Other Vice reporters should watch this guy. He doesn't try to make it about himself. He gets good information and doesn't try to play to the camera like so many other Vice people do.
You can get between 5 and 10 reloads out of a brass case if you're not loading too hot or don't have to sloppy of a chamber And it's been ammo than you'll ever find on a shelf in a store
Yeah when you shoot guns, you tend to have to buy ammo and when you shoot a lot of ammo , you reload brass and when you hunt or shoot somewhere there’s about a million reasons why you wouldn’t want to leave any evidence.
This story isn't really about the decline of coal. It's about the dangers of basing any towns income around a single major employer. Coal is just the most obvious example.
@@ujjalshill6442 we are a self sustaining people for hundreds of years before the coal companies came we can put food on the table the problem is paying the bank notes on our land and home I think you are right about farming crops to export to make money coal people in these small Appalachian towns are some of the best people on earth I love my people and it breaks my heart to see them hurt this way I pray things will get better
I tried explaining this to a college educated black woman. She just believed I was just got the EE I was working with because I was white. Well there were no grant programs for poor white single males. You just had to go where there was work and save up for it one semester at a time. There are still a lot places in and around Harlan county in West Virginia and Northeast Tennessee that is no different than being from the projects. Actually for those that want there is more opportunity for those in the projects. If they want to continue working and apply the opportunities available..Absoulutly don't want to understand poverty does not have any color.
My entire family has been coal miners, and I am the first to not follow in their footsteps. Thank you for shedding light on how forgotten southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky are.
I joined the army, besides college it was really the only way out of town. I don't like having debt in my name so armed forces was really all I had. Actually my graduating year we had a record set for most the most people enlisting at all. Out of a class of 200 or so we had 10 people, may not seem like alot, but these past two years more people have signed on from my class. there are about 20 of us in total that joined either the army, marines or, air force. One guy joined the merchant marines but they arent really the military its a weird grey area or something.
@@Joty295 My Great-Uncle was in the Merchant Marine in WWII. They're basically 'Pentagon civilians' who run transport ships. It's an OK gig as long as no-one's attacking our shipping, in which case they're screwed, and don't get medals or anything. Worked out for my uncle, though; he got in after the worst of the U-Boat menace, and worked with computers for AAA. After the war, he ended up starting an automation consulting firm and got rich. Too bad his clients never listened to him when he recommended they retrain the employees that were getting laid off.
Osco in Ohio is hiring according to a sign out front, it's an iron foundry, but all my neighbors work there and it pays pretty damn good. Might be worth a shot. It's in Portsmouth.
@@Joty295 thanks for your service. Hope the service is helping you prosper and a stepping stone to continue to do great after if and when you move on to other careers.
@@Joty295 that's why the Republicans and democrats have never done anything to help u people.. They see u people as their foot soldiers for their wars..
In northern Japan, Yubari a coal town declared bankruptcy after the mines closed. The rail service was discontinued, schools and other municipal services were closed, Building a community around a single business can be devastating when it closes down......
@Geoffrey Harris Except there's plenty of coal and oil in the ground and it's just leftists who've decided workers aren't useful anymore passing policy that actively destroys those lives.
@@skogib4846 it's not blue v red. That fight is not relevant when you realize that both parties have screwed the working class over and over and over again. You are right to blame politicians, but it's not just the leftists. Those restrictions were only out in place after the downsizing and outsourcing of American jobs. That includes coal, factory jobs, and more. That was red and blue.
@@skogib4846 I don't mind on who you voted for. You have a right to vote for who you wish for and I wouldn't judge you for whoever you voted. The truth remains that both parties have not backed the working class for generations.
The main guy interviewed who he was shooting guns with seemed liked a great guy. Best of luck to him and I hope he finds stability. I have 2 college degrees, am older, and I don't have shit to show for it. Whoever is reading this, you will have a good life. Know you will.
You don't need to create anything material to show to anybody. Let go of status anxiety. I had a successful career in hospitality, just quit it all to go back to school for a BSc... I'm 33. Do what feels right
@@shmooveyea true. I didnt even finish my bachelors degree even though i was at my last year. I just followed my dreams and never looked back. You do you.
This is the journalism I love! No opinions from the interviewer. He asked questions and got answers from the people in the community. He let us, the viewers, make our own judgements on it. He didn’t tell us what we had to think like most mainstream media does. Journalists need to take notes from this guy.
Then it's not journalism. Do you know what journalism is? It's about the facts and truth. Those people he's interviewing barely recognize the issue at hand because they are focused on their own personal journey to survive. You like stories, personal ones that is fine. It's not journalism though. If journalism was about you the reader "figuring it out or making your own decisions" then they are doing a horrible job. You're not educated or qualified to understand the issues and all that impacts the story here, that's why we need news. That's the problem with the American right. They've dumbed Americans down and made their base think they are the brain surgeons and virologists. Like with COVID so they make decisions. And they die. Teen pregnancy and STDs was in the 80s and 90s mostly a blue state issue, today it is almost exclusively a problem is red states. You're not qualified. You're not very smart. Just shut up and listen... Just sometimes okay?
The biggest reason for the decline of "coal country" isn't renewable energy, nor is it environmental regulations, it is economics. The biggest competitor and threat to Appalachian Coal is Wyoming Coal. Wyoming coal isn't buried under mountains, so you don't need complex mine shafts and all the risks and costs associated with them. Wyoming coal can be mined in open pits, making it much cheaper than Appalachian Coal. To make matters worse, all the "easy" Appalachian coal has already been mined, making the remaining coal even more expensive to mine. The coal industry didn't die, it just moved west. No amount of government intervention is going to bring coal mining back to Appalachia, its just not profitable there anymore. If they want to "save" these towns, they are going to need to find some new industries to take the place of coal mines. I think one way the government could help is to either revoke, or buy out the mineral rights from the mining companies. This would make the land available for other developments. That area looks like it could be a prime location for an outdoor recreation based economy. Commercial hunting lodges, ski areas, etc.
During the late 1970s early 80s lots small manufacturing moved into traditional coal county , the plan was for small scale manufacturing to replace the coal jobs everyone new where going away and it was working until NAFTA
That's what you get when you stand your ground against all evidence that your industry is in decline. They had the chance to get some people elected that were actively working for the end of coal yeah, but who had plans to help them. They chose the fleeing Trump administration and that's what they get. SAD
"i mean, i'm a grown man, i ain't scared of that." man, this is so tragic. it's not about fear. being pulled away from your family is like having your heart ripped from your chest. you can suffer the wound without fear, but it's still a debilitating wound.
Plus truth is appalchian people with deep accents aren’t going to fit into many places.They will be treated like ignorant trash even if they are the smartest people in the room.
