich as human beings.
Stormy Syndrome Stay true to your family and community...that’s missing in suburbia in any state.😇😇😇😃😃😃
@@johnnyd655 800 that's it you'd faint iff you knew what I spend on my cocaine addiction
Not at all. Did you see one person crying over what they didnt have? Hell no. I live not too far from here. You wud be surprised if you went to small towns in wv....its like seeing sumtn on feed the children...no shit !! Alot of houses dont have running water still. But were happy bc we are what we are and were proud of it. Yall be good now
These mountains can bring peace and beauty, but the struggle can also bring evil. At 41, I've lived in East Tennessee mountains all my life. I've been married 19 years and have 17 year old twins. Rarely can you find marriages that hold strong, especially in my generation. Financial or addiction problems seem to plague many families within this region.
I've told my children many times.. "get out of these mountains." People often say that's the wrong approach, but nothing is promising about a town with 16 loan/pawn shops within 2 miles. It's a peaceful region, yet you'll be hard pressed to find a mind at peace....
I too grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee, near LaFollette, and it was a good thing for me to leave over 20 years ago. My family stills there and is stuck in a generational quagmire, and it seems a spirit of ignominy pervades the whole region. I can understand the fear of a curse because trial and heartache are ubiquitous with too many there.
Beth Whitehead don't worry mama, there is never a wrong way to want better for your kids. I'm not raising my daughter where I'm from, I wanted her to worry less about surviving and more about living. I am still proud of my family and where I came from, I just wanted her chances in life to be better! I think that's what you're meaning too, good job mama!!
It’s beautiful if you have a nest egg to live off of, but if you have to make a living it’s a hard life. They don’t even have garbage trucks!!
They dont call western NC and east Tennessee the devils romping grounds fer nothin!
m8
Ladies and gentlemen we just witness the danger of depending on one investment to feed your whole town
@Garbanzo Crazy Some of these people are without the education and money to make a decent move. You think you're smart but you still quote that shitty poem.
And voting against your interests.
@@clairepod1 This country was founded by people who endured weeks on a creaky wooden boat to get here so they could come here, clear land, build a cabin, plant some crops, and pray that the soil was good and they had enough to survive the winter. They travelled hundreds of miles to go somewhere that they had no idea if it would be better or not. These hicks can surely hop in their pickup and move whenever they wish.
@Garbanzo Crazy Do you really think that's possible for everyone? There's one of those opportunities for every ten people in similar situations and they're kept like that because it makes other people more money.
UAE and Saudi Arabia when oil becomes old news cough cough..
My dad grew up in Ivanhoe. He left to join the Air Force and we only went back occasionally. My grandfather was a manager at the carbide mill until it closed down. He lived in the house shown around 8:11. I’ve seen Old pictures show a thriving town. A lot of what was left was burnt down by an arsonists in the 80s & 90s.
It's hard seeing this I'm sure. Breaks my heart. They need a new factory to revitalize this area. It's beautiful country!
Exactly. I know its hard but farmers in the 19th century did it when they moved into cities. My Irish Scottish ancestors did it when a lot of them left never to see their families again. Some of them probably moved to Ivanhoe lol. Easy for me to say I guess. There should be some kind of assistance to help people relocate.
Hello from Fries Virginia!
How are they going to move with no money?
@@Jenny_Lee_ They couldn't find enough workers. When everyone is high on opioids they can't work.
Fantastic coverage. Nothing was hidden, just a small community persevering through struggle and change with all of it's flaws intact. I wish media would do more stories like this instead of inflaming tensions among ourselves.
That doesn't fit the narrative they (MSM) are pushing at the behest of the globalists.
But then Bob Bastion shows up with his narrative. You are the problem Bob ;)
@@brianstonesthrow2727 Hahaha. I never dreamed I would have such an impact on world affairs. And since it's, apparently, obvious to you, what (exactly) is MY narrative? Or are you just another deranged, liberal, parrot screaming at the sky and spewing shit? I'm waiting.
@@brianstonesthrow2727 That's what I thought. Limited capacity. Now, run along and scream at the sky.
@@bobbastion7335 Just having a life that doesn't revolve around being a douche on the internets.
Old white dude in the video-“I’m a klans man”
Me: Weird flex but ok
It just happened so damn sudden. I feel like I got T-boned in a Jason Bourne car chase.
Tigger McSnazz: Excellent comparison!
🤣🤣🤣
@@normmacdonaldrules4602 Seriously! I'm thinking to myself, "These are just good folks that are going through hard times. Just because they're poor doesn't..." And then BOOM!, "I'm a Klansman." I'm like, "What in the ever living f*** just happened?!" 😯
@@riggs20 My exact reaction was W the actual F. Out loud.
That was one of the best sales pitches iv ever heard ......”iv seen crank help people” 🤔
He's technically correct. Crank probably does help some people to begin with, but he's conveniently omitting what happens further down the line if people keep using and become dependent on it.
He said it so genuinely. HAHA. That's what sold it.
That big woman could use a few barrels of crank.
nice name
Dudes like crank is a medicine for when you get a little tired
Keep riding that bike kid don't look back !
@External power lulz
Johnny 😹😹😹
Pfffft id rather live in that town than a bed bug n rat infested city any day. 1000%.
@External power FUNNY. TELL THAT TO TRUMP LOL.
@@tylerstreet8614 THAT IS 5 GENERATIONS OF INBREEDING IN YA TALKING. PENDEJO. LMAO.
