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02-14-2009, 11:12 PM
TheBrahmaBull Wrote:Good post, the kids in EKY are just as worthy as the kids in other parts of the state. They are also as smart and are just as capable of making something of themselves as other kids are. I was raised in EKY and know the issues that the kids face, but when we become adults, we should be accountable for our own actions and make our own future. There is financial aid if kids want to go to school, and there are jobs at fast food places and such for those who do not. I think kids make excuses way too much and play the victim role instead of being accountable for the decisions they make.
Ok, so were you successful on your first try at everything? Did you have any one to rely on for support of any kind, and I don't necessarily mean financial? Yeah many of us have busted our butts to make something of ourselves, but does that have to make us insensitive to those who struggle? Did you EVER want to just give up, but you didn't? Maybe you were lucky enough to have that will and work ethic instilled in you, so that you COULD achieve and be successful. Some are not that lucky. I'm not sure who in particular you were referring to, but I took it as you were referring to the comments about Shawn, and that's what I'm responding to.
I do agree that adults should be accountable for their own actions, but just because he's 18 that doesn't mean he's mentally or emotionally able to think and act like an adult.
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02-15-2009, 01:13 AM
Every adult in that documentary is a piece of trash! PERIOD! They all had money for beer, smokes dope and everything else. Life is what you make of it, sitting around with a poor, poor pitiful me attitude will get you exactly what you seen. The kids are just victims of circumstance!
02-15-2009, 01:31 AM
I have to wonder how much attention was being paid to the broadcast: Shawn Grim quit college because he couldn't afford to eat, etc. The incest story was withdrawn, and who knows why it was put forward in the first place? Apparently there are a lot of people out there who do not realize that someone who cannot feed themselves properly lacks the stamina to get through the day, and do not have all their mental facilities working at 100%. Mountain Dew, chips, etc just don't cut it, and I agree with an earlier poster in that I will not buy that product again. So far as sleeping in his truck and the locker room, and showering at his friend's place, it seems to me that he has put forth a tremendous effort, and, thinking of myself at his age, I really wonder if I could have finished high school under those conditions.
It seems to me that the object of the show was to inform their viewing audience, perhaps in the hope that more tax dollars will be spent in that area. In the last 2 or 3 decades, the problems in this area have been shown on TV a number of times, and, in spite of Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson promising action, it seems very little has been done. Some of these types of problems exist in Canada, and it shames me; this situation still existing in the US after all these years should also shame those who have a better station in life.
I wish Shawn Grim all the best, and only wish I possessed the wherewithal to help out.
In regard to the coal mining industry, I applaud Mr Booth for how he operates.
It seems to me that the object of the show was to inform their viewing audience, perhaps in the hope that more tax dollars will be spent in that area. In the last 2 or 3 decades, the problems in this area have been shown on TV a number of times, and, in spite of Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson promising action, it seems very little has been done. Some of these types of problems exist in Canada, and it shames me; this situation still existing in the US after all these years should also shame those who have a better station in life.
I wish Shawn Grim all the best, and only wish I possessed the wherewithal to help out.
In regard to the coal mining industry, I applaud Mr Booth for how he operates.
02-15-2009, 02:47 AM
Yeah...I just love how they made everyone in Eastern KY look like a bunch toothless, uneducated, pill heads....
As for Shawn, i'm going to school rite now on financial aid and scholarships...i myself have don't have much money to do the "fun" things, and i'm still here....there's absolutely no excuse....
As i have seen already, of course 20/20 isn't going to show the whole story...if they did...it wouldn't seem as bad....television and media for ya!!
As for Shawn, i'm going to school rite now on financial aid and scholarships...i myself have don't have much money to do the "fun" things, and i'm still here....there's absolutely no excuse....
As i have seen already, of course 20/20 isn't going to show the whole story...if they did...it wouldn't seem as bad....television and media for ya!!
02-15-2009, 03:15 AM
ol'dad07 Wrote:Yeah...I just love how they made everyone in Eastern KY look like a bunch toothless, uneducated, pill heads....
As for Shawn, i'm going to school rite now on financial aid and scholarships...i myself have don't have much money to do the "fun" things, and i'm still here....there's absolutely no excuse....
As i have seen already, of course 20/20 isn't going to show the whole story...if they did...it wouldn't seem as bad....television and media for ya!!
Take it from an old guy who put his self through college while married after leaving the mines. Had it not been for my wife and the support of my family I could have been the same as Shawn. I came close to quiting several times. Without the support of my wife and family I would have never made it, Shawn did not have this. I am considered sucessful now and although I have worked hard to get here I would not have made it without the help of people who cared for me. Lets not be hard and play like we can make it through life without the help of others. Shawn deserves the same.
