"At this point, we've been addressing poverty for 40 years," Mullins said. Should I credit all this to their hillbilly heritage? So even though hospital visits for dental problems cost an enormous amount to the health care system as a wholean estimated $2.7 billion over a three-year period according to one majorstudy people rarely receive the treatment they need. Appalachian: [noun] a native or resident of the Appalachian mountain area. He mentions the law school mentorship of Amy Chua, who went on to write a book about Chinese tiger mothers. Welcome to family life for the American hillbilly.. Once a month, a University of Kentucky dentist also joins the group for oral treatment. While millions of Americans suffer because of their teeth, another portion of America supports a $110 billion-a-year dental industry, investing in procedures such as gum contouring and spending up to $2,000 on a single veneer. Yet throughout the United States, from remote areas of Alaska and across the contiguous 48, poor people struggle to get access to regular dental care, relying on charity clinics and hospital emergency rooms. But generally the women coming to Trover Clinic werent doing anything about it, mostly because in Hopkins County there was only one dentist who accepted Medicaid patients -- for one half-day a month and only on a walk-in basis. "Nothing is moving here. How could I feel ashamed in my own house? But over in Appalachia, the region that stretches roughly from southern New York state to Alabama, the fight against soda is targeting an altogether different concern: rotted teeth. Appalling already, the state of dental care in America faces even greater challenges with the threat of the Trump-backed American Health Care Act currently being debated in the Senate after passing in the House at the beginning of May. Then, I knew I shouldve seen it coming. While some people in this region may refer to the soda as "Mountain Dew," it is not accurate to say that all people from Appa. And Part 2 explored the link between transportation and healthcare. Toothaches are the most common problem, causing lack of sleep and difficulty eating. Old woman smoking a pipe, Appalachia, USA, c1917. He is the author of, among other books, "A Queer Geography" and "Apples.". At this point, I should probably make this clear: Im no Mountain Dew apologist. In fact I did photograph a young man giving his baby Mountain Dew at Pats house. Prenatal training and preparation was a key part of the centering sessions across the pregnancy period and thereafter. Ive been thinking a lot about the War on Poverty. I learned about Caudills dark turn while I was traveling in the region. As the wealth gap continues to increase, teeth represent the dividing line between the classes. As Healthline tells us, the sugar in sodas reacts with the bacteria in our mouths to form a dangerous acid, breaking down the protective layers in your teeth and causing cavities. Well, Ive hated it for about 3 years now for its misconceptions of Appalachia and its peoples (plural). Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. The meaning of the name is "mountain thrower" and it has a Sanskrit origin. The problem is, he does not have a new or amazing insight. Poor Law Amendment Act, 1841. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Appalachia has a distinct culture of sipping soda constantly throughout the day. *Im not an economist, a historian or any kind of academic. To get a sense of what that looks like, check out this picture. All rights reserved. February 15, 2009 A Brief Appalachian History. But did that make him a bad dad? Social Darwinist thinkers in the late 18th century and early 19th century influenced attitudes towards poverty during the emergence of capitalism (6). It was released on Del Rey's first major-label studio album, Born to Die. Destroying store merchandise and threatening a sales clerk were normal to Mamaw and Papaw: Thats what Scots-Irish Appalachians do when people mess with your kid, Vance writes on page 40. Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, Mountain Dew (and its diet counterpart, my beverage of choice) was an omnipresent force, its signature emerald-tinged, translucent 20-ounce bottles filling up coolers at backyard barbecues and littering the weed-lined backroads. */. Mountain Dew bottles by Shutterstock/Darios. "And we can identify them in the tissues of newborn infants as well. This article originally appeared on AlterNet. "Mountain Dew" is a centuries-old mountain slang term for moonshine, which Tennessee-bred creators Barney and Ally Hartman found fitting because their bubbly elixir was initially crafted as a mixer for whiskey in the early 1930s. The Appalachian Mountains hold some truly terrifying stories.Podcast Episode #308.Download Swamp Dweller Scary Stories:Itunes: https://apple.co/2L7znZpSpotif. Tightening regulations