I could imagine Ivanhoe being a photographer's dream... all those abandoned, overgrown buildings, the mines, the mountains.
I was thinking the same thing. Black and whites would capture it beautifully.
It's the same thing I thought after watching for a few minutes.
Being their in the slow daze of summer, water holes, hiking... the best.
Go to my channel, I go thru an abandoned school in Ivanhoe. Got stuff from the other town the talked about, Austinville
Yeah as long as they aren't POC....
I left my Appalachian home at 14 and never looked back. No regrets!
Finally, someone with common sense. Nobody forces them to live that way or have tons of kids
As someone that lives in the city, I kind of envy the country life. Kids have room to play. Room to garden. Sigh.
@@MB-rh5pq Same..I almost want to move there lol
@@MB-rh5pq the suburbs is where it's at a little bit past where you still have stores and all the conveniences of life but you also have little plots of land.. I guess on the outskirts of the suburbs would be more like it..
Watching this is looking back. You just can’t admit it. Sorry.
No one else caught that they named the elementary school after the pastor who cursed the whole town? 😂😂😂
Good spot!! 🧐🤦🏻♀️😂
They did it in a vain attempt to appease his spirit.
@@Steelairship everyone knows that takes a blood sacrifice
Very well done. I like documentaries without a talkative narrator.
Bro, ypu said my word
My compassion was chugging along until it got to "I'm in the Klan". Say what homie?! You ain't have nothing better to do in a town that's "cursed"? However, I managed to kick my compassion back into gear again. I hope things work out for these people. Life doesn't have to be that hard
It's a good thing that scene with the Klansman didn't last long, cause this video totally had me up until then also! I managed to turn it around too lol
Well,I like to think of like this,these are highly uneducated people in a part of the country that had slavery in it,you're not surprised one is like that? I also bet some of these folks would give you the shirt off there back if you needed it more,everyone is different.
@@Kgbruins They wouldn't give me their shirt! I'm black! LOL! More like they'd burn it off my back. But I guess that's why racism still exists. People like you are apologists for these ideas. You don't see them as inherently evil. Maybe because you have no skin in that game? Which is sad because we all as human beings should consider racism an affront to civilisation. People like me don't get to see "both sides" in that useless textbook way of yours. That being said, my heart goes out to them. Even the poorest in my country have got more hope and prospects for the future.
It's funny tho, he said he worships Jesus...its gonna break his foolish heart when he realizes that Jesus was Jewish, ROTFLMMFAOOOO 💝
@Andro mache He clearly said, Jesus, play it again and pay attention.
God, that guy at the stream talking about fighting for your family, his accent is so thick it sounds Scottish. Reminds you that’s where the Appalachian dialect comes from.
Ya, us Appalachian folk have Scottish en us, yes sir.
The dialect is documented on UA-cam you should look em up, really good docs.
Yup Scott’s Irish my family in Tennessee just north of pigeon forge sound the same way
bluegrass comes straight from Scottish and Irish music
The dancing was reminiscent of Irish clogging! Very cool!
Wow. He just comes out with "I'm a clansman!" Followed by.... "we're a Christian organization." Really?? People like this still exist?!
A lot more than you realize
Yes.
If this guy is their leader, we have nothing to worry about
Yes? Not all Klans are racist
Most of the town likely. A lot of these documentaries obscure how entrenched white supremacy culture is in these meth/oxy/fentanyl ravaged towns.
"some of that crank has helped people, I've seen it help. It helps you work better." These people need better access to education.
Bullshitcrank helpswitheveryday thingslike typingsuperultrafast . Ijust typedthis wholethingout in likeasecond andahalf . Myspaces areall fuckedthoughbecause imlisening tomyVanillaIceCD andhitting thespacebaron thebeat .
I completely agree with what he said an it looks like you an 7 other people need the proper drug education.
Methamphetamine is even prescribed by doctors/psychs under the name Desoxyn right along there with amphetamine/methylphenidate aka adderal/ritalin.
People can take small amounts
Just like all of the successful people munching Adderall every day. Educate yourself.
John Smith .... you’re not distinguishing between something made in a bathtub vs in a laboratory. There’s a difference.
PsychoticScientist ... you’re not distinguishing between something made in a bathtub vs in a laboratory. There’s a difference.
This is beautifully done and historically significant in the story of this country ! Bravo to cinematography and direction
I am a Canadian Bluegrass Musician and head the opportunity to travel through Appalachia, play music, and meet the kindest people in the entire world. I came from a metropolitan upbringing and had the privilege to meet many families throughout Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee. I related at a real heart level with these people, God Bless the people of Appalachia, and thank you for their gift of your music. I play 5 string banjo, flat pick a beautiful Martin guitar, slap the big old dog house bass, and fiddle around with the dobro....it goes right to my soul...thank you to the people of Appalachia for the joy you have brought into my life. My prized possession is the picture I have playing banjo with Bill Munro who was playing my guitar at the Back home In Bean Blossom Indiana Bluegrass Festival, another great place to meet people from all over Appalachia, I can't say enough about these great people, they are my people.
You should travel and be apart of Bristol Rhythm and Roots
and do you think all America
that big vast space is like this
fellow Canadian
say no
They were sold out of twinkes, but full shelf of Colgate and tooth brushes.
people eat toothpaste?
does it take a day to use 1 toothbrush and 1 tube of toothpaste?
Not sure, you need to ask them
you're better than them, aren't you?