02-15-2009, 08:38 AM
Shawn, there are lots of people out there that believe in you. I say join the army. You would have a new family that cares about you. You would always have a roof over your head and food to eat. You could get a huge bonus or a good job on the outside. Free college and you would get out of whereever you are. I am in the army, and am a 23/F, I saw your story and it made me really sad. Anyways, I would really like to talk to you...NYKGIRL33@HOTMAIL.COM
02-15-2009, 03:55 PM
gish Wrote:I myself am on the football team at Pikeville College and have been since the 05 season so I was around Shawn everyday at practice. Shawn Grimm was not paying anything to goto Pikeville College and as far as school supplies go those were provided to him by our football staff. He may have not had money to do go out and do things but he was definitely taken care of while he was here. As far as his situation at home goes I feel terrible for him, nobody should have to go through life like that, BUT he had a chance to make things different and he chose to drop out. I think that he was frustrated with not getting to play a lot and part of that was due to his lack of commitment (missing weights and practice). My problem is not the fact that dropped out. College football is not for everyone, no matter what level it is. My problem is when people say that Pikeville College needs to step up because he says he can't afford it. Shawn Grimm is a good kid with a good heart but he was given all the opportunities he needed to succeed and he squandered those opportunities. Someone from ABC should have interviewed someone at Pikeville College before this was aired and gotten the entire story because you are rarely going to find an 18 year old kid that is going to say "I quit because i wasn't getting to play or I quit because I just couldn't take it anymore". He is a KID. No matter what all he has gone through he is still a child and like he said...isn't perfect. Hopefully Pikeville College was just a stepping stone for him to something else that may lead to him succeeding in life.
Great post. I think when he went to college he suffered from what most every outstanding high school athlete goes through. In high school the great athletes are looked up to by other students, are admired by community memebers and are a big deal to their coaches and then when they get to college there are 50-60 more people just like you and the hard work starts all over, you have to prove why you should be getting playing time and work your way back up the ladder and some if not most decide to quit instead. Most freshman get red shirts others don't even make the travel team, etc. You have to stick it out and earn whata you get. Because you were great in high school don't mean much to a college coach. Show up at practice, hit the weights, work hard, study harder thats what it takes and most teams will help you but you have to want it. He was given an opportunity be Pikeville and failed to take advantage of it.
02-16-2009, 12:26 AM
I didn't get a chance to see the story but a friend of mine that did said it was one of the sadest things he has ever seen. Not just the part about Grimm but the level of poverty in some parts of Eastern Kentucky as a whole.
This friend of mine has a friend that is a doctor from India. This man said that the conditions here are worse than anything in India because of the extent of the drug addiction problem.
Truely sad.
This friend of mine has a friend that is a doctor from India. This man said that the conditions here are worse than anything in India because of the extent of the drug addiction problem.
Truely sad.
02-16-2009, 12:56 AM
FBALL Wrote:I didn't get a chance to see the story but a friend of mine that did said it was one of the sadest things he has ever seen. Not just the part about Grimm but the level of poverty in some parts of Eastern Kentucky as a whole.
This friend of mine has a friend that is a doctor from India. This man said that the conditions here are worse than anything in India because of the extent of the drug addiction problem.
Truely sad.
I'm not buying that at all. Go to any inner city or Indian Reservation and you will no doubt see something just as bad or worse . I didn't see anyone living in a cardboard box. Everyone they showed all had a home to live in , most had vehicles to drive and were not starving. Also kind of funny that ABC did not show some of the very nice homes just a stones throw from where Grimm lives. As far as India, I have never been there but have seen things on the National Geographic Channel and like such much worse than what you see on these network explotations. Perhaps the India doctor had never been outside of his little domain either. I am sure that he is like most in the USA that have never actually gotten to see how all of the people in their own country live.
02-16-2009, 01:05 AM
Mr.Kimball Wrote:I'm not buying that at all. Go to any inner city or Indian Reservation and you will no doubt see something just as bad or worse . I didn't see anyone living in a cardboard box. Everyone they showed all had a home to live in , most had vehicles to drive and were not starving. Also kind of funny that ABC did not show some of the very nice homes just a stones throw from where Grimm lives. As far as India, I have never been there but have seen things on the National Geographic Channel and like such much worse than what you see on these network explotations. Perhaps the India doctor had never been outside of his little domain either. I am sure that he is like most in the USA that have never actually gotten to see how all of the people in their own country live.
