Over the past two weeks, one of the central themes of our readings has been that although Appalachians have been seen as backwards, ignorant, and illiterate, most areas of the region have been quite open to the culture surrounding them and deeply involved with texts, commerce, and culture. In other words, most of the region is in fact not backwards at all. So, what do our chapters say about whose interests are/were being served when Appalachia is depicted this way? Why was/is it important for the media to portray the region in such as way?