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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 18:57:11 GMT
I don't think that a single non-American can comprehend the concept of "hillbilly" so I will not criticise anyone for being confused. I think that just about every country has a term to describe "backward peasants" and variations of such, but just like in a jigsaw puzzle, similar pieces just cannot be stuffed in the empty space because there is no correct fit.
I am sure that everybody can empathize with what you are going through, casimira, but I'm sure you are intelligent enough to know that just giving lip service to the traditional platitudes about "I hope everything comes out all right," etc. can never offer adequate comfort when written in almost complete ignorance of the situation.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 19:11:17 GMT
casi, my heart goes out to you and your husband.
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Post by tod2 on Feb 25, 2015 17:07:01 GMT
I have since learnt that Cajuns and Hillbilly's have nothing in common. The term "hillbillies" typically refers to ignorant people living in the mountains or hills in North Carolina and the Ozarks of Arkansas. This sets another record straight. You can't blame it on the Bossanova any longer.....blame it on TV programmes !
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2015 18:41:20 GMT
So many of these terms are completely vague, and I'm sure that you could not even get most Americans to agree about the territory covered. for example, I think there are plenty of hillbillies in West Virginia, Kentucky and even northern Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Then there are "rednecks" "good old boys" etc... What is a bit interesting is that all of these terms are used as insults by some and as badges of pride by others.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2015 21:25:22 GMT
Whenever twangy retro country music comes on (think O Brother, Where Art Thou), I can infuriate my husband, who grew up in Virginia, by saying, "Oh honey, listen, the music of your people!" He knows I like to tease.
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Post by tod2 on Feb 26, 2015 7:55:29 GMT
Lizzy, you little devil! It's good medicine to laugh at oneself occasionally. You can tell him we found Virginia absolutely beautiful! Well, the Skyline Drive and Shenandoah Valley that is.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2015 14:19:31 GMT
So many of these terms are completely vague, and I'm sure that you could not even get most Americans to agree about the territory covered. for example, I think there are plenty of hillbillies in West Virginia, Kentucky and even northern Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Then there are "rednecks" "good old boys" etc... What is a bit interesting is that all of these terms are used as insults by some and as badges of pride by others. And, in the case of Cajuns, they are sometimes referred to as "coon asses", and, yes, while some may be offended by it, others like you say, wear it as a badge of pride.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2015 15:19:18 GMT
I have no idea what Virginia's folk/country music is like and basically, anything that has a steel guitar, fiddles and a certain type of vocals is all of a sameness to me. I'm more of a classical and show tunes type of girl.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 1, 2015 4:31:56 GMT
Actually, bringing southeastern US traditional music (& hillbillies) into a discussion about Cajun music is appropriate, as it references another group that preserved styles of music from their original homelands. American traditional music is also called roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American music. The music is considered American either because it is native to the United States or because it developed there, out of foreign origins, to such a degree that it struck musicologists as something distinctly new. It is considered "roots music" because it served as the basis of music later developed in the United States, including rock and roll, contemporary folk music, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials. Appalachian music is the traditional music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. It is derived from various European and African influences, including English ballads, Irish and Scottish traditional music (especially fiddle music), hymns, and African-American blues. First recorded in the 1920s, Appalachian musicians were a key influence on the early development of Old-time music, country music, and bluegrass, and were an important part of the American folk music revival. sourceA long time ago I read an essay by Barbara Kingsolver describing how she felt as a very young woman about her mother being perceived as a "hillbilly". I can't find that essay, but I did find this interesting article about her ..... from a South African literary site! bookslive.co.za/blog/2015/02/16/barbara-kingsolver-tells-ben-williams-about-her-life-as-a-writer-hillbilly-literary-muso-and-zakes-mda-fan/
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2015 17:17:41 GMT
Along the lines of what Bixa posted about the "roots" of music, as serendipity has it, there was a piece on NPR radio this morning about a band mostly Zydeco "sounding" influenced by Louisiana, Texas, and Mexican influences!!! Utterly fascinating!
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