Reading for 1/29

The first article titled "Kentuckians" by Ronald Baker, was a series of jokes heard in Indiana about people from Kentucky. Many early Indiana residents migrated from Kentucky to the state. Northerners liked to look down on Southerners in this time period, so jokes were a good way to make derogatory comments about another group of people. Residents of Indiana did not want to be identified with the southern "hillbillies" of Kentucky, so they used jokes as a way to show their superiority over their southern neighbors. Most of the jokes were directed at Kentuckians lack of education and stupidity. This was to illustrate that Indiana residents were not rednecks like people from Kentucky were, but more sophisticated.
The second article titles Indiana Story teller by Herbert Halpert, was a series of stories recorded from a Bloomington resident named Jim Pennington. Jim had lived in Indiana most of his life and collected stories from many different people. He recalled times in his youth when the only entertainment in town was to trade stories back and forth with one another to pass the time. Many of the stories are considered tall tales. None of them have any real truth to them but some have a kind of hidden message to them. Some stories were about catching a giant fish, or killing hundreds of animals with one bullet while hunting. Many of the stories had to do with good or bad luck.
I personally feel like jokes about people from Kentucky are evolving into jokes about people from Southern Indiana. Northern Indiana and Southern Indiana are two completely different areas geographically, culturally, economically, and ethnically. I have heard many derogatory comments growing up about people from Southern Indiana much more than jokes about people from Kentucky. It's very possible that Kentucky jokes are more used in Southern Indiana than from I am from. 
The story telling article was an interesting read. People collect coins, art, music; but Jim collected stories. He could remember where and who he learned most of his stories, connecting them to a point in his life. The stories came from many other people, but became a part of Jim's identity as a story teller. The stories seemed like a way to add comedy or tragedy to normal day activities like farming or hunting.

Questions to consider:
1.  Why do you think it was necessary for people from Indiana to develop jokes as a way to make themselves superior to Kentuckians?
2. Technology is making face to face communication less and less over time. Will this cause tall tales and stories to disappear from every day life?