@@abehdts5170 It still is for the time being in Kentucky, not that that stops too too many people. With legalization I think pot and eco-tourism is the only thing that will save eastern KY, that is if anything does.
That was an excellent documentary. Having a Black man acknowledge White poverty through his choice of topic and interviewing style is especially important. And hat’s off to the people of Harlan KY for opening up their lives to him in such a neighborly yet poignant manner. This is top-notch journalism done on an extremely important topic. High praise to everyone in this piece.
Poor is poor no matter what color they are been to a lot of places that are poor and no matter the color of u come into the town with a open mind and not disrespecting them they’ll treat u like family
@@Nikita-vz5wj if you think poor people are in any way different because of the color of their skin then you are racist. It’s ok though... maybe nobody ever told you that you were racist. Now maybe you can fix it.
I feel bad for the man who says his home is entirely paid off... because even if he wanted to leave Harlan County at one point, no one is ever going to buy his house.
Solid point. This is part of the problem with the standard rhetoric. These folks have more voting power than anyone in the country but they’re stuck in a place that relies on 1920s industry.
Ryan Goldade maybe... it wouldn’t be worth much with a dead industry and no infrastructure. As a pose to the same house in NYC or something it would be worth 5x as much
@Matt M Declare bankruptcy. The banks got bailed out in 2007 crisis, Hedge Fund managers got the lion's share of the GOP's trillion $ tax cut, which left ordinary people with the debt. He should play the system to have a future.
There is an incredible historic documentary about this town titled "Harlan County USA" (1976) The film depicts the tensions created between coal miners who sought to create a union, to better their labour condition and the mine Owners, who refuse to accept the labour contract. The inability of the two groups to reach an agreement results in a strike that lasts over a year and leads to violence in their community. I highly recommend giving it a watch, it is available on youtube and runs for about an hour and 45 minutes.
It’s such an insanely good documentary. Watching that doc and then watching videos like this really breaks your heart. It’s so incredibly tragic to even just think about what the miners of the past went through just to eek out a semblance of dignity working in coal mines. Striking for an entire year, being shot and beaten by brown shirts and cops, scabs crossing the line. It was one of the hardest fought battles for a union in the US I’d ever heard of. And even when they succeeded in creating a union, it doesn’t even take long for all the work to be for nothing with the discovery that coal is horrific for the environment. It’s so incredibly sad.
It’s one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in a long time on the subject, and as a Union miner I can tell you that our industry needs more protection for the workers. I also enjoyed the Doc. Blood on the Mountain that’s a really good movie as well.
People need to understand there are A LOT of different types of "America" and there are a ton of different views due to the environment you lived in. It is not as simple as "Democrat" or "Republican".
I agree. For example, I just a stamp on a product and it said made in America. I has an image of the entire continent of N. America. I believe this means it was made in Mexico, which in their minds is simply a different type of America.
The vice guy is tight Kentucky homeboy: you should come out here and deer hunt sometime(strong country accent) Vice dude: yea dude im totally down(cali accent)
@@theUNEXPLAINABLEuap Yes, there definitely is. What kind’ve American accent does the black dude have? Cuz it definitely ain’t a Cali accent. Nevada’s an example of a generic American accent.
I think the biggest issue with these small towns are that they can only survive by exporting a good. You can't train these people the become solar panel installers, unless there's a big enough market close enough nearby to commute to that will keep them busy. These towns die or they pivot and find ways to manufacture another good that can be exported and sold to a larger customer base. This could be a tangible good or a digitally delivered good or service.
Solar panels, nuclear power plants, and electric cars need copper. The Feds need to allow mining of copper in Alaska, that's where these people can move to.
@@xxxBradTxxx Would you want to move to Alaska? Where it's cold and dark for at least 6 months out of the year? A creative solution is needed, but I'm certain it isn't moving an entire community to Alaska!
@@xxxBradTxxx I don't think we watched the same video. The issue is some people lose a lot by moving, as they have built up what little equity they have in that tiny town. This may not seem like a big deal, but it matters. A 55 year old who invested most of his money into real estate, his home--loses a tremendous amount by moving as his old house cannot be sold, or at best, will vastly undersell. Don't say this isn't a big deal, as most Americans in history built up their minor piece of wealth on their home's value. This undercuts the traditional American dream (in a financial sense) right at the knees.
Because the companies have eroded the people's trust in the government by buying politicians, then turn around with their arms open and proclaim "You can trust me i'm not the government."
That's kinda ignorant and privileged thing to say. It's not that they trust the company, its that there is no other choice because coal mining companies hold monopsonies over these towns. Not everywhere is a big city, where there's another 100 companies that have potential job openings. It costs a ridiculous amount of money to move to another city and even more to learn a new trade.
@@mrmerperls7383 because most republican senators advocate for right to work states and the chasing out of unions. I work at an aluminum mill in washington and the only reason we are treated so well is because we are steel workers union. It's in spokane right on the border between idaho as well, and the work force is 1/2 from idaho. They dont want to get a job there because they know they will be taken advantage of by the right to work laws.
"We are Christians we are followers of Jesus. Our way of working is not to blame or curse the darkness but to light a candle." I'd love to visit that Church.
Please do come and visit this church. Holy Trinity Church in Harlan, Ky and St. Stephens Church in Cumberland, Kentucky. Fr. Terrence is a gift to our community
@@donellbusroe1887 Thank you so much. I will certainly try. We've got family in Dingess WV that we're going to visit on the first of the month and we can go right through Harlan.
I remember teachers telling us in the 90's that there were no more life-time jobs at one company. They told us we needed to learn many skills. They specifically said. America is no longer a manufacturing base, most jobs will be in sales and services. That was 30 years ago. Like another comment said. Kentucky needs to start growing Marijuana. Talk about a family business.
Graduated in 95' Been a machinist since I graduated and never looked back. I work in a large Tool and Die shop in Wisconsin and make a very good living. Glad I proved some of those teachers wrong....
Very well done. Those kids in coal country are going through what we went through in the Midwest 30+ years ago when the Farm Crisis changed farming forever and the consolidation of farms and the resulting changes in Agri-business and small towns all over the Midwest saw a huge unreported movement of young adults away from small towns in the late 80's into the 90's. I know how these kids feel and I hope the families are doing ok.
@@ivanalvarez5511 it’s still happening in rural WI. Pretty much every family farm is hanging on by threads. And the ones that still are hanging on abs have been thru generations won’t get passed down again. The land will but the younger gen won’t continue to use it as a farm. It’s all Mega farms now. None of these generational farmers can make it anymore and it’s so sad.
Agri-business is still hurting and that's up full running. The Government has been way to involved in just normal people's lives. The overview to me is we're starting to see what they have been trying to do for year's. Turning this nation into a Socialist Country. Our option's are becoming more limited in the workforce. Seems like the choice is being taken from us. This goes much deeper!