@513_cloud withoutwater that's straight bullshit, inside the wrapper Twinkies have a 20+ yr shelf life. 'Stale' 😂
kind of crazy to think they're only 5 hours from DC
DC is another type of shithole. But a shithole just the same.
Keith Richards, I live in the Virginia DC suburbs and I completely agree.
Land-area wise, the MAJORITY of Virginia is this way. When people think of Virginia a lot of times they think DC area, Richmond, Norfolk. But the entire rest of the state is mainly rural with a few mid-size cities.. so it's not crazy at all to think this is 5 hours from DC. Hell, there are places just like this right outside DC
How is that weird?
azambuja666 not far enough away from DC.
"I'm not a crank head. I'm not a drug dealer, really." 😂
I think my favorite was we are deep bred into it I bet there is a few family trees that look like telephone poles
Crank helps people lmao 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I may do it again, I may do it tonight, I might be doing it now. Wanna buy some? Its sad, I live less than 2 hours from there. Smith Mountain Lake, Va. Its across the universe in some ways. I went to a Klansman's house once back in 1994. Black guy took me, they called him Country. He had a helicopter in his backyard that he shot had down. Bought some pot out of an old Charlie Chips can and got the hell out of there. Its not like they're riding horses tearing up the countryside lynching and pillaging. Just country folks sipping 'shine selling dope sometimes. Their time has passed. Dont fuck with them though. Yer body will be buried in a backwoods "holler" and yer friends will be going: "What ever happened to Jim?" When the shit hits the fan when the EMP occurs, the Solar Flash, these guys will survive. Cityfolk be like Where's my Latte?
Mike awesome words man!! Im from tazewell so im about 2 hours out as well.
@@mikemurphey6361 LOL!!!
"I ain't no drug dealer really....but if you want some meth I got some" love it!
I thought he was gonna offer up some to the film crew.
No thanks, it makes my tummy upset, but I'll take some crank if you got it.
It keeps ya up...haha
His jaw was workin' overtime...
mining towns in canada are plagued with coke, crack, speed, meth, and percs lol what a time to be alive
Random man: "Im the imperial wizard of the Virginia knights of the klu klux Klan"
Me: ight, imma head out 😂
Judaism is a religioun unto itself. Jewish racial status was invented by rabis in 1390 due to the massive amounts of Jews in Spain converting to Catholicism in order to be like "no you cant convert because you're still Jewish by race"
@@blickluke
WTF has that got to do with the guy who announced that he is a KKK imperial wizard?
- cuts to towns only black family😂😂😂
One of em said I don't usually do meth but I rarely take a line of crank if I'm sleepy by the way he was acting they both are on crank lmao
Lol all the while driving an Isuzu 🤣🤣🤣
"There were lead mines here"....
Ah, ok things are making sense now
Lmao
OMG 😂😂😂😂
Exactly what I thought.
Must be something in the water they said
11:30 aw, he seems like a nice man.
1 minute later:
*I'm the imperial wizard of the Virginia knights of the ku klux klan...* eeeeeeh....nvm.
Not to me. I knew he was creepy from his first sentence. "God gave us this country". I am pretty sure it wasn't God who drove the Native Americans down the trail of tears.
@Dave Wesley Let's go back to the last ice age to find out lmao.
That dont mean he's not a nice guy.
@@soulcrusher0357 Yes it does.
@@selathekobold9832 oh, ok.
I was with these folks until the guy said " I seen meth help folks!" 😂😂😂
justin ellis yeah.... he doesn’t make it or sell it, but he sure does have a sparkle in his eye when he talks about it😂😂😂
Help them rob my house that for sure.
Ritalin is an amphetamine similar to meth, and it helps many people. They aren't so different. It's just that one is accepted in society because it's made by a big pharmaceutical company instead of someone's bathtub.
@@420greatestqueen ritalin is nothing like meth
@Greatest Queen My son Ritalin or derivatives for his whole school experience...it calm him down. It calm him down so much that sometimes he couldn’t stay awake. The medication helped him focus on the task at hand. These people that really need Ritalin and other medications in that group, don’t get “high”. My son has all of his teeth, he didn’t pick at his skin, (but skin picking can be a side effect) he definitely didn’t stay up for days at time. I say this to say Ritalin is nothing like Meth...sorry.
“I’m not saying I’m a crank head...I’ve done crank...might do it again” 😂🤣😂
"I've seen it help people." lol
Yoooo son shit was crazy
I need a time stamp on this
One thing they can be thankful for is the fact that they all get together.
All get together & do crank
This is a beautifully filmed and edited short doc. on an Appalachian town. Nice job !!
i really enjoyed this, i would like to congratulate people who put a lot of effort into making this documentary
As someone who has lived in the cities, I'd like to settle down in a small, tightly knit community filled with kind and warm people...
"Hi, I'm with the KKK."
I think I'll be going back to be city.
there’s loads of small towns in America, loads of them being non-racist
@@randomquacker9653 Yeah. The stereotype of country people being racist is completely false. I'd say that city people are more racist than them
I could not live without diversity and common sense
@@a.m.7785 😂😂😂
Good all city folk democrats like you should stay out of the country tbh. Stay in california.
This is a respectful and honest look into a resilient community. Well done, and best of luck to all involved.
Funny, if this was a different demographic, this would be a cought different comment. We all know this.
@@WilsonianGarveyite I don't think so.
@@WilsonianGarveyite right?!
Do they really work hard and have multiple jobs in this "different demographic" also? @@WilsonianGarveyite
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the issue with Ivanhoe is the racism and the methamphetamine, not the "old timey preacher curse".
