Podcast Summary: "Dolly Parton's America"

Podcast: Dolly Parton’s America
Episode: Episode 7 – “Dolly Parton’s America”
Date: December 3, 2019
Host: Jad Abumrad
Producer: Shima Oliaee
Key Guests/Contributors: University of Tennessee students; Professor Lynn Sacco; historians Elizabeth Catte and Wilma Dunaway; Dolly Parton (archival and interview clips)

Overview: Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into the complexity of Dolly Parton's place in American culture, particularly her role as an icon of Appalachian identity. Through the lens of a University of Tennessee history class named “Dolly Parton’s America,” the show explores themes of regional pride, shame, stereotypes, economic exploitation, and the power—and problems—of hero figures like Dolly. The episode unpacks how Appalachian students wrestle with both adoration and resentment toward Dolly, and how her public persona intersects with painful histories of regional caricature and marginalization.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dolly Parton’s America College Class [01:30–06:56]

• Host Jad Abumrad and producer Shima Oliaee attend a University of Tennessee class called “Dolly Parton’s America,” taught by Professor Lynn Sacco.
• The course was inspired by Dolly’s honorary doctorate speech at UT and asks students: “What is Dolly Parton’s America?”
• [03:31] Prof. Sacco on Dolly: “I’m 63 and in second wave feminism. I consider her an embarrassment.” Sacco admits Dolly challenged her initial biases.
• [04:57] Dolly’s Speech (archival): Sense of childhood dreaming and sincerity that moved listeners and changed minds.

2. Student Experiences: Regional Identity & Shame [06:56–17:18]

• Students introduce themselves as natives of very small Southern towns, many first-generation college students from religious backgrounds who "grew up with Dolly."
• The notion of Dolly as a “Southern Jesus” figure, worshipped with almost religious fervor—especially visible in stories about college football and Dolly’s spiritual power connected to school pride.
  Quotes:
  • “[07:55] F: Saint Dolly.”
  • “[10:20] F: I’m a very religious person...it was a very religious experience. The power of Dolly Parton.”
• Several recount experiences of being pressured to lose their Southern accents to be taken seriously.
  • “[14:20] D: ...my mom was like, hey, we need to sit down. If you want people to take you seriously, we’re gonna have to work on the way you talk.”
  • “[15:41] F: I willed my... I willingly got rid of my accent because...kids wouldn’t talk to me... they treat me like I was like four.”

3. Tracing Hillbilly Stereotypes: Historical Context [17:18–28:35]

• The class essays focus on prevailing themes of shame and “hillbilly” stereotypes in Appalachian identity.
• Extensive historical journey:
  • Travel writers and media in the late 1800s/early 1900s skewed perceptions, painting the region as populated by backward, peculiar “natives.”
  • Silent movies and later Hollywood cemented hillbilly caricatures.
  • Settlement schools and liberal arts colleges in Appalachia exploited stereotypes to raise funds—per historian Wilma Dunaway:
    “They constructed...this rhetoric. ‘You have to save [them] from themselves.’” [24:14–24:23]
  • Economic exploitation: Northern industrialists used these myths to justify taking land and labor, especially in coal mining.
  • The term “redneck” arose in the Battle of Blair Mountain (1921), signifying unionists—later turned into a slur.
    • Historian Elizabeth Catte:
      “Hillbilly was a degrading term for white people who politically organized with African Americans.” [28:00]

4. Dolly’s Role: Reinforcing or Resisting Stereotypes? [29:14–34:44]

• Students hotly debate whether Dolly perpetuates or resists these harmful tropes.
  • “[29:26] I: She’s making money off of it...she is profiting off of this practice.”
  • “[30:12] E (Elizabeth Catte): Dolly is an extractive capitalist. But what Dolly extracts are ideas and not minerals.”
  • Others argue that Dolly’s unapologetic Southernness is empowering:
    • “[31:27] D: ...it was really important to me to have a role model who was unapologetically where she was from.”
    • “[32:26] E: Dolly has always been sort of a validation of the Appalachian identity...it just made it feel better to be Appalachian.”

