What does the author argue is the main contributor to wealth inequality as noted in the nonfiction book, What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia?

The essence of Catte’s argument is that the main contributor to the social problems in Appalachia is wealth inequality. Contrary to Vance’s assertion in Hillbilly Elegy that Appalachians themselves are genetically predisposed to certain behaviors that keep them impoverished, Catte argues that the region’s history demonstrates a long trend of economic exploitation. The region that spans Appalachia – which, as Catte reminds us, covers thirteen states in the eastern U.S – is rich with natural resources, such as coal, metals such as zinc and copper, and lumber; yet, for the most part, Appalachians are not the ones benefitting from these natural resources. Catte explains how the expansion of the railway system post-Civil War made rich industrialists move into Appalachia and acquire land cheaply – often by finagling it out of local landowners – all under the guise of American progress, the idea of which was being propagated in the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries alongside the growth of various industries. While the establishment of natural resource corporations in Appalachia provided means of employment, the combination of low wages, environmental destruction, and poor working conditions made it difficult for Appalachians to emerge out of their impoverishment.

Another factor that contributes to wealth inequality is political corruption among local Appalachian communities. Catte contends that the select few that hold most of the wealth, often business owners that own the industries, exert political influence on governmental bodies. For example, Huey Perry’s community action groups instigated several beneficial causes – such as attempts to improve infrastructure and schools, establish cooperative grocery stores to mitigate inflation, and expose electoral fraud – all of which were met with consternation by local politicians, who were often invested in the failure of these projects. Another incident that depicts the way that industries carry political influence is “second” battle of Blair Mountain, when the state preservation office in charge of listing Blair Mountain on the National Register suddenly rescinded the application due to supposed “procedural errors” (119). While Catte does not explicitly assert that corruption occurred, it is clear that the coal industry lobbied against the listing of Blair Mountain, so that they can keep strip mining, despite its hazardous effects on the environment, and on miners’ jobs.