The fat lady with her nails painted talking about losing everything almost killed me.
@@jsrandomgaming8653 lmao when she said something like people going without, I was like you seem to be doing just fine
@@jsrandomgaming8653 Yeah, the town and her lost everything alright; just the fact she didn't lose the 500 lbs blob that is herself. I have nothing against overweight people. But when you obviously have no regard for yourself, yeah.
Fr fr
> kristawelch3821 How much time have you spent living in Ivanhoe to form such a notion? The film portrayed the folks of all races getting along fine - didn't you see the church gathering? Hope the limb you went out on is a sturdy one.
The old time fiddle and banjo were very well done...enjoyed this.
Man: Do you a bump of crank and move on.
Woman: There are no slackers in Ivanhoe.
hahah!
“I’m the imperial wizard of the KluKlux Klan knights of Virginia”
Me: *oh.*
yeah it seemed like he felt real important and most people just see him as an asshole
Only identity he has to cling to. Too bad its a bad one.
These are the last of Appalachian cities. Almost gone. While Trump is celebrating New Year's day at his Maralago with his 1% wealthiest members drinking champagne these people cannot get any help. He abandoned them years ago.
Marie W makes little sense at all you must be from the town in the video
he says he's christian-based oh, my Bible teaches me you can't be a racist and go to heaven, Love Thy Neighbor not love thy neighbors that look like me.
KKK dude: “We’re a Christian organization”
I’m 99.99% sure that dude doesn’t realize Jesus is Jewish lmao
Honest to God I was like "God gave us America may be a bit regressive but hell he's old and appalachian so may...wtf"
Jesus was a Jewish Arab...no two ways about it...our Saviour is from the middle east and was born to a Jewish woman.. end of story
Mick, the alcoholic bear ! I wouldn’t call it a Jewish Arab, perhaps Sephardic or Semitic. Arab would be after the split of Esau and Jacob according to the Bible. But there is a common ancestor of being ancestrally Semitic. Ashkenazi Jews or Europeans Jews is probably what most people think of in modern times.
Exactly!!!!
CamoHorse Exactly!
11:26 A Klan grand wizard driving an Isuzu amigo is priceless...
Only the best for the grand wizard! 😂
Diving an Isuzu and wondering where all the jobs went and he probably buys Chinese junk shit from Wal-Mart and wonders why he can't get a job. People, you buy foreign vehicles(even if built here the profit goes back overseas) you are screwing yourselves. Buy American built and made every opportunity and we will all eat good. Be American, buy American.
When Americans can't afford to buy American.
The grandest wizard, like gandalf hahaha
This was truly great! Thanks for creating and posting. I was born and raised in the Appalachian mountains and have returned there to retire. This video shows how time has changed but the good people there still stand strong. Thanks!
Nobody is trash! We all bleed red, we are all humans, whether you got money or not! Material things don’t matter, life does and you West Virginians are living life the best you can! Stay caring and love life!
Linda Einhorn, you are my hero! That is a righteous conclusion. However, just as it is wrong to laugh at people's misfortunes, one should always remember that there is a spiritual component at work here as well.
If this land was cursed for its evil ways, then it can also be delivered - by repenting and returning to God! It's always right to pray for anyone who has fallen on hard times. But they must also acknowledge their own complicity in sinning or condoning sin. The same God-given commandments are given to all people, all places, across all times!
These folks do have some beautiful qualities, and I admire their can-do spirit, love, patriotism & creativity. (Also, the kids are precious!)
God's Blessings to All! 😇
Lisa - This land was cursed because the lead factory workers wouldn't take a pay cut, so the operators pulled out, and the brightest moved away to more prosperous opportunities. Do you really think the people here are any more or less sinners than someone who lives in a successful, thriving city? Having a god is fine, but what this town needs to create, more than church recruits, is business opportunities.
This is Virginia not West Virginia
Curses aren't real , neither is god , that's just old fairytales and superstition. What a giant waste of time and energy.
God isn't real anyway.
11:41 that went 0 to 10 real quick. I was just happy watching a West Virginia documentary.
JFC I agree. Was not expecting that at all 😵
😂😂😂 I was dead when he just casually pulled up and started that shit lmao
It's Virginia down in the Appalachian region. It's a very different culture from the more liberal northern Virginia and DC, it might as well be West Virginia.
lol. i just watched the whole video, scrolled down and saw this comment, clicked on 11:41, saw a girl playing in a river and thought "huh? what's so bad about...? oh. yeah. that part was unexpected."
Stabbity the Cricket It is Virginia, try to pay attention, you know, the state that seceded from the union? Corporate America does all their dirty work in poor communities!
The woman at 13:08 has such a sweet smile and such kind eyes. I hope she's doing well :)
She is doing well and one of the sweetest ladies you could ever hope to meet
@@ru09vt11 That's nice to hear :) Being British/English I'm fascinated by these small Americam towns and the people who live there - they seem so rarely represented on TV. All we seem to hear about in England is NYC and LA which is why these videos are so wonderful and why this lovely lady made such an impression on me :)
I wish I had neighbors like her. I’d make sure I’d say hi every morning.
Emerald City I wondered about her too. She literally lives in the same neighborhood as the KKK and has darker skin🤷🏼♀️
However I will say the actual KKK is moving away from the attack of African Americans or dark people to Jewish people.
Or at least that’s what I learned watching a recent documentary.
