A comment Russ made on the "Appalachian Blues" thread above the line, (to paraphrase -at least "appalachian" is apparently no longer a purjurative term), reminded me of a rather visceral reaction I had to the news coverage of the Upper Branch Mine disaster on NPR (where I get nearly all of my news.)

The reporters sounded somewhat condescending to me (though very kind,) when talking about the miners themselves, reporting on the families and the reactions of the community and the people of the State, etc. - as if they were talking about a somewhat archaic, simple people and culture, somehow substantially different from many other rural places in America.

It was subtle. Maybe it wasn't there at all. I may be hypersensitive and prone to perceive slights where there are none when it comes to being a West Virginian. Maybe I projected that "tone" into the reporting based on my experience of enduring past stereotypes that no longer hold.

What was your take?