@@packpock4369 no wonder the elite of the country can trick you folks so easily your over here blaming socialism when its quite literally the opposite. The reason youre getting fucked is because their is no human or societal factor that corporations take in when making decisions its all about a bottom line and their "shareholders". They dont care if they poison people or leave towns hollowed out through vulture like monopolistic strategies. But yea keep blaming socialism moron.
I thought a lot of the questions he asked were far too obvious & formulaic, and could have been interpreted as insulting by some. However, at least he didn't try to make the interviews about himself, and the conclusion segment was well written; I think he has potential to improve as he gets more experience.
I'm a Hispanic, I've been around everywhere. Till this day the nicest people I've met in this country are people down in the Mississippi delta, and these people right here "coal country". They also happen to be the 2 poorest areas of our country yet most of the people I've met in both places would give you the shirt off their back even though they can barely afford their own. I hate how the media and politics skews our views on the people we have in this country. I'm not big on the whole "coal" industry but I do care about these communities and hope they find a way to prosper again Same goes for all the rural areas of this country, this story can be told 1000 times all over this country
@@jameswill175 Costal Elites hate these people and view them as subhuman, they are hard working people who want an opportunity. Yet who do they elevate to hero status, the criminal thug element in their own cities. Sad.
Not to bring race into things, but this is why I get upset about “white privilege”. Yes I agree that many suburban whites have a “privilege” but many rural communities are just as trapped as the inner cities. Schools are just as bad(if not worse depending how deep into the boonies you get), drugs are a problem, abuse and alcohol abuse is a big problem. But these people seem to always get forgotten.
Since I was a kid, I have been forced to watch my Appalachian community die a slow and painful death. Rampant drug use, higher and higher crime rates, infrastructure deterioration, poverty raising by the year.
As an Englishman watching this, it's interesting to hear the similarities between the East Kentucky accent and the accent of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk).
Does the accent of folks from Norfolk and Suffolk imply that they are ignorant? When the US government forced a migration of Appalachian families to the north industrial cites to fill the employment gap, the Appalachia were denied an education. Sent home under the government agreement that they were too ignorant to learn. The truth is that the language barrier was far too great and no will from government to help. At the time, the industries needed mass uneducated and the US government was all in on their scheme. $ Most people here are taught the false history of the US. In many parts of Appalachia, the dialect was derived from a mix of Scott/Irish, Native American/and African American. All of these 3 groups considered less than human by the elite and their government at one time. There was good reason for these folks to stay in the mountains generation after generation. They did not have a nation. It has not changed much today.
Watching this report makes Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul's negative position on transitioning Kentucky to a leading entity in America's pursuit for the future of clean sustainable energy more upsetting. These are their constituaints and they are simply looking for a means to save their town and their families from oblivion.
That still doesn't mean much. Trying to save a dying industry is noble, but if you know (as the coal mining companies knew) that an industry will die out, no matter what--you should be coming up with solutions for the future that's coming, not trying too keep the old industry alive under false pretenses. If the politicians you speak of really cared about their communities, they would have gone in there and started talking about 10 year, and 15 year plans, telling everyone how things were changing and how their children would need new options. We weren't gonna rely on coal forever, so to tell these people that we would continue to do so was a flat out lie. Conversion to new technologies was going to happen anyway, and it was going to have consequences; Mitch and Rand don't care about their communities like they pretend to, they just pander to them with "easy" solutions, which they knew were unsustainable.
I really like this journalist. He's super chill and genuine, like when he and that guy were shooting, he's like "Yeah down for that dude!" When the guy said they should go hunting up there. 😂 He is much better than the vast majority of Vice reporters who just judge and shame everyone who doesn't think the way they do instead of just listening, truly trying to understand where people are coming from and let them be heard. Keep this guy around Vice! ✌🏻✌🏻 Also, I know plenty of other people are saying basically the same thing, i just want Vice to see how many people agree this is one of, if not the best, reporter they have so they can not only keep him around but realize what their viewers actually want.
A lot of these towns are being left behind to rot. I’ve driven through so many of these communities across the south from Virginia to Louisiana... it’s heartbreaking to see, and I can understand why so many are so reluctant to leave. Home is home. I just hope we can find real solutions for them and not empty campaign promises.
Great sentiment, however, they were told that the coal industry was eventually throttling down! Not just by Barak and Hillary, but by the company layoffs, and the adage of producing more with less. TFG sure pulled one over on them, these coal producing states fell for it and got nothing for their blind 🦯🦮 allegiance to Trump.
These people like it it's why I'm moving because they are unwilling to change for the better they like their monthly welfare checks and would activity fight to keep from working
I guess it’s the same everywhere, they don’t care about people from working towns or rural area. Greetings from the northern Mexican mountains to my applachian friends!
Por eso necesitamos apoyar a nuestros propios comunidades, los ricos siguen siendo rico y dejan a nosotros los pobres a sufrir y morir por ellos. La lucha no es solo de aqui ni de ella es universal
Thanks! I live 45 minutes away from Harlan. My wife’s family lives and has lived in Harlan for generations but my father’s family is from Northern Mexico - Saltillo.
@@mdel07304 Tienes razon pero esta as la misma gente que grita" Build the wall" contra los tuyos. Ni te creas que te ven igual por muy jodidos que esten ahora.
"No amount of EPA restrictions being lifted are going to reopen their mines." True that. We must embrace and move forward, has difficult as that may be.
Now more than ever these coal towns being left for dead need to be seen by company's of all types and find ways to bring the people work, they got rails, they got roads, be a manufacturing wet dream. And you got a community already there and people who want to work and will work for their family's.
Any small town with a central buissness faces this problem, military towns are the exact same, base goes, town dies. It sucks but it's been happening for the last 100 years, my mother's town of birth didn't even exist any more, it's a hole in the ground, a mine, she can never go back. Times change, change with them or be left behind, don't mean to be harsh, I worry about my current town now, I get it, you need to move though, or be self sustaining, farm, energy, water, don't rely on this country, the USA has never had the backs of it's people, ever.
@@jr540123 the logistics side is already there, for the most part. like you said, the roads and rails are already there. its most definitely usable land.
@@jr540123 The problem is the coal industry holding all the land like he said. They'll hold onto that land for years to come in case coal makes a come back. The owners don't care because they don't live there and they are making money with their other investments.
Growing up poor I feel for them. Please consider becoming Welders. There are plenty of jobs for welders if you are willing, the money is decent and best of all with the knowledge you will acquire from your peers and industry, you can go back home and create new jobs for yourselves and other people. Good luck! Welding career advice: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9L1CfvQyfQA.html
how about you just grow your own food. collect rainwater/tap groundwater. Perform a local service people need for money. Get by and live your life, I cut trees for a living in rural wisconsin and hunt, garden, play music, and go to church every saturday and sunday. Not hard!