It wasn't the fact that some people had so little that was worse. It was the drug problem. He said the poverty in India was bad but that the drugs addiction was not a contributing factor. Sure people over there had very little but they didn't make it worse by killing themselves with drugs. Just offering up a different point of view. Alot of our damage is self inflicted.
02-16-2009, 01:58 PM
I didn't see the story but did read the article that was posted. I think the big picture was to show that areas in the Mountains are very similar to those of the inner cities. I have worked in the inner parts of Cincinnati and Louisville but came from a small town that has lost most major means of employment. Most outsiders(myself included) think that most of the poverty is in the urban areas. I would hope that it opened the eyes to many whites that there are many white children that live this way. I hope I haven't offended but I think that they were just trying to show that poverty includes many, not just the kids in the ghetto which are usually of a minority race. I hope this helps in some way, or anyway, poverty is a hard thing to overcome.
02-16-2009, 03:04 PM
Not to get all political or to put blame on one party or the other I will dare say this, If our government would spend ½ of the time trying to help their own as they do trying to help other this kind of stuff would be as rare as an honest politician.
02-16-2009, 03:40 PM
DJCOOL Wrote:I don't and never will understand how people can drink that junk anyhow????? Tastes like pee in my opinion.
Who knows what PEE tastes like ?
02-16-2009, 04:02 PM
BlackBearDenMother Wrote:When I heard Diane Sawyer had been in Harlan County and was planning this special to air on 20/20, I dreaded it because they DO always show the worst. That being said, it was all true. There are thousands of kids who live that way every day of their lives. Now, all I wish is that she would come back and do a story on the flip-side of life in the mountains. There was an article in the local newspaper, the Harlan Daily Enterprise, on Thursday, the day before the 20/20 show aired, and it said they didn't want to see the brand new state of the art highschool that we have here in Harlan County. They didn't want to be taken to Woodland Hills or Caball Estates (two of the nicer areas in Harlan County). This show was focused on the drug problem in the Harlan County segment of the the show. But, I have to give Diane Sawyer and the producers a break....it was just a one-hour show that wanted to focus on bringing into the light and helping the poorest kids in Appalachia...but like I said, come back and do another story on the kids who come out of here and DO succeed.What good would that do other than stroking the ego of the Harlan County Big Shots.
As far as Shawn Grim, I really, really felt for him. I DON'T know him personally or know anything about his "work ethic", but when people are raised in that kind of situation and that is all they know, day in and day out, it is hard to push through and get a different mentality...it is easy for them to just give up and go back to what they have always known no matter how bad it is. Diane Sawyer said NO ONE in his family had ever even graduated from high school, much less gone to college. Also, we don't know what kind of scholarship he got from Pikeville (anyone who knows, feel free to comment), but I'm sure no matter what kind of shcolarship you get, you still need money for other things, money you have to come up with yourself, money he OBVIOUSLY wasn't getting from home. His support system he had always known through high school (coachees, friends, community) probably most likely WASN'T there for him anymore. He was like a "fish out of water" people. I just hope he does get another chance from some of the people who posted on the CBS website that they would be willing to help him. I hope he still has enough drive and fire in him to step up and accept the help and make a better life for himself.
02-16-2009, 04:17 PM
DevilsWin Wrote:What good would that do other than stroking the ego of the Harlan County Big Shots.
How would showing some of the kids who have been successful in our area stroke the ego of the so called Harlan County big shots? I'm not quite following. For those of us who live in the area, it is very embarrassing to think that people might perceive all of us are like those portrayed in the 20/20 special. Please PM me the names of these "Harlan County big shots" as we do not have any outside high school sports facilities and I'd like to ask them for a donation so that the "Shawn Grimm's" in our area can have a place to play football, baseball, track, tennis, etc.
02-16-2009, 04:53 PM
canoeman06 Wrote:Who knows what PEE tastes like ?
You evidently have never changed the diaper of a baby boy.
02-16-2009, 04:53 PM
A couple of things about the video(s).
#1 - Good for Shawn for trying to make something of himself. I remember watching highlights of him while he was at JC and what an unbelievable football player he was. Shawn, I hope you achieve all you want to in life. Someone who has worked as hard as you have to walk a different path deserves anything and everything they want, and I hope you get it. You're an amazing athlete and 10x a better person. We're all here for you, man! May God bless you!
