No mutherfucker sit down. Your statement was

I mean, in all honesty, no one paid much attention to Appalachia

Which, as evidenced by every name I posted, is rank bullshit. Sure - there are other parts of the country. Sure - they get media coverage. But for as long as I can remember, paeans to "real America" have always put it east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon line. "Country" music is all about Nashville. Fried chicken is for Americans and clam chowder is for effete snobs. Yeah - New England has done a lot more for education. New York is a commerce hub. DC is where the laws are made. But whenever "real Americans" are portrayed, they're portrayed via the outsize influence of those fuckin' coal miners from fuckin' rural Appalachia.

Population of Appalachia: 25 million. Population of California: 40 million.

But we're the fuckin' outlanders over here. Probably 'cuz we got 2 senators and Appalachia has 24.

The mid-west isn't the only place getting attention though.

There are more people working for Sears than there are working for the coal industry but I don't wake up every goddamn morning to someone spewing bullshit about the plight of Sears workers.