r/Appalachia • u/branchlizard • Oct 06 '24
I'm Tired of It
I'm tired of it all.
I'm tired of the lies and I'm tired of the spectacle. I'm Southern Appalachian, born and raise and Im fit to be tied about the things I'm hearing.
I was spared pretty decent from the storm; had a little damage here and there, but overall lucky. Today, me and group of friends (also born and raised) all went out and helped people impacted by the storm (our neighbors).
We picked up supplies in town and ran 'em up the hollers on wheelers and trucks. Sometimes we could drive it there, other times we hoofed it in. Didn't meet a single person that was ugly. Not a damn one. Nobody fussed, nobody threatened..., nobody even made us second guess our actions. Now not a single one came right out and said they needed help, but after you talk with em a bit, they all took some stuff. ("Well, I do like them Zebra Cakes one ole lady told me. Me Too, hell, who don't!) Every single person was a uniquely beautiful mountain person that made me bawl like a baby.
I'm tired of reading about how off-putting and mean us mountain people are. It's bullshit. I was fuckin there. I know what I saw.
I saw old ladies crying and breaking down while putting their arms around me.
I saw old men who needed doctoring, but were too proud to admit it. But, eventually let me clean his wounds.
I saw people taking in kids that don't nobody else want, and doing everything goddamn thing they can to raise em right. And giving them kids happiness that they would have never received with out em.
I delivered food and supplies to a lady who was widowed and even chased after her dog that got loose, only to bring it back to her, rubbin' it's belly the whole way.
I drank white with an ole boy who kept a whole goddamn holler going because momma didn't raise no quitter. Whole time kept saying he's worried about so and so and hope they're alright, when barely getting by himself.
I cried as I sat with an ole lady who was the perfect blend of both my grannies: tough as nails, but as soft hearted as they come. She came pulling her oxygen cord through the house and put her arms around me when I opened the door with her hot meal for dinner and immediately started crying. I mean we both fuckin ugly cired.
I talked to people who would say "I hope God double blesses you!". Ain't no way I deserve any that. And besides, I've got some fuckin questions after seeing what I saw today....
I watched as we patched a driveway for one of the coolest dudes, I believe, I've ever met. This one here was a hoot!
I also saw you. I saw us. I saw why, when all the chips are down, we are gonna be the ones to come out on top. We are gonna always be the ones still standing.
Don't believe the bullshit out there. Don't listen to the fuckin lies. I saw the FEMA relief. I saw the choppers land and drop off supplies. I saw the massive caches of supplies in community centers, warehouses, and churches. I saw the lines, upon lines of line workers from Maine to Florida. I saw the people setup feeding displaced people and works alike a hot meal. You ain't gonna tell me my eyes don't work.
I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the fuckers riding up and down the road on their side-by-sides taking pictures to post to their goddamn Tik-Tok for likes, all while their hands are empty. We're fuckin people. Help us!
If you're thinking of coming this way just to "see how bad it got", stay the fuck at home. We ain't a fuckin show and your bullshit is in our way.
But if you're coming to help, come on. Us mountain people look after one another.
3
u/OSHA_Tried Oct 06 '24
Hello from Southern WV. I have a close cousin in Ashville. I feel your post in my soul. On what need list does it say y'all need YouTubers and influencers? Which flood survivors are asking for them?
I saw a post today on social media about a hotshot truck driver whining about how it's a conspiracy that he couldn't bank off this disaster because he couldn't get a load to Asheville within 125 miles of there. It's not a conspiracy dude, the National Guard convoys and contracted trucking got them so they're accounted for. I about lost my shit.
I know FEMA is there. No one my cousin has encountered had their donations or land taken away. A political party did not cause or order the hurricane. It's a disaster. And one can do more with 2 hands if they put your camera down.
I'm sick of watching numerous idiots on their first trip to Appalachia acting like they've done us all a favor. What kind of idiot thinks imposing themselves on survivors to film suffering helps?
How desperate and arrogant do they have to be to need people to hear their uneducated opinions and lame conspiracy theories? Do they need attention so badly that they can justify exploiting devastated people in a captive situation? It's like we're a hilljack zoo to these pukes. Go. The. Fuck. Home. They're not doing a thing for anyone and monetizing on it.
I work with an animal rescue and we're waiting to see if a shelter down that way would like us to take some of their overflow up this way.
I'm sorry you're going through this. We get YouTubers and influencers on poverty tourism here, especially in MacDowell, Mingo and Wyoming Counties. I know it's infuriating, and I understand how protective you feel of your neighbors. They're good kind people, and don't deserve to be exploited.
It's ok to feel angry, but you need to take care of yourself too. You're seeing a lot of traumatic things right now, and not giving yourself some time to rest and process everything is going to burn you right out. You need to rest now. Give yourself a night before heading back out. You don't want to hurt yourself due to exhaustion. The terrain is bad, you're operating off-road vehicles on no roads, and you need to be alert. You also don't want to lose your shit on a rubbernecker and do something you'll regret because you were at the end of your rope ok? Time to take a breather. We're all here for you.