@@gickygackers yes, but you are probably used to that, these people were COMPLETELY based off of coal mining, it isnt that easy for many to just switch
Electricians and plumbers also make lots of money if they have the right licenses, and you can get a paid apprenticeship. I'm apprenticing right now, and there are people looking for apprentices all over the place, and like welding, you can work anywhere with those jobs.
beter i think if that were an option they would be doing that, the entire local economy depended on the mine and when it died out so did everybody’s income. The people who weren’t directly working for the coal industry still rely on the workers as their customers. It’s a cascading economic impact that can only be solved by leaving unfortunately
He stares into an unknown abyss, his way of life is lost, his family teeters on collapse but his love and respect for his home transcends everything as he meekly picks up his shells after shooting his rifle.
My mother is from there. I have one distinct memory of going to visit my mamaw in evarets ky which is near harlan, I remember going down the road and seeing a woman picking coal off the train tracks for fuel. My dad stopped and gave her a box of canned food that we had, food that she needed to feed her children. Looking back that seems crazy because that happened in the US, arguably one of the richest nations in the world, yet that is a reality. I also think it is noteworthy to point out the medical condition that come from working in the mines and living around them. My grandfather had blacklung and my mother would always tell me about the creek that ran by her house turning colors and the fish dying. Many of the people on my mothers side of the family have cancer, such as my aunt with lukemia, etc. I blame that on a polluted water supply that they got from their well. The water can get polluted from the run off. And i sugest, if interested, look up the specifics. They used to own a farm near barbourville aswell and it was taken by the coal companies as they owned the mineral rights. Another point is the enviromental inpqct. In neighboring bell county when in middlesboro you can see where the moutains surrounding the town have been strip mined. It is a ugly scar on a once beautiful landscape. The economic issues that they present in these videos is very much impactful. Drugs have become an epidemic as many turn to it as an escape and a way to illegaly make money. I pray that things get better as it is in the Lords hands. There needs to be a introduction of new industries and a diversifying market as to provide jobs in the region.
Ain't no new industry sprouting up under Biden. The dude flew his son to China for private equity deals and has continued to be very cozy and compliant for them in office. We're getting reamed and leftists celebrate it because they don't need the working class anymore thanks to immigration
“we are going to piss into the wind, and we are not going to get wet” - Donald Trump 2020 It’s quite simple, renewable is the inevitable future, if the government are to help coal country, incentivise the renewable industry to establish, train and employ in these towns
Nah, that would be a clever idea to deal with the coal miners and widen the renewable energy labor sector. Instead we will promise Instead we promise to support this unprofitable energy sector and do nothing at the end.
@@michaelzemke9381 nuclear energy is actually the best solution to our energy problems ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lL6uB1z95gA.html
i lived in cumberland till i was 10 and my dad always told me we had to move before it was too late and now i understand. i’m now 17 in knoxville and feel bad for those who didn’t move
I was a former coal miner in Texas. My career ended in 2018. Its hard work but it gets in your blood. Meaning you grow to love it. I was fortunate enough to be in an area where I could find employment elsewhere. It wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to work the mines till i retired But I didn't have much choice. I miss it and the men and women I worked with.
I'm From rural north Alabama, and its not a place with any real Industry to speak of, other than mobile homes that are essentially bought by the people that build them. I joined the military a month after graduating high school in 2006. I miss home, but the thought of ever going back frankly scares me. The fact is, things change, the world changes. And the idea of home, these days, is just that, an idea. And can be one that holds you back. So for places like this, it comes down to a decision, survive at home, or leave and live.
Pretty much. I'm from a small town in the midwest and most of the truly successful among the people I grew up with are those that moved away. Home is home, but a lot of these areas just can't compete with more populous places with more resources.
@@Tim85-y2q Just depends on what you think success is. If you feel your station in life is not where you want it to be, its ultimately up to you to change that situation.
@@Tim85-y2q yeah, I saw my wages drop the longer I stayed in town, as businesses closed and I was forced to find new jobs. I had a degree, but what good was that in the wake of the financial crisis in small-town America? At one point, I was working three part-time jobs because that was the only way to pay rent. Finally, my boyfriend and I packed up and moved to DFW and got jobs there. We were finally able to reverse the trend of declining wages at part-time gigs. We worked for a warehouse and worked our way up through ranks. Unfortunately, that kind of opportunity simply wasn't available in my small town. I now make more than triple what I did when I left my small town, and my now husband makes double what he previously made. We don't need a bunch of part time jobs just to put food on the table. Going back home after seven years, the town looks like it's decaying, with payday loan places sprouting where other businesses have died. The mall that suffered a slow death has finally been officially closed, as they kicked out the last of the vendors there, leaving an empty husk. Small businesses are being supplanted by national chains. I only see more of the same to come.
"And if your only choices have been voting on an empty promise to protect the lifeline of your town and voting for someone who's promised to do away with it completely, i wouldn't trust the government either." This dude knows what's up and I love it.
@Independent Thinker did you not listen?? Its not as easy to leave as it is to just say you should. The younger people are planning on leaving if they can/when they can. And the older generations will if they have the ability.
Also the last time the coal miners tried to strike for better pay and working conditions the US government sent federal troops in to protect the private thugs hired by the coal companies to beat down and in some instances just shoot the striking miners.
@Independent Thinker not a problem...gonna use Wikipedia as a starting point, if there are credible alternate sources of information that contradict what's written in this article I am not aware of them and I would love to hear about them. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain Edit: I'm from the other side of West Virginia, a century later and a lot of the people in the hills still don't trust the government.
I’m so glad to see someone covering Appalachia with some humility. Extreme poverty isn’t just native to East Kentucky, East Tennessee, West Virginia it’s present in all Appalachia and it needs more coverage by media now more then ever, good job on this documentary and I hope to see more of this type of content
One political party never ran on the platform of leaving Appalacia behind. They specifically ran on phasing out coal, training workers (mining to coding, etc), and getting them ready for steady work in a new industry. Their opponents twisted this message by saying "They hate you, we will save you. Believe in us. Coal will be here forever." This was in the face of overwhelming evidence that coal was on a 30 year decline, and it was never coming back. While I don't blame them, they focused on their own immediate needs and not the end of the road they were on. Anyone paying attention knew this was inevitable. Many politicians advocated for investing in programs to help make the transition easier, but we had to prepare earlier, even though there were clear skies above. Instead, we chose the hard way. We increased our investments, but that still wasn't enough. No one should be surprised. Now, the damage is much more severe, and too fast to expect a reasonable person to adapt to. If only we saw this coming.
