not having cell phone technology to distract us, those type of things sort of butt up against america's idea of progress, and it's why we've always been looked at as being backwards. [haunting music] ♪ ♪ being part of the media but living here is a really big challenge because rarely people like myself actually are the ones that control our narrative, that control our story. - it was always too easy to come gawk at west virginia, to make it the poster child for whatever the agenda of the moment was. lazy depictions of stereotypical west virginians, hillbillies and hicks tucked into isolated hollers to be pitied or made objects of laughter and derision. - if you google appalachia, to this day, you're gonna see dirty faced kids, barefoot on a front porch, shaking lyndon b. johnson's hand.