Coming from a small town, the problem is so many people never leave. It leads to the obvious problem of “oh you’re so-and-so’s cousin?” and having to be cautious because ultimately everything you say is going to be repeated, but it’s bigger than that. All the people who don’t leave never get to experience what the world has to offer. There’s a lot of bad but there’s so many great things to see too. I hated going to middle school in that small town, if you were excluded from one group, that was it. The class size was so small, either you fit in or were completely excluded. There’s also a weird small town mentality - very much an echo chamber for certain mentalities. It makes me sad to know so many people are born, grow up, and die in the same place. I’ve been able to leave and see some of what the world has to offer. It’s beautiful and I want to see so much more, I truly wish others could take that step to leave.
What happens is that the smarter more ambitious people leave and eventually you have a town of the low IQ , incurious, and lazy left there.
What a beautiful place. God bless those precious souls. The song at the end lifted my spirits. They have a treasure most of America cannot see,due to greed. Each other.
@Rachel Smith, I'm with you in regards to that hymn at the end! I actually teared up as I sang along. It was an added joy to see poor blacks & whites worshipping together, in spite of what some MSM narratives would have us believe!
Jean and Linda are some good people.Just moved up here last year.Such great hospitality.Ever since we have moved in,Jean has always checked on us to see if we need anything and gave us canned food and jams! Love listening to his old stories.
The choir was all black even in that small town! LMAO!!
😁😁😁😁 so truck
They were great but that piano needed tuning, dear lord!! 🙈😆
Haha
Yes we have black people in our small mountain towns 😭😭
@@chubbschubbs2x why those emojis... ?
That one dude is the reason I have to show my drivers license to purchase sinus medication.
You take enough of that you can be just like him 😂😂
Ain't that the truth
This is what foreigners think the whole of America is like lmao
Joe Hockey it’s not?
no, these are often small communities out in the middle of nowhere lol
Sometimes, just being on the internet makes me feel that way too
No it isn't. Take a camera to the slums of Detroit and then you may be on to something.
As an American, i can confirm this is how all of America is.
I was born in the coal regions of PA and when they stopped mining my dad moved us to western NY and worked at many jobs until we were settled and bought a house - Others from the same area moved to Pittsburg, Detroit, Philly, any place they could find work - They never blamed other people for their luck and they were willing to move and learn a new trade - These people are stuck because they appear ignorant, not dumb, ignorant because they are unwilling to change and move on -
yes. because in 2022, chang has done us all GOOD!
That's the definition of insanity
Grew up in Schuylkill County PA, major coal region
@@laurenblaze3662 What does that mean in English?
That shirt button is one doughnut away from being a deadly weapon.
🤣🤣🤣💀💀💀💀💀
😁
High velocity projectile - lmao
MOST UNDERRATED COMMENT EVER! omg so funny
Damn!! 😂😂😂😂😂
"Im not saying im a crank head"
Think you are my man
He did SAY he is, though! Thinking it, yes
@Megan Whomever his pupils were tiny. Meth makes your pupils huge
@Megan Whomever but he was probably on some opiates cuz they make your pupils pinpoint
😂😂😂😂
"The Klan lights are crossed to show Jesus was the light of the world!"
Me: Have you READ the Bible at all?
lmao
Me: that guy seems like the only level headed person.
Man: “I’m a clans man”
Me: there goes my great judge of character 🤣
For real right? First impression was that he was the sharpest of the lot. Whoops. But I suppose it makes sense that the leader in any group will still be a bit brighter than the average rank and file.
Well they are next to several lead mines that have been flooded, maybe it's kinda like a flint Michigan situation there with the ground water?
Nathan Chase boredom, drugs, and no work. Also they probably used the worst examples they could
Waywerd Saint it’s why they’re stuck there. yeah poverty sucks but witj making the right decisions and getting out, you can certainly leave and make a good life for yourself. drugs, unemployment, racism run too deep and this is what happens
At least he's telling who he is, I'm sure there are many out there in the closet..lol
i live in rural West Virginia in the woods & it is exactly like this
MatronCity .JockJamJesus my family is in Birch River. Grew up in Widen and Dill.
Which county, so do I
Proud to be from West Virginia! We just get misunderstood by the world a lot of times.
My family has a family only cemetery in the backwoods of West Virginia
Can I move in?
I swear the kid on the bike was speaking mandarin at the beginning..
Actually, he was speaking Inbred. You can tell by the dialectical stutter.
Lmao English is not even my first language and i still understood him perfectly
@@deeremies2266 racist? Against the white English speaking kid?
To be honest, I didn't understand him either.
@@deeremies2266 making a reference to a foreign language isn’t being racist.
the guy’s accent was very thick and it seemed like he has speech issues. The mandarin comment isnt kind, but its not racist.
" I've had crank a cupple a' times.... nuttin wrong wit dat. A bump a' crank kin sharpen yer mind if yer tired..."
All the crank heads around here just steal copper wiring or your granny's pills ... idk what kinda meth hes tootin 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
@@Fayefaye90 yea i would have to agree, I'm from wise county, V.A. and I have never experineced meth having a positive influence on anyone. It must be some of that breaking bad quality ice.
I was really enjoying this program until the guy says hes a Wizard of the KKK truly depressing
We romanticize rural life in America, but the truth is that it is hideously ugly underneath those quaint vistas.
He can't even pronounce the name of the organization correctly ("Klu Klux"). No way is that guy a KKK bigshot, if there is even such a thing anymore.