One party told coal miners to learn to code. Exactly how was the Democratic Party showing any indication that they were prepping coal miners for a new illustrious career?
They’re not interested in anything progressive. Even though everything moves forward. Get on board or get left behind. We can’t stop change and we can’t just wish and hope. Coal is dying and it’s not coming back. They should have voted for someone who at least was interested in getting them retrained for a new job with a future. Instead they voted for a con man and now they have no future. The definition of shooting yourself in the foot.
Jon Smith so they should have voted for a party whose top priorities were making sure guys who like to dress up as women have the ability to use whichever bathroom they want and stripping citizens of firearms? Really, training 50 year old coal miners who have never turned a computer on before to code is a realistic practice?
@@jimprestigious863 This video focuses on the young people of a town that died, leaving them no prospects unless they leave. Education and jobs programs could have given the town a chance, but instead they hung on to coal until the bitter end. Now, families who lived there for generations are having their houses foreclosed. Learning new skills is hard, but so is losing your house and relying on churches for food just to stay alive.
I live in a tech town in Canada, and am as far removed from Kentucky coal miners as you can get, but damn I wish I could reach out and give these fine people a hug right now. I can’t imagine how it feels to lose a living like that.
Parallels in every part of the world and in many industries. You'd only have to change the accents to make this film about the coal industry in England and Wales, or the ship building industry in England and Scotland, or the asbestos mines in South Africa. One day it'll apply to the towns that serve the North Sea oil industry, already it's happening to towns serving a dwindling fishing industry worldwide. It's the inevitable result of tying an entire regional economy to a single industry and then waiting until that industry is completely dead and the economy is on its arse before admitting there's a problem and contemplating the future. Trump did them no favours when he promised them a revival, he just cost them four more years of decline.
Plenty of coal mining communities who are experiencing the same in canada. Shut them down and then had to import power from us on a line that was supposed to take power down to us it really makes a lot of sense
It isn't "renewable energy" that is killing coal. It's natural gas and fracking. Other words innovation and technology in markets. Otherwise good documentary.
Renewable energy is growing too,but you're right about fracking. Anyway,both sectors need far fewer workers to produce the same amount of energy,and that's why they are cheaper
I think it'd be more appropriate to say both have a hand but I agree that natural gas is also a big part. It has it's place but it has its own major problems and renewables are where we need to go. We can't forget about the people who will lose their jobs like the people of Harlan. Efforts should be made to help them find replacement jobs that fit their skillset. The government left them high and dry.
This does a good job of showing, people form attachments to their home and can't just up and leave based on "markets" or some bullshit. These people deserve a dignified living.
Imagine working entire life and finally paying off your home which is worth nothing since no-one will buy it. Majority of these people get by on food stamps and social security. For older folks only option is to live out their days in a dying town since paying rent elsewhere is not an option. Younger generation will have to move in search of jobs.
And if you were a business owner in many of the US cities you’re seeing the betrayal of your hard work and property rights by your own government / community.
@trifectors the God Also industrial electrician, instrumentation tech, industrial networks tech, etc...not more than 2-3 years of training and there you go..! Welding is the best, but not everyone is naturally fit to perform professionally...
It's crazy to me how hard-working people put there trust in someone how's never earned a hard days dollar in his life, Has never falling asleep in their car just sitting in the parking lot after work, has never been so tired to take bend over and take your boots off so you just sit on the edge of your bed and stare at your feet.
Most people, much less politicians, haven’t been in that situation. People vote for who they think can deliver what they want, not just on people’s life stories. Trump got the votes of the poor whites because they thought he’d deliver for them
sweed Trump did not win the popular vote. Most people voted for Hilary and yes, the majority of those who actually voted for Trump were poor whites. Let’s not try to rewrite history to save face. Trump was given the presidency by the Electoral College.
Being so covered in mud you can’t touch anything without getting it dirty even after a shower, having dirt and rocks stick up your nose from inhaling the stone dust all day, forcing yourself to make dinner because you know you have to eat for tomorrow morning. Some people just won’t understand but those who do are proud of it.
As someone from HC, this is a very accurate, yet shocking portrayal of what is happening to my community. Thank you VICE for bringing awareness to what is going on in coal country and for painting us in an honest light, instead of just hee haw people😂
It always strikes me when I see that people from miner families look like germans since back in the days germans sailed to the USA to work in the mines. Best wishes from germany, hope you guys will get the good chances you deserve.
As a descendant of one of those Germans you're exactly right, makes sense why many stick around the industry (my family got out and started farming when land was essentially free)
I work in Wisconsin at a large Tool and Die shop, we are dying for hard working skilled labor! Perhaps these lads need to move on and take there hard work ethic and apply it to another trade.
I was reading Modern Machine Shop talking about the "skills gap". I chuckled to myself when I read that the wages of CNC operators and tool makers was in the teens. Degreed engineers seem to doing OK. You can make money in tool and die, but you need to have a stable base of clients and credit to run that business. www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/blog/shopmanagement/manufacturing-is-facing-a-wage-gap-not-a-skills-gap
Tumdéaux they made 16-25 here depending on experience yeah. My dad says it’s cause a lot of children come into the trade and quit so they pay a little. He had 7 guys come in and quit in 2018 cause it was “hard.”
I have the greatest respect for these hard working men and women. All they want is a chance. I hate that Pres. Trump lied to them and said coal was coming back in exchange for their votes. I further hate that the company in this report had every intention of selling loaded coal and had dismissed the workers. It was courageous of the few to blockade the train for 3-4 months after. God bless them.
And yet in the 2020 general election more than 85% of the county voted for Donald Trump. Despite his opposition to the welfare that kept them alive for months/years. Despite his lying to them about doing anything substantial for coal. Despite his ignorance around what these people actually needed for a better life. They still voted for him. Take that as you will.
I see people in a desperate situation and a con man who took advantage of that. It's a great piece that helps to bridge the divide and tell their story.
The coal companies knew they had a limited time in the traditional business. They've known for a long time, and all they ever did since then was try to squeeze as much out of their employees without setting them up for an alternative future. That's the truly sickening part, all of this could have been avoided, but corporations love treating people like things to be used. Never trust a company far beyond an employer, given the chance to make more money or help you, they will choose to make more money 99.9% of the time.
"In the deep, dark hills of Eastern Kentucky, that's the place where I traced my bloodline. And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone, you'll never leave Harlan alive."
Harlan County KY is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, filled with kind people and natural wonders. While it's very sad to see the impact the closure of the mines has had on the area and her people, I believe there's a lot of potential to revitalize things by developing tourism there. The drives, hiking, history (particularly pertaining to coal), multi-cultural heritage, and stunning sunsets are just a few of the reasons I'll be going back to Harlan. It's truly a hidden gem of a leisure destination, and I hope that local folks will build their pride and love of place into a sustainable tourism industry.
