Prior to watching the video "Dancing Outlaw," we had a class discussion on socioeconomic status and background. This was an appropriate topic to discuss before the video since many of the socioeconomic elements were exhibited in the film. My understanding of the video was that many people have a strong stereotype of citizens living in West Virginia.
             Jessico White, the main character in the video, was an old-fashioned country man living in Boone County, WV. His family lived in a trailer in a hollow. Contrary to what many people think, the White family was quite comfortable living in their trailer in the country. Jessico had a large collection of Elvis memorabilia and he loved to tap dance to country music. Jessico and his family had a strong southern accent and loved to "mud bog," or drive their cars around in the mud for fun. Many people who live outside of West Virginia may not think these acts are acceptable. Although the White family does not have the education that others have, they are just the same as any other family. Jessico and his family proved this when they told the story about his father being shot.
             Money and material things are not important to the White family. Some may think this is because the family appears poor, but we do not know that for sure. Just because one lives in a trailer in West Virginia does not make the person poor. Amena Oliver Anderson mentioned that this video was shown on PBS, which means that many people probably confirmed their stereotypes of West Virginians. This video is total exploitation of citizens who actually live like the White family. I wish that more people could have a better understanding of West Virginia so that we as citizens are not constantly stereotyped.
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