We’ve all heard the word. It’s really not new to anyone. But do you really understand what it means? The word “townie” is used to describe residents in the Town of Farmville, but it also carries a heavier definition than simply where a person lives.
Cainan Townsend, a junior at Longwood University, was born and raised in the Town of Farmville. He said that when growing up he was “completely oblivious” to any tensions between the town and the university.
“I didn’t even know what the word ‘townie’ was until I got to college, and that’s when red flags started getting waved,” Townsend said.
Townsend stated that the term is typically used to describe African-Americans in a derogatory manner, adding, “I find it completely offensive and disrespectful.”
Despite the term being capable of applying to the non- African-American population of Farmville residents, Townsend said, “It’s more of a sense of joking if you use it at a Caucasian or non-African-American person.”
“For me, ‘townie’ is no better than calling someone the N-word because the negative connotation is carried to me, and that’s a lot deeper than most people perceive it, but that’s how I perceive it,” Townsend said.
When he was a freshman, Townsend stated that there were many instances where people reacted negatively to him based on his race. He commented that one friend of his from his Longwood Seminar, or LSEM, course said that Townsend looked “intimidating.”
“You can just tell the way people look at you sometimes,” he said.
Townsend stated that several of his African-American friends have experienced negative experiences, including being yelled at and called “townies,” even if they were students at Longwood University and not residents of the Town of
Farmville. Most of the complaints Townsend hears about “townies” tend to be at parties hosted on Buffalo Street.
He described a few his own experiences. One situation involved a person yelling, “Townies, get out.” Another involved a person pulling out a knife while on their porch, saying, “No townies allowed.” On the wall in one of the houses, Townsend alleged that there was a spear that was called the “townie spear.”
Despite attempting to enter parties open campus-wide on Buffalo Street, Townsend stated that he has been told to leave or to show his student identification card, while people ask him if he is a resident in the Town of Farmville.
“I just find it astounding that people can react so much on first appearances of other people,” Townsend said.
Townsend stated that he gets offended by the term “townie,” not only because it pertains to him, but to his friends and family.
He stated that he heard students making fun of workers in Dorrill Dining Hall (D-Hall) because they were residents in the Town of Farmville.
Townsend said, “I know these people.”
Considering what may have contributed to what he calls a “disconnect” between Farmville and Longwood University, Townsend said that it may relate to the lack of action from Longwood University to assist Prince Edward County during the Massive Resistance.
“Their silence and lack of action is basically condoning Prince Edward County shutting down the schools, and that’s probably [what] may have made Prince Edward County a little bit bitter about the fact that they could have done something. They could have done anything, but they chose not to act,” he said.
Despite this, Townsend said that he has seen improvements in the relationship between the Town of Farmville and Longwood University.
Cris Rhodes, a senior at Longwood University, was born in Richmond but was raised in the town of Farmville from the age of 12 to the present.
Growing up in Farmville, Rhodes said, “I honestly didn’t know that it had a negative connotation, and I think in high school I associated it with anyone who was from Farmville who was not actively participating in Longwood ... but now I know that it has a negative racial connotation. So, I kind of regret the fact that we used it in such a dismissive manner.”
Despite never having been called a “townie,” Rhodes said that she has heard people use the term in front of her. She described hearing students from Longwood University describe their African-American neighbors as “townies” in a “really derogatory fashion.”
“It was really startling ... It was really weird, and I didn’t really know what to do about it because how do you educate someone who this has become so ingrained in them?” Rhodes said.
Rhodes stated, “I think people are afraid of what they don’t know and don’t understand, and unfortunately, we’re socialized in this day and age to think that every person that we see on the street that’s different from us and doesn’t reflect our view of the norm is bad or scary.”
She added, “I’m aware that the only really heinous crimes that have happened in Farmville are few and far between, and they were not committed by black people. So, I see that there is nothing to fear, and there is nothing to reject.”
Gena Southall, associate professor of Secondary English Education, was also born and raised in Farmville. She stated that on the first day of class, she will inform her students of this, saying, “I’m proud of that. I’m proud of this area. I’m proud of my family’s position in the community.”
Commenting on how she views the term “townie,” Southall said, “I hate that word.”
She added, “It’s not a word I care for ... I think when you use the word ‘townie’ ... the connotation that comes with that is maybe a more negative, not open-minded way to look at things.”
Southall stated that she has heard students use the term “townie” in her classes but commented that she could not remember what the students said.
She commented on how students who were residents in the Town of Farmville responded to the term being used in class, saying, “I think if you have students in your classes who are from Farmville, who are from the area ... they can get very defensive because sometimes students who come to Longwood from other areas can be a little critical of ... “
Southall did not state exactly what students may be critical of, only stating that the term “townie” may describe someone who is “not worldly” or “not open-minded.”
Despite describing the relationship students have to residents of Farmville as “not a source of fear, but ... maybe a source of uneasiness,” according to Southall. “I feel like people in town are really open and really want to make that connection.”
Southall stated that she believes the overall interaction between Longwood University students and the residents in the Town of Farmville is good.
“They [Longwood students] are very well-received. People welcome them,” Southall said.
Rhodes added, “I certainly hope that students don’t listen to their peers if their peers are telling them some dumb thing about Farmville, so if somebody hears something that they think is inflammatory or incorrect, I hope that people fact check. I hope that people seek a second opinion about the town and about the people who live in this town because I think there are a lot of really great people who live in this town, and if you listen to all of the stories around town, you don’t get the full picture.”
For students who do use the term, “townie,” Townsend said, “It’s just ignorance, and I try to teach ... but it’s not something that’s not going away.”