Great point. There's a case to be made for making a lot of this old industrial heartland into a giant cycling vacation destination. Let people get some exercise and enjoy the natural beauty of the area.
For someone who I'm gonna assume comes from a more urban area, to come out to a place like that and truly meet the people, no judging, no arrogance, just a pure will to understand... We need more people like you dude
Thatcher de-industrialised Scotland, Northern England and Wales in the 80's, leading to the collapse of the coal industry there too. I've seen first-hand the socio-economic problems that have been caused in these disenfranchised areas and how a lot of them have never recovered. I've got a lot of love for these hard-working people and hope they are able to find an alternative livelihood.
It probably would have eventually collapsed either way, just how these towns basically collapsed twice. But yeah, problems in disenfranchised communities run deep and usually outlast their root cause. My dad's home country comes to mind: It's got roughly the same GDP/capita and basically the same cultures as the countries bordering it, but it is leagues safer because it wasn't overrun by cartels in the 80s.
It’s so cute when he said he has to come up and hunt with him. Man, this is sad. I’m not from the US, but I don’t want the destruction of it. I do want y’all to be healthy and happy.
Johnathan Manning 🙄 It must be hard being the word police. You have no idea where I’m from or what slang or dialect is used here. Go find something productive to do.
Are you actually calling someone out for using y’all? Are you serious😂, what a god damn joke. Say what you want, how you want. It’s literally our first amendment YALL are assholes.
My entire family is from Harlan County. These are the forgotten hero’s of the American experience. You constantly hear about inner city problems and cities in decline; however, you never hear about the people of Appalachia. This is because they have an unfettering pride and determination like no other. They aren’t begging for help or asking for something for free. All they want is the American dream of a good job and a stable place to raise a family. The perils of Appalachia are a stain on the entire country. The nation has turned its back on the very people that fed the lifeblood of our expansion for generations. In the end it will be the faith and the sheer will of these people that will save Harlan. God bless everyone of them.
"They aren’t begging for help or asking for something for free. All they want is the American dream of a good job and a stable place to raise a family." You know what gave those coal miners the American Dream? FDR's New Deal and his many policies of modernizing America. Unions empowering workers to negotiate with companies for better wages and working conditions. Eisenhower connecting places with the Interstate Highway system, encouraging more trade and commerce. All multi-billion dollar assistance packages from the federal government. All "free" and "help" for an otherwise neglected community. Rural communities want to survive in a modern world? You'll need tax dollars from elsewhere. You need to be able to take on the companies exploiting you. Your government needs to step up, change the economy, and educate its populace with more skills conducive to jobs in demand. There's no shame in asking for government "help" to achieve the American Dream, because otherwise you will have far fewer opportunities to make your hard work worth something.
@D Major 🙃Not taking away your family’s pride and hard work or anything.. HOWEVER, pretty sure welfare, UEC, food pantry etc is in fact receiving handed out help. Don’t be ashamed about it ESPECIALLY when your chosen LAME leader lied and used you, instead be angry. THEN put that anger energy into the right direction towards knowledge, research, action! But please don’t imply that you seem better than other groups of people in urban communities- that what? Don’t want the same “American Dream” either? Or seemingly “ask for hand outs”. Big corporations, special interest groups and government f*ck over them on a daily basis as well. *Maybe it’s in this struggle EVERYONE will recognize the latter as the commonality between each other, unite and work TOGETHER now and for future generations. ☮️2U & yours.
The suffereing of Appalacia has long been a topic of conversation. And considering how many people there are also on welfare and food stamps (necessarily) there are in fact getting something for free by your definition. Quit the US vs. Them etc. Most people rural or urban want to have a decent life and be paid fairly for their work. Faith and sheer will are wonderful things. But what will save these people and others is opportunity and learning to adapt.
First of all I was in no way implying anything about urban areas not wanting the American dream or the people of Appalachia being better than anyone else. I was simply pointing out that many times in the National debate about poverty they are no represented. Secondly my statement about not wanting any for free was simply to empathize they don’t want welfare they want jobs. That’s it. They are willing to work if industry will hire them. I can assure you this issues has nothing to do with race, religion, creed or anything else. This is a direct result of big business raping the natural resources of the land these people hold dear and leaving them with nothing once the profit margins get thin. What Appalachia needs is an investment from industry. Businesses willing to make an investment in the community and put their skills to good use. Unless you’ve been there and seen it no one can understand the pride in these communities. The people of Harlan have literally fought and died in coal wars and poor mine conditions to put food on the table. The poverty that exists in these small mountain communities is like no where else in the USA. I can guarantee you these people would turn down food stamps, SSI benefits, and any other government assistance for an honest days wage.
That whole area depends on welfare, food stamp and the church. No need to put down other communities. This whole region needs to adapt and evolve. Coaling ain't it.
You think poor people voted for him because they thought he’d change things for the better. Wake up, everyone knows politicians of all brands are corrupted beyond salvation. They voted for him to screw with the neo-‘liberal’ upper class who talk the same old rubbish about reform and yet have constantly delivered corruption and deprivation. It was more a vote of no confidence in them than a vote of change.
Fight how? I'm confused? Has he done anything for these people ? In regards to helping these people financially.. or food donations or anything as such?
Breeze Mackie it’s not charity these people need. It’s politicians fighting for American industry and American jobs. I’m not saying that’s Trump, but I’m definitely saying none of the alternatives were any better.
@I'M NOT CALIGULA'S HORSE. stock market is still doing well, almost like its an entity detached from reality. I'd have to actually see those stat or a citation for, not to mention what does blackness have to do with the question in relation to the total employment rate.
My grandfather was born in the late 1880's on a farm that raised plow horses for farming. Generations of his family had raised horses and farmed. By the time he was a young adult, tractors had taken over plowing and horses were no longer needed. All those companies that supported that style of farming, raising horses, manufacturing the bits and other leather pieces, the blacksmiths, everyone was no longer needed. I was raised in a house that had a furnace that was coal fired. I used to help shovel the coal before we got a gas fired furnace. As one industry dies, others replace it but its the people who have now been supplanted that I feel so bad for. I have no answers.
Perfect timing to post this! Urban vs Rural... there's no easy answers. Thank you for shining a light on this region of the world that needs to be seen.
