Arkansas: Redneck Wasteland

[xzmattzx]

It seems like you pumped up the stereotypes of evangelical Christians and low-income Whites a bit much. Still, these places obviously exist, otherwise the pictures wouldn't be there, so it seems like a place I would appreciate driving past as soon as possible.

The courthouse and subsequent picture of a main street seem interesting.

[Phil McAvity]

Places like this exist to make us all grateful for where we live, wherever that is.



^What the hell is that?!?!?!

On a separate note, why is the term "redneck" about the only acceptable insult to describe a group of people these days?

[Rusty van Reddick]

OP, you are absolutely not required to graduate from the same university at which you were initially accepted. People transfer All. The. Time. Since you're obviously out of state you're paying way too much for an experience that you're hating- why?

[pj3000]

Now that's a no-holds-barred tour. I used to work all over Arkansas and can say that what is depicted here is quite accurate. It's a pretty state, but so depressing and backward overall.

I like the cats on the roof of the trailer though.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

Places like this exist to make us all grateful for where we live, wherever that is.



^What the hell is that?!?!?!

That would be someones yard

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

It seems like you pumped up the stereotypes of evangelical Christians and low-income Whites a bit much. Still, these places obviously exist, otherwise the pictures wouldn't be there, so it seems like a place I would appreciate driving past as soon as possible.

The courthouse and subsequent picture of a main street seem interesting.

No, actually I really didnt pump it up, it really is like this in most areas around here. No joke.

[LMich]

Photolitherland,

I really appreciate the photos. They have a good quality to them. With that said, I kind of have to take issue with your overdramatic portrayal of the area. Maybe, it's because my paternal grandparents and many relatives are from and still live in the state, and I've spent a great deal of time down there, but for as much as their lifestyle may not jive with your own (and it certainly doesn't jive with mine) these kind of sweeping bashings of entire people and areas is what we criticize them for doing to us, and it just seems so unseemly and hypocritical. Even more so, you were (and always are) SO hyperbolic when describing the state. At the end of the day, at least on an individual basis, people are people, whether they are from Russellville, Arkansas (which is actually one of the most scenic parts of the state) or Rockford, Illinois. I guess what I'm saying is that maybe when we make these kind of sweeping generalizations, it says more about us than the people and lifestyles we're critizing.

But, on a less serious note, as Arkansans are always wont to say: "Thank God for Mississippi."

Apart from the people, though, they don't call this the Natural State for nothing. It's easily one of the most physically beautiful and preserved states in the Union.

[pj3000]

No, actually I really didnt pump it up, it really is like this in most areas around here. No joke.


^ I agree. Anyone who doubts it should take a little vacation to small-town Arkansas.

[Rambam]

Extremely interesting tour. I'm surprised you got some of those shots without harassment...especially the Confederate flag, with the old-school pick-up. (although you did allude to altercations occurring in the past).

I really do need to second LMich's thoughts on the matter though.

Regardless, great photo tour. Very compelling.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by LMich

Photolitherland,

I really appreciate the photos. They have a good quality to them. With that said, I kind of have to take issue with your overdramatic portrayal of the area. Maybe, it's because my paternal grandparents and many relatives are from and still live in the state, and I've spent a great deal of time down there, but for as much as their lifestyle may not jive with your own (and it certainly doesn't jive with mine) these kind of sweeping bashings of entire people and areas is what we criticize them for doing to us, and it just seems so unseemly and hypocritical. Even more so, you were (and always are) SO hyperbolic when describing the state. At the end of the day, at least on an individual basis, people are people, whether they are from Russellville, Arkansas (which is actually one of the most scenic parts of the state) or Rockford, Illinois. I guess what I'm saying is that maybe when we make these kind of sweeping generalizations, it says more about us than the people and lifestyles we're critizing.

But, on a less serious note, as Arkansans are always wont to say: "Thank God for Mississippi."

Apart from the people, though, they don't call this the Natural State for nothing. It's easily one of the most physically beautiful and preserved states in the Union.

Dude, this is how it is around where I live, other parts of Arkansas arent so bad, but I live in the most republican and one of the lowest income counties in Arkansas. Its pretty damn redneck and if you dont believe that its like this than you should come down here. Once you get into the country, this is pretty much all you see, for real. I mean, I went driving around just for a few hours within like a 3 mile radius and took these photos, its not like exaggerated this. It is really this bad, believe me. As for the town of Russellville, it most certainly doesnt look this bad throughout, but the countryside is really this bad everywhere, at least around peoples homes. Now the actual uninhabited countryside is really very beautiful. But this is a depiction of where the people live.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Dude, this is how it is around where I live, other parts of Arkansas arent so bad, but I live in the most republican and one of the lowest income counties in Arkansas. Its pretty damn redneck and if you dont believe that its like this than you should come down here. Once you get into the country, this is pretty much all you see, for real. I mean, I went driving around just for a few hours within like a 3 mile radius and took these photos, its not like exaggerated this. It is really this bad, believe me. As for the town of Russellville, it most certainly doesnt look this bad throughout, but the countryside is really this bad everywhere, at least around peoples homes. Now the actual uninhabited countryside is really very beautiful. But this is a depiction of where the people live.