@@SuperTonyony I'm from rural America. My family has been here since before this was even a Country and this side was still Louisiane. I'm creole and I don't experience this shit and never have. I grew up with friends of all colors and my mother did too and she was born in 53. I'm sorry you all believe Yankee lies. To be honest some of the people who have helped me the most or been there for me out of anybody were people who resemble the very people in this documentary and the people you pin false stereotypes on to!!
@@zenaidebuonaparte3882 I'm from rural Kentucky. Racism and homophobia are as common in conversation as religion and family affairs, even now. Hell, after Trump, they're even MORE common.
Me too. Sad to see. He claims they're a Christian organization ...yet they hate people?? Come on. Get real.
Oh Lordy! I ain’t never seen so much abject ignorance in one dang video in my life!
“Crank helps you werk better.” LOL
15:00 minute mark
I imagine that Tinder would be a real treat in this town.
“Sister, cousin, cousin, brother, mom, no more people in my area, great”
"So we're doing a segment on Appalachia? Well, we better make sure there is plenty of banjo in the intro song." -- every TV show segment director ever.
WVURxMan lol i know right
This is where city folk go camping and never return
Eek
'Wrong turn' came to mind 👍
Deliverance
Klan driving an Isuzu 😂
fucking hilarious
same thing as a chevy
Jose Sanchez when?
is that why white people has sex with their siblings? you can spot the inbred deformations from a mile away.
11:31 its an isuzu
Jose Sanchez got me in tears lol damnit
11:40 "I'm a Klansman"
Me: I beg your pardon?
Klansman is mountain talk for village idiot
I grew up in Winchester, Virginia. Just listening to these people talk brings back some good and some bad memories. I got out once I joined the military and didn't look back.
Is Winchester worse than it seems? Ive been there a few times. From WV
Isnt Winchester in northern Virginia?
I’m black and from central NC and I love my Appalachian brothers and sisters. They ain’t gonna mistreat y’all forever
I'm Creole and I feel the same!!
"black"
Are you serious?
My mother grew up in Ivanhoe 80 yrs ago The last time I drove thru there was 1969 when I joined the Marines
@juntao11 I wonder, if you think so little of America, why watch an Appalachian documentary?🤔
Andrew the Cellist Fascination. Like watching a freakshow.
Preacher Sheffey was my GG Grand dad. Not an urban legend. He went around doing things like that. There is a book about him. The Saint Of The Wilderness and a movie named Sheffey.
@juntao11 Uh did you not see the year he posted 1969, maybe he didn't joil of his own free will.
Floyd lawson Mayberry barber why not? Its out of curiosity. That wasn’t a logical point you just made in any way.
This is a very well done documentary. Thank you for making & posting this.
Ohh lead mines....that explains some of it...
Blasko xx exactly
Lol :-)
that's heavy ;)
@Mike M He said "crank", big difference, lol. You gotta do crack every half hour and it makes people desperate, but crank lasts for daaaays, it can be scary shit, but I know several people who wouldn't have graduated college without it. I'm talking about scientists, at that.
@Mike M Another name for speed, crystal methamphetamine.
11:42 just when I started to warm to their country charm - KKK
Doesn't seem like the KKK there is too bothered about race though. The black woman afterwards was talking about how safe she feels there.
I just don't see how he can talk about how they believe in Jesus and love every possible thing about Jesus and and all that then go to a KKK meeting, which is stereotypically opposed to people that aren't white, when there's a really big chance that Jesus could have had brown skin since he was from the Middle East. Baffles me every time I hear a KKK member preach anything Jesus.
It does me as well Kayley, but I'll also say... I've never actually seen a KKK meeting. I've only seen edited footage, or heard about them.
Maybe. Or maybe the clan wasn't the same in every place.
I suggest you look up your historical facts. Economic factors, general prejudice in laws and many other factors were at play. The clan was certainly one of them... and the clan may not have been as virulent in all places. No group of human beings are ever all the same.
This community keeps Mountain Dew in business
"Howdy, I'm Mountain Drew."
@Dream Delirium Sundrop
Wow! you are ignorant and just plain mean.
Dream Delirium I’m from Wheelwright KY so Yes! I’m VERY Appalachian. I would argue more Appalachian than a town than barely touches the mountains. Also most appalachians don’t call it “sodapop”. We call it pop. I’m offended that this person seems to believe that none of us are capable of being healthy and abstaining from pops that are known to cause “mountain dew mouth”. It’s meant to be derogatory when he says they keep mountain dew in business.
Dream Delirium I actually have terrible teeth as well but that comes from the fact that we lost dental benefits when I was barely 18 thanks to insurance regulations at the time and didn’t have the money to pay $300 or more every time I needed to go. I completely agree with you on most things. Nobody talks about it but in America, dental and vision care are often considered “luxuries” by insurance companies so they cover much less in those areas of health. SWVA isn’t too far from where I grew up, EKY.
I lived about 30 minutes away from Ivanhoe at one point, I never heard that there was a curse on the town. I liked this documentary
Lol there’s not literally like, a curse. It’s figuratively cursed in the sense they still *figuratively* live in fucking 1993 and have no jobs or opportunities.
@@johnjacob3160 1993 you say?
corey0863 ok fine, 2006
@@johnjacob3160 😂😂
What a brilliant documentary - no agenda, just great stories, and people....
No agenda? Really?
@Robert Robrahn Funny how he and the 3 people that liked his comment failed to respond.
@@YSLRD what’s the agenda?
