It’s a cultural epithet

Regarding “Drawn to the Family” by Glenn Whipp [Nov. 24] and other coverage of the movie “Hillbilly Elegy”: As a native son of Appalachia and the Rust Belt, hard on the Monongahela River, I can tell you that the word “hillbilly” is quite pejorative and will never be a term of endearment.

Although not a racial epithet, you’d be ill-advised to call someone in a grocery store in Morgantown, W.Va., a hillbilly to his face. It exemplifies condescension.

Making a movie with the name in the title is another way to ensure that millions of people will always vote against those perceived to be Hollywood elites.

Kevin H. Park Westlake Village