What is the pessimism theme and why?
According to Vance, Appalachians see their situation as one that is essentially unchangeable. As such, many refuse to accept any personal responsibility for their situations and do nothing to remedy them. This behavior, also known as learned helplessness, further intensifies both individual and social inertia, and creates a self-fulfilling negative prophecy, a vicious spiral of ever-downward mobility that keeps Appalachians trapped in multi-generational cycles of poverty, unemployment, and welfare dependence. Feeling isolated, abandoned by American society at large, depressed, and hopeless, many turn to drugs and alcohol either out of boredom or in an attempt to numb their psychic pain. Unfortunately, this also tends to raise levels of already-prevalent crime, violence, and familial dysfunction, further deepening feelings of depression and despair, and ultimately, reinforcing the belief that the system is not fixable and that quality of life will never improve. Thus, one can see how this demographic’s way of life generates so much hopelessness and negativity, and, given their societal predilection for learned helplessness, why breaking that cycle has been so difficult. One is tempted to say that where Appalachians are concerned, pessimism is not just a pervasive theme interwoven in Vance's memoir but also a way of life.
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