I live 5 minutes from Ivanhoe. The video is real and authentic , but I believe they explored the roughest part of the small small town. You can go 5 minutes up the road and find medium to high income communities. That are fantastic to grow up in. I actually went to high school with a lot of those kids, and they’re all really nice, great people. Small towns like this are common in Southwest VA, but they definitely aren’t the majority of the population of each of the counties they reside in.
Just like the shootings on the evening news do not describe all of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, or other cities, but we ought to be concerned about political policies that adversely impact the most vulnerable among us.
Im glad you grown up in a good environment but the video is trying to bring focus on the poverty in Appalachia.
The guy at 19:12 with the beard and overalls jamming to the gap band. 🤩
mittie rowland it was adorable LMAO 😂💯
mittie rowland sure was lol. Now the origin of where the GAP band got their name from blew my mind as well
Folk can get funky regardless of beard or lack thereof.
I think he wasn't wearing overalls but a cut off white shirt and goofy old lady gardening hat.
girl thats my future husband dont u b lookin at my man👀 lol 😍😂
“Im not a drug dealer really”
Ummm, what do you mean by “really”? Are there levels of drug dealers?
It's just a part time gig his full time job is building the crosses for the grand wizard
Loved the people dancing to the eighties funk and rap hits. Sure they've got problems, but their lack of self-consciousness was great, we could use a little of that in the rest of the country.
I agree. These people could live off grid and certainly thrive...that one old person said it right...we all know each other...and have each others back. 😄
You think the people of the USA, who have been divided culturally and spiritually by those with a political agenda to the point of hatred, could get along like that? I use to live in a big house in the country and my well to do cousins said I lived in a farm house. Fuck you guys.
Also a whole shitload of the golden rule would help here...😞
"there's no slackers in ivanhoe" you definitely ain't slackin on that food
My grandmother always used to say “everybody will live the way they want to live no matter how much they say that they hate their life”
"I believe God gave us the best piece of real estate known to man, America "
Me: debatable but ok
" I'm a klansman"
Me: *chokes on drink*
Nothing like a little crank to get some hard work done 🙄🤔
"But I don't deal drugs, really."
The only setback is most of your shit ends up missing at the end of the work day.
"God gave us the greatest piece of real estate" 11:29 ..I guess he forgot the people that were here before./facepalm ...and he's a Klansman....not surprised.
bet he plays fortnite smh
Do you say the same about Mexicans? You know because the Spaniards DID wipe out whole civilizations Aztec, Mayans, Incas??? Yeah I didn't think so
Dave Wesley they were the first here...nobody occupied this before natives
@@SunSailandSand I see that the comment has been edited, what did it say beforehand? Did he delete any?
If Indians wanted the land so bad they should have learned how to protect it. Dog eat dog world.
that dude on the bike is really good at keeping shirts clean I get a white shirt it in has a stain on it in .2 milliseconds
Ryan xeo 😂😂😂😂 I know right?!
Yes, he looks so clean and fresh.
That hostess shelf in the convenience store was CLEANED OUT
It's pretty ironic that these people seem to think about the coal mining days as the glory days, when in fact those companies often paid their employees in company scrips that were inexchangeable for US currency up into the 1960's. This led to an inability of said coalminers to really save money over generations for their families. So in fact, the poverty that is rampant in these regions is partly caused by the very companies they hail as their lost patrons
And that's not even considering all of the constant and inevitable dangers to their physical well-being, overall health and even their life itself that they were in day to day and life long to work for these "valiant" companies. Companies that would then turn it's back and/or dismiss them rather than acknowledge, support or provide care and/or compensation in the event of an ailment, injury or death directly related to or as result of working for them in said mines.
Me: Omg these poor people. I hope someone can help th-
Random guy: I'm a klansman! I'm the great grand wizard.
Me: Yeeeaaaaaahh ima just go...
I still hope the deserving people get the help their town needs though.
Yeah I felt bad for about 2 minutes... then I realized it’s probably best these people are cut off fro the rest of the world.
Hahahaha
@Why Zee Two Fiddy You need to re watch it then and edit your comment because there was an old man who felt the need to share that in the video.
Believe me, he's hanging on something that's almost dead. I remember as a kid in the 70's the Klan was very much alive. Now you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the Klan. It's nothing like the media would have you believe.
@@liberalslayer7445 all according where your at sir!
I've lived all up and down these mountains.... Wouldn't have it any other way. Bless all my mountain folk from the ridge runners to the hillbillies!
While I found this documentary interesting I found many of the comments ugly, depressing and sarcastic. So these people aren't the most educated people of the world but they have something a lot of us (I live in Chicago) don't enjoy; a real sense of community. In my opinion if they push education I think they would be able to do much better for themselves.
I live close to here they do push for education,the problem is drugs like a lot of places. But all areas have problems like Chicago gun violence,with all honestly I'll take a little ignorance over a shoot out any day.
they dont wanna learn anything new, there was programs put in place to try to retrain lots of the miners in other industries but they didnt want any part of it . Then Trump told them all hes gonna open the mines back up to get their votes
I was raised in the area. They don’t want education. They are very polite, but distrust anything that isn’t local. They don’t want help, they don’t want education, they just want to be left alone. It’s a proud ignorance.
You are a meddling liberal thinking they can do better by following your example. They never asked for your opinion.
If anyone is aware, this is exactly how people lived in that region over the past century. They never needed the mines and did better without.
If you have ever seen the TV show "The Waltons" this is it....same state - VA - and everything.