wont fix an economy so tied to a dying industry that a staggering majority of residents either rely on government aid to eat or are regularly hungry. "So this really is where you get it from." No national news outlet, it seems, cares to shine a real light on the deep and profound problems (drug wars, economic stagnation, post-coal mine environmental havoc) facing the area that causes people to place their health on the backburner and, more often than not, fall on the crutch of unhealthy food and drink. Frequently he attributes rough behavior and inexperience with the world to, essentially, hillbillies being hillbillies. It also became clear fairly quickly that a lot of my shame coalesced around one thing: my relationship with Diet Mountain Dew. All rights reserved. Native Americans first began to gather in the Appalachian Mountains some 16,000 years ago. Sorry, but no. How did Appalachia become stereotyped by a popular beverage? Two days later, she tweeted lyrics . Low-birth-weight infants also dropped by slightly more than half of state and national norms. THE APPALACHIAN Mountains of eastern North America comprise a north to south-tending range that extends for 1,600 mi (2,500 km) from the Gaspe Peninsula in Atlantic Maritime CANADA to northern ALABAMA in the UNITED STATES.Uplifted by the collision of continents ancestral to North America and Africa 270 million years ago, the Appalachian Mountains are the oldest mountain range in North America. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Would people feel like they could tease if I didnt have a fleck of twang in my voice, if I didnt slide deeper into my mountain accent after a couple of drinks? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. My father was one of 11 children, and my mother is one of five. The Appalachians run from Labrador south to Alabama, about 2,100 miles, in all. Whats more, 40 percent of all births are paid for by Medicaid. It is wickedly acidic and (if youre drinking the less aspartame-influenced variety) highly caloric. "Mountain Dew" is a centuries-old mountain slang term for moonshine initially crafted as a mixer for whiskey in the early 1930s. Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images On pages 228-229, Vance writes about instability in working-class families, due to relationship instability. One. No one I met on the trails that day mentioned the rape of Appalachia nor did anyone mentioned that they missed the mountain. Part 1 covered diabetes in Appalachia. He is doing what outside media has done to Appalachia for generations. Lack of accessible medical care is still a reality for thousands, particularly women and young mothers. Instability begets instability. Another 15% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, have had a tooth extracted because of decay or erosion. He mentions his aunt, who had an early abusive marriage, and his mother. He mentions that she pushed him to write this, apparently recognizing that claiming his Appalachian heritage as an obstacle to overcome would sell. There were two versions of this song, the first version was written in 1928 and the second was in 1935. EARLY POPULATION. Reply No one is all good or all bad, but family life for most American hillbillies I know is not how Vance, wielding his overly broad brush, describes it. If you calculate gum tissues inside and outside of the teeth its an area the size of the palm of your hand. Reply . Sixty-five percent of our women are on Kentucky Medicaid, Todd-Langston, manager of the Trover Center for Women's Health, told me. It asks very little from the reader. In October, I went to a mayoral forum and the women behind me were talking about it I mean, hes from there, so he must know I did not read it. 26 August. Before being bought by PepsiCo, Mountain Dew was invented in Tennessee in the heart of Appalachia. Just under 30 percent had periapical infections or pericoronitis inflammation. On our way down the daylight faded and we navigated the terrain of the trail from our ATVs headlights. Appalachia is less racially and ethnically diverse . In the mountains, you stare death in the face because the latest boy who ODd played Mortal Kombat with you while slurping Mountain Dew. Please enter a valid email and try again. I dont really have any answers. This legend centers around the Bell family. Few of the women associated dental cavities and oral disease with pregnancy or prenatal problems, despite mounting medical and dental research showing the linkage, especially in Kentucky, said Jeffrey Ebersole, director of research at the University of Kentucky Dental Schools Oral Health Center. Mountain Dew is the 4th top-selling carbonated soft drink on the planet; right behind Classic Coke, Pepsi, and Diet Coke - in that order. Required fields are marked *. Last week, my tiny county announced the statistics for heroin busts so far in 2015: nine deaths and 76 overdoses in three months. We continued up the mountain and at the very top we caught an incredible view of the Ohio River snaking across the land separating Ohio from West Virginia. The problems faced by the region are painfully real, and deserve not to be trivialized or oversimplified in the national spotlight. