We’ve mentioned earlier how we admire West Virginians’ down-to-earth nature. No matter how accomplished, famous or intelligent, West Virginians tend to be far more approachable than most. They also happen to have a great sense of humor.
My grandpa was a great example. He never made it past sixth grade before he had to go to work in a factory somewhere in Parkersburg, WV, but if sense of humor is a good indicator of intelligence (and it is), the man was a genius. He had the driest sense of humor that I know…He would lay low, very quiet during family gatherings, until – BAM! – he would quip a one-liner that had us on the floor.
I see that same smart, ornery, funny quality in Morgan Spurlock, one of the many talented folks in the entertainment industry hailing from West Virginia. Morgan was in Charleston last evening to show his latest film Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? He was kind enough to spend some time with some Create WV volunteers to discuss the upcoming October conference (keep your fingers crossed, he’s hoping to make time to come).
Spurlock’s film-making niche is to embed himself deeply into experiences and places (see his FX show 30 Days) most others would not want to tread. In doing so, he opens our eyes and gets us to re-think our thought patterns and biases. He takes a humorous, self-effacing approach to his work, but it is very intelligent and definitely has an agenda to question and educate.
Bill Lepp is another great example. He’s a liar, and proud of it. Bill is the five-time winner of the West Virginia Liar’s Contest. He’s won so often that he’s passed the baton to his elementary school-age son Noah, who’s won multiple times himself…try figuring out who’s telling the truth in THAT family.
Bill travels the nation telling stories wonderful, fanciful, made-up stories. It’s an Appalachian tradition and Bill is one of the best. One of the things Bill really enjoys is sneaking in some smart stuff to throw his audience off kilter now and then. “An audience in New York or Pennsylvania is usually expecting me to play up to some Appalachian stereotypes,” Bill said. “Sometimes I let them think that for a while, but then I’ll slip in some references to particle physics that opens their eyes a little.”
We love the humor demonstrated by West Virginians. Often we turn it on ourselves (perhaps too often?) with self-effacing hillbilly jokes. That’s OK when we do it, but not so much from the Vice President. But it’s not a mean-spirited type of humor. It’s life-affirming, field-leveling and ultimately a wonderful element of our stereotype.
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