I live in Chicago and I can't even imagine living this way. Such a lack of opportunity on many levels. I had a reading disability and was behind in reading in second grade. My mom immediately moved into a better school district. There's a sense of community but they don't even want better for their kids. I don't see the community part as very positive.
I wonder if that Clansman, or any other Clansmen are dancing to songs by black people at their July 4th celebrations... lmao
Everyone loves Gap Band 🤣🤣
What’s so crazy there’s a video on here with a guy who’s a Klansman who has a black girlfriend and biracial children 🥴🥴🥴🥴
🤣😂🤣🤣
😂
😂😂😂😂😂
Another wonderful, poignant, bitter-sweet production from the masterful Atlantic team!
Beautiful countryside, strong, resilient, neighborly folk - (the wizard's claim that KKK is Christian, aside) - with truly wistful, even sad, stories to tell.
Mark Twain said " It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool. Rather than open it and remove all doubt.
That said, would you rather he be who he is and not be open about it? Apparently more people prefer to live life and not know the truth as opposed to knowing the truth about the people around them.
R Garlin
It is a Christian organisation, so is the WBC, KIM and ACMTC - just like Al-Queda is a Islamist organisation!
They are Christian. They treat others exactly how the Bible wants. Christianity is the problem that's created the KKK
I think the problem is more deeply rooted in the human psyche; religions and other organizations eventually leading to things like terrorism or coordinated suicide for example are just ways in which this inner malice manifests itself. Were it not for the name of Allah or the Holy Trinity (and don't you dare forget those terrorist Buddhists!), these men would have found their reasons for riling up the population and ascending to their respective abusive positions of power elsewhere. Any conflict at all is an easy means of manipulation between individuals, let alone nations or religions.
For short, Christianity is not the problem, it is just not an exemption from our own problem.
I will add that we often dehumanize examples like the wizard from the video, but by dehumanizing them we disconnect ourselves from the possibility that one day we might end up isolated and in disagreement with our surroundings ourselves, and the things that would drive us to, being social animals. It is not incomprehensible and quite human at it's core.
I think it's sad that it has to come to this for him and our society he now contends with, in a sense his membership is almost a cry for help.
Yeah other than the KKK it's such a heart warming tale of at risk bumpkins.
ummm, i watched to learn about the curse, which was not explored...at all.
its an urban legend, look no furthur....
Right? I dont care about the medicinal properties of meth...
Wait that’s the curse
Me too but I honestly think the video showed the effects of the cursed, they became stuck in time. It's like no technological advances came to them. An old mine town lost in obsurity. But as long as they're happy😊
The curse was explained in full you just can't pay attention
@@jamiethomas5184 that's not a curse though. Small rural towns suffering is a phenomenon all across America, nothing to do with a stupid curse.
Hi From New Zealand,
May God's love and protection be with you all.Thank you for sharing your community with the world.
henry rudolph I hope you do not think this is normal for the USA.
Most people here in the USA are not like these people
@@rorytennes8576 I understand that most people in USA are not like these people. In 1997-98 I toured America the economy was failing then. From my heart Rory Tennes, it sad to see the once greatness country in the world. Be reduced to it knees. I have two young pious American families who border either side of my property here in New Zealand. Penny and David left New York when Bush came to power, and Kay and Ben left California, when Obama got in to power. Good hard working people. As a Registered Nurse I can't help noticing the steady increase of Americans immigrating to NZ. Recently, I have viewed a lot of video clips film in various states, on present day America. Honestly, I think Trump is more detrimental to America, than helpful.
Roy Tennes-the world does not care whether the republicans or democrats govern America. The truth be known, the world needs America, as much as America needs the world. However, President Trump more or less, shunned the world, with his insane trade tariffs, which have not only hurt America. But has impacted on NZ small economy as well. Please vote for a president that will work in, with the world.
henry rudolph Well, obviously you have formed an opinion of the president not based on facts but based on biased need and biased information.
@@rorytennes8576 Are you a Trump supporter?
This place is like something out of _Deliverance._
"I'm a Klansman"
Just going to come out and say that huh
Robert Blackford I don’t ever remember BLM going around burning crosses, bombing churches, and lynching. They’re both radical for sure, but comparing is kind of hard when one is more openly violent than the other.
@@plainezaine5065 that didnt age well lmao. A year later BLM caused riots and burned and looted stores
lol imperial wizard is wearing a special k hat
SuperCannibas420 Special KKK
Did he have a " God don't make trash" T-shirt?
He's in the "special" Klan. ;-)
They actually believe their town was cursed by a traveling preacher? LOL
just an excuse
I lot of people believe in that
You gotta know these people. They're very superstitious, internet isn't big deal there, education isn't either. A lot of people have 9th grade education at best, some graduated but not many. Folks with college degree move out, bigger cities like Kingsport/Bristol, Winston-Salem, Roanoke... rest that stay work merger jobs, hoping for blue collar job to open up. If you make $20 hour in this area you're top notch on the pay scale. My dads family is from this area, my grandma had tons of haunted house stories, ghosts, curses. My dads family is big on that stuff, big time church goers. They're SUPER old fashion, very simple, and narrow minded, and racism is REAL. If you don't hunt or fish you got something wrong with you. These people have never heard of Game of Thrones, Kardashians, and they couldn't name any modern musicians... but they could smoke a bowl with you and quote a bible versus or two. And 90% supported Trump, and still believe USA is best country on face of earth and red white and blue means something.
When Margret Thatcher closed 90% of the coal mines in the northern UK the miner's communities thought they had been cursed as well.
Meadow Fulcher lot of people believe in......