I've never been to Russellville, but I've been through it. It's not noticeably different in culture from much the rest of the state that I'm fairly familiar with. That is to say that it's not visibly more backwards than most other parts. Arkansas is actually one of the more uniform states around in terms of how its culture is spread. If there is any depressing part of the state, though, it'd not be in the hills or the mountains, it'd be the flat, cotton-filled Delta part of the state in the east where you literally feel like you've gone back into time...in a bad way.

Really, I'm pretty familiar with much of the state (outside of the northwest), and I just think you're being overdramatic and unfair in your portrayal, that's all. The photography was excellent; the commentary was poor and unnecessarily distracting. I guess what I'm saying is that it's probably better when we make photo threads to let other people judge for themselves what an area looks and feels like instead of poisioning the well at the very beginning by trying to convince people that have chosen to view the thread how horrible or how great an area's culture is. Furthermore, the portrayal is borderline trolling/inflammatory. If someone would have made a thread unironically titled "Detroit: Ghetto Wasteland" or "San Francisco: Liberal Wasteland" it'd have most likely been closed, so perhaps you want to rethink the title...

BTW, where are you from, originally?

[JManc]

I LOL'ed at this thread. I have arkansas roots; maternal grandmother born and raised in north little rock and actually had relatives named 'hippy and 'humpy' and I would imagine they were the country type with dogs under the porch and a house full of collectable dinner plates from QVC.

do kinda agree with some comments above; perhaps replacing Arkansas with russellville. still, quality thread.

[Shantytown Architect]

It looks much like my hometown in Northwest Arkansas. I'm not surprised by any of it.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by LMich

Really, I'm pretty familiar with much of the state (outside of the northwest), and I just think you're being overdramatic and unfair in your portrayal, that's all. The photography was excellent; the commentary was poor and unnecessarily distracting. I guess what I'm saying is that it's probably better when we make photo threads to let other people judge for themselves what an area looks and feels like instead of poisioning the well at the very beginning by trying to convince people that have chosen to view the thread how horrible or how great an area's culture is. Furthermore, the portrayal is borderline trolling/inflammatory. If someone would have made a thread unironically titled "Detroit: Ghetto Wasteland" or "San Francisco: Liberal Wasteland" it'd have most likely been closed, so perhaps you want to rethink the title...

BTW, where are you from, originally?

For real, this is how it looks in the countryside around here, like for real. Im not exaggerating, it really is this bad. My former girlfriend is from a little town north of here, Dover, and for Thanksgiving we went to her grandpas trailer home and her whole family was there. Three of them were high off of meth and all twitchy, another person in her family and just gotten over a meth addiction, another one had just gotten out of the insane asylum and was talking to me about meth, I mean, really Im not making this up. Most of them were wearing cammo jackets to Thanksgiving dinner, and afterwards we went walking around the property looking for a decoy duck her cousin had lost in a brush pile. Then when this was all said and done I got back to my car to go home and it was all dusty and I had swastikas traced into the dust on my windows.

Have you not read the other comments of people who have lived in Arkansas and they are concurring with me that it is really this bad? Ive lived here for two years, I think I would know.

[Centropolis]

Nice. Theres a Drive By Truckers song in my head right now. By the way, I don't think you are exaggeratring anything photolitherland! Not too far removed from southwest Missouri and many of the population centers of the Ozarks. Fortunately, there are more isolated areas in Missouri (as there are in Arkansas) that have been so depopulated that you can somewhat avoid those people when visiting, and you also have more hermit type people. Theres also newcomers here and there in these areas, the last float trip I was on, the lodge was owned by Chicagoans.

[photoLith]

^^^
Yeah, Russellville is right on the southern edge of the Ozark uplift. Its in between the Ouachita Mtns and Ozark Mountains.

[Chelsea Spy]

great thread, great pictures, loved it!

reminded me of some parts of rural Georgia when I went on a road trip from Atlanta to Miami a couple of years ago. Strange small towns, isolated shacks and depressing post-industrial sprawl amidts very beautiful countryside.

Then again, I thought Georgia had a wonderful ambience, a haunting atmosphere and maybe because I'm English but everyone I met was so lovely and friendly. I'd definitely go back, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there!

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Chelsea Spy

great thread, great pictures, loved it!

reminded me of some parts of rural Georgia when I went on a road trip from Atlanta to Miami a couple of years ago. Strange small towns, isolated shacks and depressing post-industrial sprawl amidts very beautiful countryside.

Then again, I thought Georgia had a wonderful ambience, a haunting atmosphere and maybe because I'm English but everyone I met was so lovely and friendly. I'd definitely go back, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there!

The Ozarks are definitely not exactly like the rural southeast, although theres probably some blending in upland Arkansas. The area of the Ozarks (St. Francois Mtns) i'm familiar with is isolated and appalachian like, with abandoned lead mining infrastructure and hard edged tragic people.

[Nightsky]

Good job! Very honest photos. Little Rock must really feels like a metropolis in Arkansas.

[photoLith]

Lead mining wasnt big around here, the old industry was coal mining but thats pretty much all gone now. Pretty much the only jobs around here are either working for Tyson Chicken or the Firestone tire factory. A lot of the jobs have left though and most of these people you see that live in the country in these run down conditions live off of the government and yet these people are staunch republicans, makes no sense to me.