Yea there is an easy answer. It's a capitalist mode of production that causes this. Workers are commodities to be bought by business to produce more commodities and therefore more capital (in money form). Therefore, when industries, such as coal, are longer are able to make profit, production ceases and the workforce is disposed off. To mate matters worse, when you have a system built on the division of labour, workers are only able to do one type of job and consequently, in the event that their industry tanks, they become employed and unskilled. That's really the issue we are dealing with here. Ultimately, it's the fact that humans as nothing more than commodities in our mode of production. The hard part is fighting those who seek to keep conditions as they are.
"They say in Harlan County, There are no neutrals there. You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Blair. Which side are you on boys? Which side are you on?"
I'm a Harlan county native and this video hits the nail on the head of what it's really like to be young in the mountains. Most kids don't want to leave after graduation but we're forced to move away, at least for higher education and oftentimes for a lifetime just to make a living. I'm a junior in college, I've lived in the Nashville area for close to three years now, and there's not a single day where I don't miss the hills. There's something about Appalachia that sticks with you forever. I hope my community continues to heal so I can come back home one day.
We've moved on from coal. Simple as that. We could prop it up forever but holding ourselves back isn't the answer. Throughout history industries have died when progress kills them, you've just got to adapt to that reality and move on.
@@BigSquirtOfficial I feel like its different with an industry like coal. Shopping is shopping, but these people literally ensured our country stayed running for the last ~100 years.
@@BigSquirtOfficial not to mention these are highly paid jobs being replaced by nothing. Same happened in north of england all the old coal towns are now the highest poverty rates in the country
Trump: "I love the poorly educated." I feel for these people. And how they've been bamboozled into thinking a billionaire who has never worked a single day of his life actually cares for them.
@@elisahamilton73 That's politics on all sides, it amazes me that people still think the next president will be 'different' lol! To make it in the White House you have to fit the agenda of those above.
@Johnny Eclectic You can't argue the fact that in more than a few cases, they ARE hotbeds of white supremacist ideologies. Nevertheless, I'd argue Trump talking to them has done more damage. Trump is not the first to talk to them. The Green New Deal specifically had plans to transition former workers of fossil fuel industries to green energy jobs from way back in 2008. But then, Trump and Republicans got to them. And now they're blaming green energy for their lost jobs and refusing to accept the harsh reality that the coal industry is obsolete. After all, Trump has told them it was all a conspiracy by the evil leftists and the solar panel and wind farm manufacturers (lol) against them, and if they just get rid of the left, they can go back to coal mining like in the yesteryears. They can't. Coal is dead. Largely replaced by natural gas fracking (NOT by green energy). It can not be revived. That would be like replacing cars with horse-drawn carriages. They would have found new jobs by now if not for Trump's "beautiful" lies.
Glad I watched this. I'm in the renewable energy business and the last 15 minutes has shed an important light on the true cost of the demise of coal. I wish we could prioritize new renewables-manufacturing jobs for workers who come from these circumstances.
This town reminds me of my hometown. I grew up in Clallam Bay, Washington. Clallam Bay got it start in the 1880 when logging and fishing were major employers.There was a logging boom during WWI, because wood was used for building airplanes and a type of tree bark was used for tanning leather. In about 1980 logging and fishing ended. The major employer, Crown Zellerbach and its subcontractors, left town for good. Logging provided good job for blue collar workers. My dad was a bulldozer operator and truck driver. In 1969, he earned $20,00- this is about $146,000 in 2021 dollars. In the 1980s, the Washington State Department of Corrections built the Clallam Bay Correction Center. A few local people were hired, but it did not fix the unemployment and the generation and generation that are on government assistance left, went to college, joined the military, moved to the city, got a well paying office job and never went back there to live.
Heartbreaking. My parents had to leave their home for economic reasons and go somewhere where they had no family or friends. It wasn't their first choice. Decades later I went with my father back to his hometown where he still had a plot of land. The town hadn't grown much and was still rural and poor. We built a house for him on his original piece of property. He was so happy to be home in his retirement. I could see the difference in him as soon as we arrived on that first visit, I didn't want him to leave again and never come back. Sometimes circumstances force you to leave a place you love, but that love will never go away. If he has to leave, I hope this young man can come back to his hometown after he's made his mark on the world.
There's no work, no future there, but they're going to stay because "it's home." You can't be like that. You have to move on and adapt to what life throws at you. My parents always taught me "you go where the work is" and that's what I've done. I've moved all the way from Grafton Ontario to Edmonton Alberta because that's where the work was for me at that time. I left my (then) girlfriend of 3 years and every soul I knew behind. Because that's what I needed to do to get ahead in life. I'm back in Ontario now, and have a great career and get to see my family often, and I cherish these days, because I know life might throw me another curveball and me and my now wife (same woman) might have to move again. Adapt and survive. It's the only way.
Nah, you’re wrong. There’s nothing wrong with staying home. I’m from a small west Texas oilfield town. I can relate to these people because we get the boom or bust all the time. They have it harder than us yes. But we are the same.
I see how you may see it that you left for work, but you never truly left home now did ya? It was a temporary excursion to prop up a future back with people and places you were familiar with.
@@savagehippie1453 Not only that, but there's significant investment in the people and place, so it even makes economic sense for the government to help get new industries started in places like this...
I agree with you. You guys can say what you want about family being an important reason for you to stay in a place to not. But I won't live in poverty or low job prospects just because my family is there. Fact is, Coal and other fossil fuels are getting/will be outdated in the near future. That's life. It's technology. It only sucks if you don't change with the times. These people are obviously hard workers and I'd imagine many industries would love to have them. But wishing the industry back to it's glory days is not exactly feasible.
AG, spot on. Capitalism is about maximizing shareholder value, not about employee satisfaction or security. Kentucky is a deep red state. They should know this better than anyone
@@williammyers269 You would think, but our education system sort of pushes us to think that capitalism is the only way, and a lot of people stand by that. Others just fall for stigmas about government regulation or other forms of economics. It’s a shame honestly.
@@theabsurd9416 That's how economy works, capitalism or not. Communists here tried to save the miners and other dying industries. Instead they dragged the whole country down. No point in trying to keep the zombie industries alive.
@@chaffycaesar8026 lol what are you talking about, idiot? Automation is partly why these jobs are going; and the progress in automation and AI in the past few years is insane and is only speeding up.
@@mikesully110 yeaa...but mining is something that is still largely done by miners...sure once the mined coal enters the factory for processing...it might go thru a system that's largely automated..but we still need miners to mine the coal
So sad man, Im from Detroit. I remember when the automotive industry slowed down. I had over 12 relatives get laid off in a few days. It killed me that I couldn't do anything. From Detroit God bless you guys.
I was in Detroit welding in the waste(trash) to energy power plant. The roads were trashed and there were abandoned factories everywhere. I'm from a Maine town of 3k. It's the same here. The papper mill closed and the heroin/fentenyl moved in.