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. It was not until the Affordable Care Act passed under President Obama in 2010 when Medicaid gave dental care to children under 19. "It makes no sense to be paying for these things twice.". They want to tackle the problem with policies, including restricting soda purchases with food stamps (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and currently under debate in Congress). Shouldnt he have flown the coop at the first pop-a-top? In this use, it does not relate to any type of demonic or evil activity as has . hide caption. The presentation of a drastic policy overhaul as the solitary option is a little dehumanizing, and fails to take notice of the deeply rooted social norms of the region (read: Outsiders, dont fucking tell us what to do). That is what brutes do. Its that we know the truth isnt so generalized, that Appalachia isnt just a culture of poor white people, that ignorance and poverty and drugs and violence arent its only components. Many lives were lost. Old recipes passed down keep traditions alive, but more coveted. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For those who have never had the pleasure of sipping an ice cold can of Mountain Dew, youve probably only heard talk of its vices, of which there are (admittedly) many. Vance writes of being lucky in his life and he certainly is when it comes to this book. Appalachia's money issues affect not only working-class adults in the mountains, but it affects the helpless children, the teenagers, babies, and everyone else living there. I went there with Dozer, one of Pats friends, who owned a 4-wheeler. Over a series of months, a perfect storm of books, lectures and wee-small-hours conversations revealed to melike peeling back the layers of an onion (weepy eyes and all)that the feeling I had called so many other things (embarrassment, pigheadedness, discomfort, willfulness) was shame at its core. I said I hadnt really noticed as he shook his head. The Appalachian folk song was written in 1928. It turned out that just behind Pats trailer was an old reclaimed strip mine that had been turned into ATV trails for recreational use. Originally coined in the (poverty porn-laden) 2009 Diane Sawyer special, Children of the Mountains, the phrase has been recycled over and over again throughout the national media in spurts over the past six years. Oral, chronic infection untreated is getting into the bloodstream 24 hours a day, seven days a week, seeding systemic circulation. A little over a year ago, I became obsessed with the concept of shame. The fact that it IS a narrative is one big reason why his book has gotten the attention it has, when more deserving explanations of Appalachian culture and history have been perhaps overlooked. Hundreds of prescription medications, as well as chewing tobacco and cigarettes, cause dry mouth, preventing the natural flow of saliva and making teeth more susceptible to decay. Figuring out how to chip away at problems so deeply embedded in a region is astronomically much more complicated than a micro lens shot of a single caffeinated beverage. Great Britain. In the kitchen that day, Mountain Dew was used as a stand in for a harder conversation about our waning relationship that we had been dancing around for months. Regardless of cultural influences Mountain Dew-mouth or not the dental health epidemic in America is rooted in the historical and political legacy of an unequal system. Something known as "Mountain Dew Mouth" is rotting children's teeth in poor regions of the country, especially Appalachia. First there are the most ancient crystalline rocks. "Here in West Virginia, you see people carrying around bottles of Mountain Dew all the time even at a public health conference," says public health researcher Dana Singer. It declared a radical policy initiative that he believed would put an end to poverty in America. They dont scream at each other, they dont fight loved ones or strangers as a way of life. Part 1 covered diabetes in Appalachia. The vast majority of doctors lack the knowledge and tools to treat dental ailments. But according to Eater, the expression represents much more than teeth made brown and brittle by soda; it is an indication of the much deeper concerns in the area (like rampant drug use, economic stagnation, and lack of access to good healthcare), and how they've created a culture in which poor nutrition is not only the inevitable result but a minor issue by comparison. Thats one reason why their babies get cavities so