5. Material Impact: Dolly’s Philanthropy [33:28–34:44]

• Students acknowledge the direct economic and educational impact of Dolly’s initiatives, such as Dollywood employment, scholarships, Imagination Library, and disaster relief.
  • “[33:34] E: ...she employs, like, all these people. And then also her book drive.”
  • “[33:57] B (Jad): ...after the Gatlinburg fires, she raised $12 million to help people...rebuild.”

6. The Problem of Ongoing Shame & Respect [34:44–36:07]

• Students question why, if Dolly helps so much, stigma about Southern identity persists.
  • “[34:44] C: If Dolly exploited the history but helps the people, then why are people like Hannah still being bullied for having a Southern accent?”
• Lively debate over whether Dolly legitimizes or undercuts Southern respectability.

7. Naming Institutions & Taking Dolly Seriously [35:06–35:45]

• Discussion on whether naming the UT College of Arts and Sciences after Dolly would elevate or diminish the institution.
  • “[35:26] F: I would hate that so much.”
  • “[35:35] D: Maybe you don’t want to take her advice on how to do arts and science.”

8. Dolly’s Perspective: Pride vs. Shame [36:07–38:40]

• Dolly herself weighs in on the debate about whether she perpetuates harmful images:
  • “[36:07] H (Dolly): I really don’t...I hate it with all my heart when they do stereotype country people in...Hollywood.”
  • “There’s a gentleness and a warmth and a realness...to just pure country people that’s sacred.”
  • On changing for others:
    • “[37:35] H: ...I would rather people have to listen a little closer...than to try to fake it and say it in a way that is not real for me.”
    • “I just don’t get that when people have to change their accent to please somebody else. But if you feel it’s right for you, that’s fine too. Choices, choices. We have choices.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Prof. Lynn Sacco on Dolly's image, pre-conversion:

  “I consider her an embarrassment.” [03:31]

• A student's summary of shame:

  “I used to have a thicker Southern accent, and I kind of repress it now, and I kind of wish that I had not done that.” [13:20]

• On being compelled by Dolly:

  “The power of Dolly compelled the Vols to win.” [09:13]

• On accent and intelligence:

  “If you want people to take you seriously, we’re gonna have to work on the way you talk.” [14:20]

• Prof. Wilma Dunaway on stereotypes as fundraising tools:

  “They constructed...‘You have to save [them] from themselves.’” [24:16]

• Student debate over Dolly’s role:

  “Dolly is an extractive capitalist. But what Dolly extracts are ideas and not minerals.” (Elizabeth Catte) [30:12]

  “To see a woman be so ambitious and...unapologetically Appalachian...it just made it feel better to be Appalachian.” [32:26]

• Dolly Parton on stereotypes:

  “There’s a gentleness and a warmth and a...thing about just pure country people that’s sacred.” [36:07]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:30–06:56 — Introduction to the class and the framing question: What is Dolly Parton's America?
• 06:56–17:18 — Students describe their background, regional shame, and pressure to change.
• 17:18–28:35 — Deep dive into Appalachian stereotypes, their history, and their social/economic effects.
• 29:14–34:44 — Debate about Dolly as a helper or exploiter of Appalachian identity.
• 34:44–36:07 — The limits of Dolly’s influence and continued stigma.
• 36:07–38:40 — Dolly herself responds about pride, representation, and authenticity.

Conclusion

The episode layers personal testimony, academic analysis, and Dolly’s own thoughts to illustrate the deep, ongoing tensions within Appalachian identity—and how Dolly Parton, intentionally or not, sits at the nexus of stereotype, empowerment, pride, and pain. Far from resolving this “hot mess,” the host leaves listeners with a portrait of both the strengths and complexities in the “Dollyverse”—and the ways public figures like Dolly can heal or exacerbate regional wounds.

For next time:
The episode teases a coming exploration of Dolly’s approach to race, memory, and historical controversy—continuing the series’ deep dive into the contradictions and impact of one of America’s most beloved icons.