Recently been to Detroit & I’m from Baltimore man that city looks like a zombie apocalypse you could tell Detroit population was way bigger than what is it today
And where is the money from that coal? They stole your land, your lives, and your children's future and ran off to the bank with it. I've no argument with the workers. On the contrary, these are the very people who would/ should be the people building wind turbines and solar panels. They have a work ethic that would benefit us all.
"No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains Til a man from the northeast arrived Waving hundred dollar bills, he said "I'll pay you for your minerals" But he never left Harlan alive "
There's a hole in this mountain and it's dark and it's deep And God only knows all the secrets it keeps There's a chill in the air only miners can feel There're ghosts in the tunnels that the company sealed
They were paid to take that coal out of the ground because the company could sell it. They got paid, now the company is selling it. The company didn't want to shutdown that stuff, they are not making that money anymore but no one is buying coal.
I have a different view. They paid them to mine it... They had no business stopping the sale of that product afterward. And hell, they may have actually put the nail in the coffin for the business. It very well could have been that they needed that money to get things moving again. At least for another short burst... But it's been clear for a while this industry is on the chopping block. We've been moving away from this source of fuel for a while now.
Well there should be more of that, for Americans are for some reason not very good at that when dealing with powerful concerns, they bow down to power. Now with the French well they are another story, guess that's how the get away with 36 hours a week with good pay and benefits.
This breaks my heart. I haven't thought much about coal towns like this, but the way this story shows you what these people are really like, and their struggles, it really hits home. I hope all these folks can figure something out to keep on keeping on.
@@parasails4770 Don’t be belligerent. It is a valid comment to be made in these times of madness. Much like feminists need to see how men (almost exclusively) did all the really dangerous and unhealthy work and fighting in the past.
Pete Seeger's song "Which Side Are You On?" is about Harlan county and their union miners who fought against the corporations and union buster, Sheriff J.H. Blair. So sad to see some of them buy into the Trump propaganda, those people were fighters of workers rights and better conditions for coal miners nearly a century ago. The Republicans and Democrats alike told them the unions were their issue, not their employers unfair wages, conditions, and lack of benefits, and they believed them. RIP Harlan.
Trump supports coal, but Trump deregulated the oil industry, and that ompeted with the coal mining and caused problems with coal jobs. Hillary flat out said she would put coal miners out of business.
@@mikemiller7117 For the working class it's a tough time, we're told to vote for Democrats and that doesn't do anything. When we vote Republican things look better, but then we're told we only helped billionaires. Neither party cares about actual workers these days.
Matthew Baum trump supports coal mining and that’s why he pulled us out of the Paris climate accords and got rid of the epa which stifled coal and oil. Can’t help that oil outbeat coal that’s the free market, can’t blame the president for that, or do you want him to stifle oil and let coal flourish essentially causing the same affect for the oil industry and their communities
I admit, I'm not always a fan of Vice. But this is an extremely well done piece. These people didn't do anything wrong. They are just getting the short end of the stick. I don't believe in throwing free money at people, but there's a lot that could be done to support these communities. First, by doing what we should be doing and cleaning up the waste and damage caused by the mining operations. Second, Appalachia is a beautiful part of the country. Surely there is something that could be done with the land in these places if it wasn't hung up in red tape and owned by defunct coal companies. We spend billions of dollars every year sending development aid to other countries. I know because I'm part of the industry that uses that money to provide capacity building and development. We should be able to provide that sort of assistance to Appalachia and other struggling areas of our own country. This includes the deep south, Detroit, and other under-developed places.
I relate to this so much, but with retail. My dad spent his whole life in retail, thirty years with one company and even pre-COVID, the industry was struggling. Stores like J.C. Penney's, Sears, etc. that had been around for centuries in some cases, just up and gone overnight.
@@lanietalk There definitely have been many instances of reorganization of industries due to technological improvements over time. The thing we're seeing now is manual labor and the like(ie lower level skilled and unskilled) isn't valuable anymore. The real issue is the outsourcing of labor overseas which is an irreconcilable situation. The rise of online shopping and the like is where the retail industry is being killed. I really do feel for these coal miners, my family settled central Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1700s and only left in the 1960's and 70's. My grandfather ended up running his stepdad's tobacco farm operation at 17 because his stepdad had to work in the mill to make enough money to keep the farm profitable. The death of the family farm is particularly painful for me to see, but it's incredibly similar. American coal mine operations just aren't profitable anymore, especially considering overseas coal sources that are significantly cheaper.
From the title, I came here expecting it to be about how social security isnt going to exist for my generation. There are a lot of futures we were trained for that morning longer exist.
A thing we did in my home town to deal with banks sitting on foreclosed properties after the recession was to enact an ordinance requiring property owners who live more than 50 miles from the property to have someone check the property each month and to upkeep the property, board it up if broken into or squatted in, and generally provide for the security of their property. That ordinance came with a provision that, for landowners not meeting these requirements, the city would provide the service and bill the owner for it. Second ordinance we passed allowed us to take first position on liens resulting from the first ordinance for the purposes of reclaiming property. I'd wonder if a similar ordinance could be passed in those towns or by their county to pressure the mine land holders into doing something meaningful or selling the land.
@HIKE4LIFE What do you have against good, hard working people? You can't assume that theyre all unintelligent, I work in construction and I can personally tell you that most blue collar folks are damn smart people.
I live in Harlan Kentucky, my dad and my husband are both coal miners. Life has never been more tough than it is right now... Coal mining money put food in my belly, and clothes on my back my entire life, it is also what keeps my own children clothed and fed. I live in Cumberland, which is in Harlan county, it's nicknamed Coal Town because It used to be nothing but coal mines, now we call it Ghost Town because all the miners lost their work and had to move away, it breaks my heart that so many people have had to leave their beautiful home here in the mountains.... And who knows, me and my family could be next. I'm really happy to see this story and know that there are people out there who think of us. God bless yall, stay safe out there.
"I'm going to have to tough it out to make money somewhere....so I might as well get it started. I'm just 24." This. It's heartbreaking watching the break up of communities and families, but it must be done. There is no shining light at the end of these roads . Our country and their own families need these young men and women to aspire and strive to be the absolute best they can be......and they cannot accomplish that here. The truth is, it will be much harder trying to tough it out in these dying towns than relocating and applying their endeavors elsewhere. Three famous apropos phrases came to mind while I watched this.... "Go west young man." "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." "Success is just beyond the horizon."
@Nick Fanchette I understand and never said it was going to be easy. But just as Joe was saying......going to have to tough it out, might as well get started. Otherwise, this tragedy becomes a vicious cycle.....generation after generation. People gotta do what they gotta do to get out of bad situations. It could be worse, at least they don't have to emigrate to another country with nothing but a suitcase and not even speak the language.
