Keeping the Stereotype Alive

American Idol in Kentucky was shown on national television on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. I could not believe what I was seeing: hillbillies, country bumpkins, and hicks were used to represent our state. I don't understand why we are stereotyped as being hillbillies. Everyone in Kentucky doesn't own a farm. We don't wear overalls. We actually were tennis shoes, not just sandals. And more than anything- We are not backwoods idiots! I don't understand. When people in other states think about the people of Ketucky, they get the image that we are dirty, raggedy, and tooth-less. That part is understandable because the television gives people that image of Kentuckians. People in Kentucky are often shown on television as being low-class and poor farm owners. I wish that people in other states wouldn't steroetype us as being hillbillies. I also wish that television stations would stop worrying about "Keeping the Stereotype Alive" and start showing the real Kentucky. We are not hillbillies!