Many Appalachians agree with Derek Mullins of Whitesburg, Kentucky, when he referred to President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1960s War on Poverty, which was launched in Inez, Kentucky. Packed with poems and prose, book reviews, science, and exciting exploits from around the globe, Appalachia delivers inspired stories of adventure, redemption, and the outdoors. 1974. 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. According to a 2012 study by Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, the federal government is spending $1.7 billion to $2.1 billion on soda purchases through SNAP. *Im not an economist, a historian or any kind of academic. It's a thing, reports the Salt blog at NPR, and public health advocates in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia say the damage is real and widespread. If you were watching the Diane Sawyer special, "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains," in 2009, you might have been alerted to a code red in the southeastern mountain region of the United States (via ABC News). Basic education, says Harris, is also needed: "We also just need to let people know that you can drink these drinks safely, but they can also do harm. He invited everyone to his home to celebrate the end of a long workweek, every week. The Appalachians are among the oldest mountains on Earth, born of powerful upheavals within the terrestrial crust and sculpted by the ceaseless action of water upon the surface. Mountain Dew - Willie Nelson. Nationally, the rate of infant mortality was 211.1 per 100,000, but it was higher in five of six southern Appalachian states (all except Tennessee). He mentions the law school mentorship of Amy Chua, who went on to write a book about Chinese tiger mothers. He cites a 2009 ABC report on "Mountain Dew mouth" in Appalachia, and the outraged reaction of Appalachians. You dont have to work to read this book. Four men showed off a massive pit of mud they found. They offer the services they can, provide prescriptions for painkillers and antibiotics, and recommend a dental clinic for a follow-up. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. How the circumstances of a people cannot be defined through an individual still photograph. Reply . Ive worried that I wont get work, that I will be perceived as less intelligent and qualified because I occasionally enjoy a soda thats lambasted as the scourge of the soft drink earth. View larger map Learn More About Subregions Appalachia Then and Now According to a report from WiseG About Us The phrase is inherently noxious. The Appalachian Mountains are nearly 2000 miles long. By the end of the programs second year, the research results began to come in on the health of the newborns. Nearlyhalf of the people in Kentucky, and 25 percent of the national population, depend exclusively on well water, posing a threat tonatural resources as well as peoples teeth. He lived in a trailer and was occasionally put in jail for petty non-violent crimes. EARLY POPULATION. But, as NPR points out, the same drink that celebrates the mountain region of Appalachia is also destroying it. The taste of Appalachia . People exist, of course, who are violent, dysfunctional, addicted, and on welfare. Six years ago Ebersole was looking for a site where he could undertake a program to demonstrate in the field what clinicians were telling him in their practice. Stay informed by following Appalachia on Twitter at @AppalachiaJourn. My aunt on my father's side would actually put mountain dew in her kids' baby bottles. TikTok video from Katie Country (@katie.country): "They call it that good ole Mtn Dew #smalltown #appalachia #comedyvideo". All the time, she answered. The problem, they realized, begins in the mouths of their patients. We stopped along the way and enjoyed beer with others who were out recreating. The newly pregnant women gather and talk to each other about their experiences of being pregnant, and learn to operate simple monitoring equipment. The Bell Witch. Before pursuing that lofty goal he was a lawyer, which is where he got the source material for Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew bottles by Shutterstock/Darios. Toothaches are the most common problem, causing lack of sleep and difficulty eating. The idea we want to get across is that we have confidence in them. She recounts the story of one very timid young woman who showed up for the group. Weeks later, he reported finding syringes in the street. A problem as common as gingivitis (excess plaque) can result inserious health problemssuch as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. Appalachia has a high concentration of these natural voids, including the world's longest. Oops. 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). Mountain Dew, the carbonated fluorescent-green soda that Willy the Hillbilly declared will tickle your innards in a 1966commercial, has long been a staple of Appalachia. 