Best of Who we Are

West Virginia: We are seen as the worst of what we might be instead of the best of who we are. 

I don't remember where I heard that. I don't even know if it pertained to West Virginia when I heard it, but I wrote it down because I thought it was profound. And true.

We in West Virginia are often seen as the worst of what we might me. Think of news media covering our state, or how we are portrayed in fiction - books, television or movies. We are often portrayed as the stereotype. I think that is because that is what people who are not from here (some people) expect to see, so that is what they find - or that is what they portray. It's a shame, because West Virginia is full of kind, generous, smart people.

Do we do the same thing? Do we allow stereotypes to blind us to what is in front of us? Do we see people as we expect them to be instead of how they are? Do we see the worst of what might be instead of the best that is?

We should stop doing that. We of all people know how that feels.