--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not simply that the Appalachian…" description: "\"“It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural strangers ‘out of place’ in the city, were upsetting to Midwestern, urban whites. Rather, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/j-d-vance-3503_white-people_it-was-not-simply-that-the-appalachian-m_1871141.jpg" --- # It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural… ![“It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural strangers ‘out of place’ in the city, were upsetting to Midwestern, urban whites. Rather, these migrants disrupted a broad set of assumptions held by northern whites about how white people appeared, spoke, and behaved . . . the disturbing…” quote by J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/j-d-vance-3503_white-people_it-was-not-simply-that-the-appalachian-m_1871141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/j-d-vance-3503_white-people_it-was-not-simply-that-the-appalachian-m_1871141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/j-d-vance-3503_white-people_it-was-not-simply-that-the-appalachian-m_1871141.jpg) > ““It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural strangers ‘out of place’ in the city, were upsetting to Midwestern, urban whites. Rather, these migrants disrupted a broad set of assumptions held by northern whites about how white people appeared, spoke, and behaved . . . the disturbing aspect of hillbillies was their racialness. Ostensibly, they were of the same racial order (whites) as those who dominated economic, political, and social power in local and national arenas. But hillbillies shared many regional characteristics with the southern blacks arriving in Detroit.”10”” [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how Appalachian migrants, though racially white, were perceived as different and unsettling because they broke the expected norms of white appearance, speech, and behavior, revealing underlying racial biases. **In simple terms:** Hillbillies challenged white stereotypes, exposing hidden racism. Key Takeaway Recognize and question assumptions about identity. Themes identity race stereotypes class culture Mood reflective critical analytical Type sociological observational critical When to use this quote - urban integration - workplace diversity - media representation - community relations Key Concepts social perception racial bias regional identity Questions to Reflect On - How do regional traits affect perceptions of race? - What can be done to reduce bias based on appearance? A Different Perspective Assumes all white groups share a monolithic identity, overlooking intra‑racial diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [“It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural strangers ‘out of place’ in the city, were upsetting to Midwestern, urban whites. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/it-was-not-simply-that-the-appalachian-migrants-as-rural-strangers-2/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“As one book, Appalachian Odyssey, notes about the influx of hill people to Detroit: “It was not simply that the Appalachian migrants, as rural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-one-book-appalachian-odyssey-notes-about-the-influx-of-hill-people/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Ostensibly, they were of the same racial order (whites) as those who dominated economic, political, and social power in local and national arenas. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/ostensibly-they-were-of-the-same-racial-order-whites-as-those-who/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“But hillbillies shared many regional characteristics with the southern blacks arriving in Detroit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/but-hillbillies-shared-many-regional-characteristics-with-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Within two generations, the transplanted hillbillies had largely caught up to the native population in terms of income and poverty level.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/within-two-generations-the-transplanted-hillbillies-had-largely/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“hillbillies like me are more down about the future than many other groups—some of whom are clearly more destitute”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/hillbillies-like-me-are-more-down-about-the-future-than-many-other/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“no single book, or expert, or field could fully explain the problems of hillbillies in modern America. Our elegy is a sociological one, yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/no-single-book-or-expert-or-field-could-fully-explain-the-problems-of/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“I believe we hillbillies are the toughest goddamned people on this earth. We take an electric saw to the hide of those who insult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/i-believe-we-hillbillies-are-the-toughest-goddamned-people-on-this/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [My grandma would say if someone else calls you a hillbilly, you might need to punch them in the nose. But if we call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/my-grandma-would-say-if-someone-else-calls-you-a-hillbilly-you-might/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Writers who aren't from rural states in the Midwest or the West often treat such people as if they were the Waltons or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/writers-who-aren-t-from-rural-states-in-the-midwest-or-the-west-often/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [Today is a big day in TV history. 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This tendency might make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/hillbillies-learn-from-an-early-age-to-deal-with-uncomfortable-truths/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I still fit in with the hillbillies!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-wilson/i-still-fit-in-with-the-hillbillies/) [Gretchen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-wilson/) ## More by J.D. Vance > [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Within two generations, the transplanted hillbillies had largely caught up to the native population in terms of income and poverty level.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/within-two-generations-the-transplanted-hillbillies-had-largely/) [J.D. 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