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. For Appalachians, a sense of place and of home seem particularly important, yet from the 1940s to 1960s, an estimated seven million immigrated north into urban areas in search of work, only to be met with widespread prejudice against any Appalachian-speaking mountain speech. I watched as they trekked back and forth in it, finding great pleasure in turning their ATVs into boats. Chaotic people beget chaos. Named after mountain slang for moonshine, Mountain Dew was sold to Pepsi in 1964, where the soda went national. Sitting at my kitchen counter with DMD in hand while my then-boyfriend concocted an intricate lunch, without lifting his eyes a gauntlet was thrown: "You have to stop drinking Diet Mountain Dew. Germs collect, white blood cells accumulate, pus escalates, and suddenly a swelling, debilitating dental carbuncle has taken residence in ones mouth. The drink is also native to the region. He had downed 4 more beers since we left Pats house, so thats 24 beers. For a time, I thought I could head the scolding off at the pass by making fun of myself first or displaying some arcane knowledge. We told them dont put Mountain Dew in a baby bottle, dont put that baby to sleep with juice, dont let people kiss that baby, to prevent bacteria being transferred, Almon said. . Appalachia People sometimes call it the water of the south. And in an impoverished part of the country, where the majority of residents either go hungry or receive government aid for food, public health advocates are calling for a policy overhaul to address the problem of rotted teeth and gum disease in Appalachia. For example, many Appalachian names are of Gaelic or Celtic origin (if you are interested in Irish baby names check out our Irish boy's names and Irish girls names posts). Exploring it was simultaneously deeply cathartic and like sticking my hand in an emotional meat grinder. Dental health is essential to overall health, and serious and sometimes fatal illness can result from untreated oral conditions. 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. The Coal operators did not give any of the wealth they made through this devastating process back to the region. Beer, grilled chicken and cigarettes were offered in unlimited supply. Thus, patients leave the ER with no long-term solution for treatment. In 1962 Caudill published an essay in the Atlantic titled,The Rape of Appalachia. In the mountains, you cant look away because theres nowhere to turn a blind eye. I said I hadnt really noticed as he shook his head. All rights reserved. As soon as it aired on February 7, 2016, the Super Bowl ad for Mountain Dew's energy drink "Kickstart" was trending online. The two types of rock that characterize the present Appalachian ranges tell much of the story of the mountains' long existence. Diet Mt. This is why the folks of Appalachia reacted strongly to an honest look at some of its most impoverished people.. 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. All last fall I resisted reading J.D. The problem is, he does not have a new or amazing insight. 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. While Medicaid, as the medical safety net for the poor, should provide help for those with dental needs who cannot afford to pay, only 15 states offer full dental benefits and five states offer nothing at all, as reported in a study byPew. While Harris says that there aren't a lot of comprehensive surveys of dental health in Appalachia, signs of a rampant problem are unmistakable: Some 26 percent of preschoolers in the region have tooth decay, and 15 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have had a tooth extracted because of decay or erosion. (London) 1841, #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } 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. Family and friends stopped by to share stories, complain about hardships and seek advice for problems. The freshest news from the food world every day, By submitting your email, you agree to our, How Mountain Dew Came to Perpetuate a Deep-Seated Appalachian Stereotype. "We are using taxpayer dollars to buy soda for the SNAP program, and we are using taxpayer dollars to rip teeth out of people's heads who can't afford dental care and are on Medicaid," says Dana Singer, a research analyst at the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department in Parkersburg, W.Va., who wants to see stricter regulations on sales of all sugary beverages in the region. Appalachian or Southern Baby Names? "Students tell us it tastes best, and it's a habit." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Brenda makes a delicious desert -- Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings.-- very easy to make and very good .thank you very much for watching! The high levels of consumption of sugary drinks, like. The 4 of us caught the ATV off balance and it flipped. Another 15% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, have had a tooth extracted because of decay or erosion. When we got back to Pats house, I was given a crushed up Loratab to snort for the pain. It's sort of like folks don't really believe them, but since their parents or grandparents said them they say them just in case they might be true . Dee Matello, a small business owner and mother of three in Laurel, Maryland, had not been to a dentist in nine years. But since the 14th century, poverty as a label has been used to ostracize certain people in society (5). Heroes can be villains and villains can provide valuable insight into how to reimagine what we think we know about our own history. ------------------------------------------, the link between transportation and healthcare. Welcome to family life for the American hillbilly.. I abruptly found myself assessing everyone I met, trying to determine whether or not Caudill would consider them dullards. In late July 2013, I was invited to drink beer on a Friday night with a group of people in West Columbia, West Virginia. 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