My old Kentucky home, Jack!
Posted by erinoestringer on March 7, 2013
I’m a pretty big Duck Dynasty fan. It is actually the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of hillbillies. (Mainly because I like to blissfully pretend Turtleman doesn’t exist. The Kentucky hillbilly hits a little too close to home. Literally.) Its funny though, all the Robertson’s have either a bachelors or masters degree and before they made the show they were all clean-shaven country club dwellers. Phil actually started as quarter back at Louisiana Tech side by side with Terry Bradshaw. Beverly Hillbillies indeed.
It definitely differs from how our reading discusses hillbillies and the negative connotations associated with them. I know I resent the stigmas against Kentucky and that people think we don’t wear shoes. But I will take it in stride as I enjoy the highlights of our great state, such as heart-warming accents, horse racing, and fine bourbon. 
Before the beards^
jonesnforart said
This just goes to show you that it is ALL in the marketing. They have to uphold the stereotype, otherwise why would we really watch. I am a newcomer to this show but I am trying. All of my friends love it. It seems a bit scripted, but there are some genuine moments. Reality television has offered up another 15 minutes of fame. Be careful what you wish for, it might come true.
samanthadeering349 said
I have never really thought about it as Beverly Hillbillies, but they really are. I love the show, but I think media uses it for a good laugh at what they think the south is. They think the south is full of redneck, hillbillies like the Robertson family. It does not matter to me if it is all made up for a good laugh I think it is a great show.
erinoestringer said
I agree, Samantha. I actually really like the fact that they aren’t “dumb rednecks”. The fact that they’re very well educated makes it much more enjoyable for me to watch, being an educated southerner. Shows like turtleman and honey boo boo just show the low income, uneducated portion of the south. That definitely doesn’t help how people view us.You can be country, successful and smart, too!
mathiusbryant said
Yeah I don’t like people seeing my feet and I like my feet not being dirty so boo on that stereotype for real!!
scsteele said
I love Duck Dynasty! I love how funny it is and that there is a life lesson within the show like Boy Meets World and Leave it to Beaver was like. They stick to the status quo of being a redneck but they don’t stick to it. I don’t watch the show because they’re rednecks, I watch it because it’s entertaining.
Sam Ford said
I have run into many people in my travels north of here who ask me if I’m from Texas. When I explained to them that I lived about as far from them as I did most of Texas, they seemed flabbergasted. I had someone else ask me if it was nice to meet someone from Oklahoma since it was so close to home. When I explained to them exactly how far Oklahoma was from Kentucky, they seemed shocked. I think part of the underlying issue here is our lack of sense of both cultural and physical geography, even of our own country. (Let’s not get started on internationally…)