Justice Quote by Hunter S. Thompson
““In the Carolinas they say "hill people" are different from "flatlands people," and as a native Kentuckian with more mountain than flatlands blood, I'm inclined to agree. This was one of the theories I'd been nursing all the way from San Francisco. Unlike Porterville or Hollister, Bass Lake was a mountain community ... and if the old Appalachian pattern held, the people would be much slower to anger or panic, but absolutely without reason or mercy once the fat was in the fire. Like the Angels, they would tend to fall back in an emergency on their own native sense of justice -- which bears only a primitive resemblance to anything written in law books. I thought the mountain types would be far more tolerant of the Angels' noisy showboating, but -- compared to their flatlands cousins -- much quicker to retaliate in kind at the first evidence of physical insult or abuse.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Great American Dream," 1971
Mountain people are portrayed as slower to anger yet fiercely retaliatory when provoked, contrasting with flatland folks.
In simple terms: Mountain folks are calm but fierce when provoked.
Key Takeaway
Understand cultural differences in conflict.
Themes
culture
conflict
regional identity
Mood
critical
analytical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
social commentary
When to use this quote
- community building
- law enforcement
- media analysis
Key Concepts
psychology
social dynamics
stereotypes
Questions to Reflect On
- How do regional cultures shape conflict responses?
- Can stereotypes be changed through dialogue?
A Different Perspective
Stereotypes may oversimplify complex behaviors.
![“This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day [as a Fairfax Justice of the Peace] since I have been at Home. I wish I knew where to get a good one myself; for I find cold Sheets extreamly disagreeable.” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b92/george-mason-8435_bedfellows_this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young_3953.jpg)
