Ethyl comments on 'The Beverly Hillbillies'

In the early sixties when 'The Beverly Hillbillies' began to air on national television, some people in the rural south took umbrage at the show's portrayal of southern people. I remember one day after the first episode aired on Wednesday night in our time zone, one of my fellow classmates quoting her father as saying, 'that's just city people making fun of country people'. Never the less, I loved the show and it never failed to make me laugh. Since I have grown up and have been watching the reruns I've often thought about my classmate's remarks.
It's true Jed Clampett was portrayed as ignorant and backward when it came to big city ways. It could truly be said about him and his family they were fish out of water, so to speak, when it came to Beverly Hills culture, but old Jed was never betrayed as stupid. Some people just don't seem to understand the difference between ignorant and stupid. An ignorant person may be devoid of knowledge of certain things, whereas a stupid person doesn't have the ability to assimilate said knowledge. In watching the show as it replayed over the years, I've come to appreciate just how shrew old Jed was. He was able to see through con men who desired his money and it could be said Jed was never one to be bought and sold or complimented into giving away his integrity. He always freely gave to those who were truly needy and deserved a helping hand, but he was always able to see the true intentions of the lazy and shiftless who just wanted a hand out.
When it came to qualities of the heart, Jed was far above the rest. He was hard working, honest to a fault, loyal to friends and family, generous beyond words. You never heard Jed utter a profanity. His most frequent outburst when he began to grasp a new idea or principal was 'whee doggies'. He demanded respect from his children and if he didn't get it, he took steps to insure the next time he would. It's true he is portrayed as wearing old worn out clothes and a hat that has seen it's better days, but Granny always insisted those clothes as well as that enormous house were clean and well scrubbed down, even if it involved back breaking work.
One thing that was a regular comical line on the show was the food the Clampetts ate. But in all truthfulness, meat is meat and food is food. It's true I wouldn't relish eating an owl's egg, but in fact an egg is an egg. What would make a chicken egg so much better? They are both birds. One is cultivated for it produce, the other is wild, but in fact one would differ very little from the other. Isn't there something to be said of making the most of what we have. Of being able to improvise and using what is at hand to keep our families alive. When it comes to the critters they ate, isn't what is acceptable mostly a matter of culture. In some cultures the people eat their dogs. Although the thought is revolting to the vast majority of us, those same people might gag at the thought of eating a filthy swine who had been rolling in the mud and eating whatever it could put in its' mouth the day before.
On the other hand, the city people of Beverly Hills are often portrayed as lazy, greedy, money hungry, social climbing, arrogant snobs with the inability to do anything for themselves and even needing a paid servant to hand them their pants in the morning.
I have often thought of the comment made by my fellow student's father and in reflecting on his comment asked myself which is more important. The qualities one has developed inside, in the secret person of the heart, or what one eats for food or wears on the outside. It seems to me in this particular instance, the southern people on this show were portrayed as being the heroes, the solid citizens, the best of the lot. And why on earth would anyone ever take offence at that.