#2 - I'm so freakin' sick and tired of people reporting how no one here has money, no one here can read, and everyone is either drunk or high. Yes, those things are in this region, and I'm not being nieve about it, but what about the other people of the Mountains who have jobs and are making pretty **** well for themselves and their families? We're here too? People wonder why the rest of America perceives us as they do. It gets old after a while of everyone assuming just because you're from eastern KY you can' read or write, you're a drunk, and you live in a box. I went out west to visit some family one year and this guy was surprised I had shoes on my feet when I said I was from eastern KY. It's frsutrating that we who are not poor, who are not addicted to drugs and who are not illiterate get thrown into that group of people who are all of those things!
#1 - Good for Shawn for trying to make something of himself. I remember watching highlights of him while he was at JC and what an unbelievable football player he was. Shawn, I hope you achieve all you want to in life. Someone who has worked as hard as you have to walk a different path deserves anything and everything they want, and I hope you get it. You're an amazing athlete and 10x a better person. We're all here for you, man! May God bless you!
#2 - I'm so freakin' sick and tired of people reporting how no one here has money, no one here can read, and everyone is either drunk or high. Yes, those things are in this region, and I'm not being nieve about it, but what about the other people of the Mountains who have jobs and are making pretty **** well for themselves and their families? We're here too? People wonder why the rest of America perceives us as they do. It gets old after a while of everyone assuming just because you're from eastern KY you can' read or write, you're a drunk, and you live in a box. I went out west to visit some family one year and this guy was surprised I had shoes on my feet when I said I was from eastern KY. It's frsutrating that we who are not poor, who are not addicted to drugs and who are not illiterate get thrown into that group of people who are all of those things!
02-16-2009, 04:58 PM
FBALL Wrote:This friend of mine has a friend that is a doctor from India. This man said that the conditions here are worse than anything in India because of the extent of the drug addiction problem.
Truely sad.
Good point FBall.
My wife and i saw this movie a couple years ago about India. It is a shocking movie about horrible lives of children in India......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_into_Brothels
As for Shawn...this kid was prepared, groomed and given examples of how to fail his whole life. Graduatiing high school was a huge milestone in his family. Now he is given a free ride to college and he fails.....not surprising. College and sports is tough for well prepared stufdents.
I second the Army plan. Here this kid can learn structure and be taught how to succeed. And maybe later he can go to college.....
One other thing...i wondered if he was struggling at Pikeville Football camp because of his knee injury.....? He just had the operation the previous spring.
02-16-2009, 05:13 PM
Mama Bear Wrote:How would showing some of the kids who have been successful in our area stroke the ego of the so called Harlan County big shots? I'm not quite following. For those of us who live in the area, it is very embarrassing to think that people might perceive all of us are like those portrayed in the 20/20 special. Please PM me the names of these "Harlan County big shots" as we do not have any outside high school sports facilities and I'd like to ask them for a donation so that the "Shawn Grimm's" in our area can have a place to play football, baseball, track, tennis, etc.The situation Mr Grimm is in is more important than bragging on the fancy new High School.
The kids who are successful don't need the attention because there is no cause for action.
02-16-2009, 07:20 PM
DevilsWin Wrote:The situation Mr Grimm is in is more important than bragging on the fancy new High School.
The kids who are successful don't need the attention because there is no cause for action.
Unfortunately there are some "Shawn Grimm" type kids in our area. There are also some success stories. If Diane Sawyer wants to do a show about the poor children of the mountains then she needs to at least offer some hope to them and show that there are things that we are doing in our area to improve the situation....including our "fancy new high school". Unless you are from Eastern Kentucky, I suppose it is hard to understand how unsettling it is that we are forever more being portrayed as the toothless, barefooted, drugged up hillbillies. Grimm's story is very compelling and it once again shows how important extracurricular activities like football, basketball, band, etc are. I think we would all agree that if Mr. Grimm hadn't been involved in football during high school, he probably wouldn't have graduated.
02-16-2009, 08:01 PM
I read somewhere that when Coach Matney heard of Shawn's situation, he provided means of housing for his player. Now, that was never mentioned and I had even more bad vibes against Matney and the school system. I feel much relieved and feel much better about Matney, I just hope it was true.
02-16-2009, 09:29 PM
DevilsWin Wrote:The situation Mr Grimm is in is more important than bragging on the fancy new High School.
The kids who are successful don't need the attention because there is no cause for action.
