The article mentions several things I have talked about on this blog including the Diane Sawyer report on Central Appalachia and the governor's Come Home to WV program, which the husband of the Evil Twin's Wife works on. Guess I should just call him the Evil Twin, huh, ETW?
From the article:
The larger initiative includes temporarily revamping the state slogan (out: "Wild and Wonderful"; in: "Open for Business!"), plowing money into state universities and pushing through tax breaks to encourage in-state filmmaking.
That sounds like old info, doesn't it? Tell me, ETW, that they are NOT going back to the "Open for Business" stuff!
Maybe they just tacked on new information about the Diane Sawyer piece onto an older article.
It's always a bit disheartening to me to hear how other people perceive WV. It's such a beautiful state, with so many wonderful people!
I do have a problem with Manchin (who I am not a fan of) running down people in Pocahontas County with their Road Kill Cook-Off towards the end of the article. Just because we want people to see the beauty in WV doesn't mean we have to change everything about the state to match some white washed version of the rest of America.
Nor does it mean you have to run down your fellow West Virginians, Governor Manchin, who are probably also registered voters.
Just something to think about.
Thanks, Sis, for the article!
Update: I just read Buzzardbilly's take on the article. She's right on the money, as usual.
3 comments:
I haven't heard anything about changing that slogan back to the original. Everyone hated it - The Evil Twin designed those welcome signs (and, yes, he is just the Evil Twin) and he designed those letters to be pop riveted on - to make the sign easily changeable for a new Gov (no such luck this time) or whatever.
"Just because we want people to see the beauty in WV doesn't mean we have to change everything about the state to match some white washed version of the rest of America."
That is exactly right. I've lived in a lot of states and I can tell you, there isn't much difference in one place or the next when you get right down to it. People are people. There are hillbillies, snobs, academics, bigots, idiots, and wonderful warm folk in every place I've ever been.
I do not think changing what is good and unusual about WV will accomplish anything. You have to hold on to your heritage and respect your history. There is beauty in WV.
I miss it terribly but it is unlikely we will ever be able to go back. I will always love it.
Thank you for the kind mention. Everyone hated that "Open for Business" slogan. Our friends from Massachusetts said it might as well have said "We need money." Others still said it really meant "we'll open our legs for your business."
The slam on the Road-Kill Cook-Off people really did bother me the most (that and Manchin's assumption that all things hillbilly come from the southern part of the state). The guy who runs that festival is a really nice guy. He totally didn't deserve that kind of trash talk from a governor.
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