Hollow Folk and the Objective Observer

One of the most troubling aspects I confronted in making Rothstein's First Assignment was the myth of the objective observer.  In both Rothstein's depictions of his subjects and  Hollow Folk's findings about the same subjects, the presence of those 'documenting' residents of Corbin Hollow is cloaked in a shroud of invisibility.  The assumption of those doing the  documentation is that their presence does not impact the events they are studying.  The writers of Hollow Folk are detached scientists,  Rothstein is using an 'unobtrusive camera. '  We are given a story and a set of photographs in which the creators are absent. 

The actual theory behind Hollow Folk was especially troubling in its misuse of the idea of objectivity.   In the five Hollows that are 'studied' by its authors, it is reasoned that Corbin Hollow is the most backward (poor) because of its isolation from society.   That Corbin Hollow's current state of affairs can be explained by its isolation from society. 

Yet the idea that Corbin Hollow was the most backward mountain community in the area due to its location ignores the fact that Pollock's resort, Skyland, was right next to Corbin Hollow.  At the time of the writing of Hollow Folk, Corbin Hollow had a long established relationship to Skyland.   Some families had been employed by Pollock for decades,  while others had traditionally sold him firewood, moonshine and even snakes for his famous snake dance. 

Though Hollow Folk notes this employment of Corbin Hollow residents by Skyland, it does not take its influence on the community into account.  Perhaps because Miriam Sizer and other researchers stayed at Skyland, Hollow Folk extends its objective observer status to Pollock's resort thereby maintaining its central thesis of Corbin Hollow's isolation.  

George Pollock in A Trip to Skyland

An equally plausible explanation of Corbin Hollow's problems could actually be the presence of Skyland. Indeed when the depression hit, Skyland stopped providing the income Corbin Hollow residents had come to rely on.  George Pollock reduced his employment of Corbin Hollow residents as his resort lost business.  Since  many Corbin Hollow residents no longer  farmed, they had become dependent on this income to obtain food and other necessities.  As there were few if any alternative sources of income in the mountains, Corbin Hollow residents quickly descended into poverty with the advent of the depression.  In Audrey Horning's book, In the Shadow of Ragged Mountain, she notes a FERA report published in 1935 that recognizes this connection. 

Skyland Guest Dressed as an Indian (Native American)

To display this issue of objectivity in the film, I placed some writings from Hollow Folk with some archival footage from the film, A Trip to Skyland and Shenandoah National Park.   I did it in reverse to display that Hollow Folks authors could just as well be talking about themselves and other guests at Skyland.

Skyland Guests from A Trip to Skyland.

Pollocks parties at Skyland worked well to illustrate Hollow Folk.  In another instance of role reversal -a major theme that runs throughout Rothstein's First Assignment; I found that I could easily recast Pollock's guests as the subjects of Hollow Folk.  Pollock's costumed parties more clearly 'illustrated' the authors 'long journey from primitive ways of living to modern social order,'  than did the residents of the five hollows they were studying.  Even Pollock's famous snake dance reflected a common stereotype of the region, that of religious snake handling.