--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ostensibly, they were of the same racial…" description: "\"“Ostensibly, they were of the same racial order (whites) as those who dominated economic, political, and social power in local and national arenas. But..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/j-d-vance-3503_quote_ostensibly-they-were-of-the-same-racial_1187176.jpg" --- # Ostensibly, they were of the same racial order (whites) as… ![“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.” quote by J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/j-d-vance-3503_quote_ostensibly-they-were-of-the-same-racial_1187176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/j-d-vance-3503_quote_ostensibly-they-were-of-the-same-racial_1187176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/j-d-vance-3503_quote_ostensibly-they-were-of-the-same-racial_1187176.jpg) > ““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.”” [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. Highlights how white working‑class migrants adopt cultural traits of Southern Black migrants in Detroit, blurring racial stereotypes. **In simple terms:** White migrants share traits with Southern Blacks in Detroit. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural overlap beyond race. Themes identity migration race class culture Mood reflective critical Type sociological observational When to use this quote - urban settlement - employment - community building Key Concepts intersectionality social stratification regional identity Questions to Reflect On - How do shared experiences reshape racial narratives? - What policies address both groups' needs? A Different Perspective Cultural blending can be oversimplified or romanticized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Growing up as a black kid with a white father who loves you, who affirms you, who was part of your life is fundamentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jealous/growing-up-as-a-black-kid-with-a-white-father-who-loves-you-who/) [Benjamin Jealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jealous/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [Hillbillies learn from an early age to deal with uncomfortable truths by avoiding them or by pretending better truths exist. 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/) > [Yeah, I'm the guy that doesn't come from much just a long line of moonshiners, hillbillies and indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/yeah-i-m-the-guy-that-doesn-t-come-from-much-just-a-long-line-of/) [Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/) > [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/) > [Today is a big day in TV history. On this day forty-one years ago, the Beverly Hillbillies aired for the first time right here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-is-a-big-day-in-tv-history-on-this-day-forty-one-years-ago-the/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) ## 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. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Powerful people sometimes do things to help people like me without really understanding people like me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/powerful-people-sometimes-do-things-to-help-people-like-me-without/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Research does reveal a genetic disposition to substance abuse, but those who believe their addiction is a disease show less of an inclination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/research-does-reveal-a-genetic-disposition-to-substance-abuse-but/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“But I often wonder: Where would I be without them? I think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/but-i-often-wonder-where-would-i-be-without-them-i-think/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“the first impulse is escape, but people who lurch toward the exit rarely choose the right door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/the-first-impulse-is-escape-but-people-who-lurch-toward-the-exit/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“A young man was sitting at home when a terrible rainstorm began. Within hours, the man’s house began to flood, and someone came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/a-young-man-was-sitting-at-home-when-a-terrible-rainstorm-began/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“To this day, being able to “take advantage” of someone is the measure in my mind of having a parent. For me and Lindsay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/to-this-day-being-able-to-take-advantage-of-someone-is-the-measure-in/) [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/) > [“As a 2011 Brookings Institution study found, “compared to 2000, residents of extreme-poverty neighborhoods in 2005–09 were more likely to be white, native-born, high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-2011-brookings-institution-study-found-compared-to-2000/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“There was, and still is, a sense that those who make it are of two varieties. The first are lucky: They come from wealthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/there-was-and-still-is-a-sense-that-those-who-make-it-are-of-two/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“We spend to pretend that we’re upper-class. And when the dust clears—when bankruptcy hits or a family member bails us out of our stupidity—there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/we-spend-to-pretend-that-we-re-upper-class-and-when-the-dust-clears/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [“Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Chaos begets chaos. Instability begets instability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire-chaos-begets-chaos/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) [Explore all 127 J.D. Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) ## More Hillbillies quotes > [“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/) > [“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/) > [Today is a big day in TV history. On this day forty-one years ago, the Beverly Hillbillies aired for the first time right here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-is-a-big-day-in-tv-history-on-this-day-forty-one-years-ago-the/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Hillbillies learn from an early age to deal with uncomfortable truths by avoiding them or by pretending better truths exist. 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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [Yeah, I'm the guy that doesn't come from much just a long line of moonshiners, hillbillies and indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/yeah-i-m-the-guy-that-doesn-t-come-from-much-just-a-long-line-of/) [Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/) > [If you surveyed a hundred typical middle-aged Americans, I bet you'd find that only two of them could tell you their blood types, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-surveyed-a-hundred-typical-middle-aged-americans-i-bet-you-d/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [What I loved about 'The Beverly Hillbillies' was that it was about family love and growth and understanding. The riches-to-rags premise is just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/what-i-loved-about-the-beverly-hillbillies-was-that-it-was-about/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [“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/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Listen, you ignorant hillbillies, Lynyrd Skynyrd's dead. They're dead, they're dead, they're dead. The South's not risin' again. The slaves have been emancipated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/listen-you-ignorant-hillbillies-lynyrd-skynyrd-s-dead-they-re-dead/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) Browse all 22 Hillbillies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.D. 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