fast., After more than four years of the oral health and centering program -- during which it has served 500 women -- Todd-Langston and Almon say they believe attitudes in the county may be beginning to change. Instead, I try to tell the stories of a town full of people who consider neighbors to be like family, a town brimming over with folks who would drive all night to New Orleans if they thought I was ever in trouble. We can identify them in joint infections that contribute to arthritis., He paused. Bascom Lamar Lunsford, born in Mars Hill, North Carolinain 1882, was what amounts to the first Appalachian ethnomusicologist- but not at first. Thats definitely a no. Appalachia this election year: So many stories, so little depth. You dont have to work to read this book. The ties that bind know no distance. The Story Behind the Song Bascom Lamar Lunsford first wrote the song in 1928. Central Appalachia is No. Geography does play an important role, though. Becoming a parent can be scary. We stopped along the way and enjoyed beer with others who were out recreating. According to dentists, one of the main culprits is Mountain Dew soda. Im someone who people think shouldin so many wordsknow better. Singer says one of the best opportunities to curb the problem is targeting programs like SNAP, which allows recipients to buy soda. Mountain Dew Cupcakes W/Frosting. The Appalachian Mountains, commonly called the Appalachians, are a chain of mountains in the East of North America. Photograph taken during Cecil Sharp's folk music collecting expedition: British musician Sharp (1859-1924) and his assistant Dr Maud Karpeles (1885-1976) collected folk songs from the mountain singers of the Appalachians (North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky), between 1916 and 1918. (London) 1841, #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } At the top of Pats back, near his neck was a tattoo that read honkey. I was pretty convinced I was spending my evening with Caudills dullards. Brushing Teeth 'Too Painful' Yes, indeed. Then when she did all these things [in the group] I said, Thats wonderful! That's because the ABC special took great pains to show the effects of poverty on children in the Appalachian region a territory that stretches from around southern New York state to Alabama and coined a term, "Mountain Dew Mouth," which would be repeated in stories about Appalachian health care for years to come. People exist, of course, who are violent, dysfunctional, addicted, and on welfare. He was the first person to publicly question the coal operators who came to extract valuable natural resources in Appalachia using processes that obliterated the terrain through mountain top removal. But Mountain Dew mouth? At one time, the town was the center of a booming coal mining culture. The maternal death rate in southern Appalachia was 12.7 per 100,000 births, compared with rates of 15.1 per 100,000 for the entire rural United States and 16.3 per 100,000 in the nation as a whole. If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Nearly half said that their most recent toothache had caused them the worst pain possible and interfered with many aspects of their daily lives. Oral care practitioners are familiar with the term "Mountain Dew Mouth," as the particular brand has far more acid and sugar in comparison to other sodas. 4. Heroes can be villains and villains can provide valuable insight into how to reimagine what we think we know about our own history. But since the 14th century, poverty as a label has been used to ostracize certain people in society (5). For 10 years, Otto researched and conducted interviews about oral health in America, traveling across the country attending beauty pageants and clinics, talking to dentists and patients alike. Fact I did photograph a young man giving his baby Mountain Dew 19th influenced! 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Chua, who went on to write this, apparently recognizing that claiming his Appalachian heritage as obstacle. To get a sense of what that looks like, check out this picture economist, historian., manager of the centering sessions across the pregnancy period and thereafter classes... Behind the song Bascom Lamar Lunsford first wrote the song Bascom Lamar Lunsford first the! Constantly throughout the day Appalachia, USA, c1917 coal mining culture to.. First pop-a-top well, ive hated it for about 3 years now for its misconceptions Appalachia. Recipes passed down keep traditions alive, but more coveted with Dozer, one of.. Media has done to Appalachia for generations that a lot of my shame coalesced around one thing my. Snap, which allows recipients to buy soda, Thats wonderful native first. Before being bought by PepsiCo, Mountain Dew behavior and inexperience with the concept of shame that she pushed to! 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