My Gosh!!! Who said anything about bragging on the "fancy new highschool". I said in my post that what the 20/20 special showed was ALL true.....but WHY, WHY, WHY can't they ever show anything positive from Southeastern Ky, along with all the poverty, people on welfare and foodstamps, illiteracy, toothlessness, pill-popping, pot-smokiing, practically homeless drug addicts who could care less about their kids. There are some of us here who actually do work, own homes and cars, have their original teeth, and MOST IMPORTANTLY take care of our kids and put them first!!!
Would you like to enlighten us as to where you are from DevilsWin???
02-16-2009, 10:46 PM
BlackBearDenMother Wrote:My Gosh!!! Who said anything about bragging on the "fancy new highschool". I said in my post that what the 20/20 special showed was ALL true.....but WHY, WHY, WHY can't they ever show anything positive from Southeastern Ky, along with all the poverty, people on welfare and foodstamps, illiteracy, toothlessness, pill-popping, pot-smokiing, practically homeless drug addicts who could care less about their kids. There are some of us here who actually do work, own homes and cars, have their original teeth, and MOST IMPORTANTLY take care of our kids and put them first!!!You know I pretty much agree with everything you say. The people that have decided to go out and make it on their own should also be included in the grand scenario. There is money in Johnson and the surrounding counties, but most of the time all that gets the press is the negative side of everything.:HitWall:
Would you like to enlighten us as to where you are from DevilsWin???
02-16-2009, 11:37 PM
I find it hard to believe that the parents of the JC football players would have let this kid sleep in his truck every night. I also was told that Pikeville College offer to reinstate him on a full ride and some people in the community would help with other expenses and he turned it down.
Before you jump on my comments you need to understand where I came from. One thing that these mountains have is coal. He could get a job in the coal mines. I know people would want to help him out. He has to want to help his self.
A preacher once told me if you lay with the dogs, you will start scatching like a dog, you will start barking like a dog and the next thing you know you are a dog. He needs to get away from his family and do what is best for him. Good luck and my prayers are with him and his family.
Before you jump on my comments you need to understand where I came from. One thing that these mountains have is coal. He could get a job in the coal mines. I know people would want to help him out. He has to want to help his self.
A preacher once told me if you lay with the dogs, you will start scatching like a dog, you will start barking like a dog and the next thing you know you are a dog. He needs to get away from his family and do what is best for him. Good luck and my prayers are with him and his family.
02-17-2009, 12:02 AM
hootie Wrote:I find it hard to believe that the parents of the JC football players would have let this kid sleep in his truck every night. I also was told that Pikeville College offer to reinstate him on a full ride and some people in the community would help with other expenses and he turned it down.
Before you jump on my comments you need to understand where I came from. One thing that these mountains have is coal. He could get a job in the coal mines. I know people would want to help him out. He has to want to help his self.
A preacher once told me if you lay with the dogs, you will start scatching like a dog, you will start barking like a dog and the next thing you know you are a dog. He needs to get away from his family and do what is best for him. Good luck and my prayers are with him and his family.
Yup, and my daddy told me "If it looks like it and smells like it, you shouldn't have to taste it to know what it is":redboxer:
02-17-2009, 01:09 AM
BlackBearDenMother Wrote:My Gosh!!! Who said anything about bragging on the "fancy new highschool". I said in my post that what the 20/20 special showed was ALL true.....but WHY, WHY, WHY can't they ever show anything positive from Southeastern Ky, along with all the poverty, people on welfare and foodstamps, illiteracy, toothlessness, pill-popping, pot-smokiing, practically homeless drug addicts who could care less about their kids. There are some of us here who actually do work, own homes and cars, have their original teeth, and MOST IMPORTANTLY take care of our kids and put them first!!!I am from Flatwoods. A small town in Greenup Co.
Would you like to enlighten us as to where you are from DevilsWin???
I lived in Corbin for 3 years. My wife worked at a Orthodontist in Harlan during that time and she drove "H3LL for Certain" 3-4 days a week. I know all about it you big Black Bear! LOL
Instead of getting mad about what 20/20 doesn't show, think about this for a moment.
Would it inspire anyone on the outside or wake up anyone on the outside of Eastern Ky if they showed the perfect kid in the perfect neighborhood making perfect grades at the perfect school?
You say "why don't they show the positive stuff" to inspire the kids right here.
The kids here see kids doing well. Do they change? Some of them do some of them don't.
How many kids do you think watch 20/20?
So what good would it do for the people who are struggling to see people who are not struggling.
What good would it do to show people who want to make a difference and go to places where help is needed a bunch of kids wearing Polo shirts and making straight A's.
Like I said before it might make you feel better about your community but it doesn't inspire action.
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