What does "Redneck" mean to you?

[Nikia]

I have seen a few posts using the term, at least one where is was universally applied to rural white people. I try not to use the term on public message boards or in mixed company because I consider the term offensive. I have lived in rural areas my whole life, mostly Ohio and Wisconsin, and there the term is not complimentary. It is not a general term refer to everyone who is white and rural, not even farmers or laborers. It is about someone with a specific attitude, way of life, and mannerisms. A "redneck" is white and rural but also is ignorant (usually willfully), xenophobic (bigotted in most ways including against people who aren't from around here), is rude, and dislikes change. I could include more, but these are the basics by what is meant by it. I am ashamed to admit that I do use the word when I talk to friends who are not "rednecks" derogatorily the same way that someone who is racist might use the word "nigger" or "wetback".
No one has ever called me "redneck" which I am glad about. It makes me uneasy though how it is being thrown around. I am aware that some people including Bill Clinton refer to himself as "redneck" but I think it is more of a word reclaiming joke. If the word "nigger" wasn't such a charged word it would be like Colin Powell referring to himself as that for people who associate the word more with black urban rap stereotype.

[wicket]

1. "redneck" meaning

A "redneck" is white and rural but also is ignorant (usually willfully), xenophobic (bigotted in most ways including against people who aren't from around here), is rude, and dislikes change.

I'm originally from rural Vermont, and your description is exactly what it means around there.

[Selwynn]

29. Good definition.

[mouse7]

59. Read post #58

[slackmaster]

2. It's a term of endearment in some places

I have met many people who regard themselves as proud rednecks, and would never take offense at the term no matter who is using it or in what manner.

...A "redneck" is white and rural but also is ignorant (usually willfully), xenophobic (bigotted in most ways including against people who aren't from around here), is rude, and dislikes change....

Everything after the word "rural" is your stereotype talking. As is the case with most stereotypes it contains a kernel of truth, but those negatives do not apply to all people who consider themselves to be rednecks.

BTW I consider myself to be an amalgam of redneck, hippie, nerd, and anarchist.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

3. Here in Southern New Mexico,

a redneck is usually a cowboy type person. They may be democat or republican but most often republican.Around here it is offensive to the cowboys.

[AspenRose]

20. Yeah the vaqueros don't like that much.

And welcome to DU my New Mexican brother! :hi:

[Celeborn Skywalker]

54. Thanx

:hi:

[RoadRunner]

55. Hi to both DesertedRose & jaredh above.

From another New Mexican.

[pop goes the weasel]

4. "redneck" is a classist term

Used by the white middle class to congratulate themselves on their superiority to the white working class. And it has the bonus feature of conveniently displacing all the past and present sins of racism from those who financially gain from it to those who are placated into subservience by it.

[BeFree]

8. Good one, pop

I am a redneck. Not because of what I think, but because I work out doors. Now, while it is true that most outdoor workers are looked down upon by white collar workers because of the dis-similarity of education levels, not all us rednecks are as stupid as we look. In fact, some of us are dumber. Especially those who would fight their fellow rednecks in a battle arranged by the landlords.

That's how the term redneck got it's negative connotation. A lot of the dumber ones live the religion of slavery and oppression foisted upon us by the landlords.

Actually, I consider myself to be a cultured redneck.<grin>

[slackmaster]

14. LOL - good post

I'm a closet redneck. I keep my hair in a long ponytail and wear a goatee, and I work on computers, so everyone just assumes I'm an old hippie techie.

[dogman]

73. I work with a fellow who says he's

a high-tech redneck. To me it means I was out mowing yesterday. In the 60's their were long-hairs and rednecks, both used them in reference to themselves but meant it derogatorily about the other.

[pop goes the weasel]

18. thank you

When I was a kid in the 1960s, I used to wonder why the local Mexican-Americans and blacks duked it out for the lowest rung on the ladder instead of joining forces. When I got a little older, I realized that the same logic applied to me and mine. There's nothing to be gained by participating in your own subordination.

The Republicans have made it perfectly clear that the thing they fear most is that the Democrats will start to talk to oppressed groups on the basis of class consciousness, and thus they work hard at keeping the walls of religious and ethnic division high. And they keep poor whites either voting Republican or not voting at all by pointing out every instance in which Democrats insult them.

[mitchum]

24. A great post!

Very accurate analysis

[Selwynn]

25. So is "blue collar" but no one cares.

[Selwynn]

28. .

[DAGDA56]

5. Without going down a list of stereotypes...

...to me the main difference between a rural (usually Southern) white person and a redneck, is that the redneck WANTS to be thought of as a redneck. Redneckedness is something to aspire to. As a result, the first thing red neck wanna be's do is latch onto the stereotypes.

[Catfight]

6. Uneducated, bigoted, toothless, twang-talking, walmart shopping,

Bush beer drinking, truck driving, women beating, shirtless wearing, BBQ'ing, toothpick chewing, radical thinking, kill what they don't understand, spitting, generic cigarette smoking, lawn as a garbage dump, "morans." In Florida, we have so many rednecks, I go crazy.

True story just last week, I drive into the gas station, the pump wouldn't read my credit card, I drive to the next pump number, again, wouldn't read my credit card. I go into the station where the slowest-cashier-in-the-world, redneck is working on a lottery ticket.I asked her if all the pumps were not working, she says, "sometimes it do, sometimes it don't." Redneck talk, it drives me insane.

[BeFree]

11. Ya need to go back north, then. eh?

That's funny. Your priceless credit card wouldn't work and you blame the rednecks for your problem!

[Catfight]

13. I didn't see any blame there...and it worked inside the store.

[molly]

7. Half of the people calling into C-span

[r_u_stuck2]

9. As an old man

I believe originally it was used to describe farmers in the south. Lots of you folks will not realize it but it was customary when working in the fields to wear long sleeve shirts and big hats to protect from the sun. These folks worked out in the sun all day long and were well aware of the effects that the sun can have on skin. However, when leaning over as in planting, plowing, picking, cultivating, the neck became unprotected hence became red. The merchants in towns began to call them "rednecks" to differentiate from the merchant class.

They usually were un-educated because there was limited time for education. Distance to schools was a major factor since there was not any mode of transportation in the early 1900's other than walking, and horse or mule, thus limiting educational opportunities.

As with all word definitions (gay being one example) these definitions evolve over time.

Many other words take on other connotations also.

Only you can allow a word to hurt.

[pop goes the weasel]

17. It's not a matter of whether a word hurts

The use of certain words reveals a lot about the person who uses them. A person may be an uneducated redneck, but that doesn't make them an idiot--they can tell when folks are looking down their noses at them. Who cares what word is used? It's the attitude that accompanies it that counts.

[dae]

64. That is exactly what I heard from my father and others. Thank you for

being so gracious to give some of these youngsters a sociology lesson.
:)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. Arkansans prefer it to "hillbilly"

which is considered derogatory.

Anyone down here would never consider anyone from the rural upper Midwest a redneck because they have too much education, and their schools are good!

That being said, around here a redneck is considered someone who is a beer drinking, sports loving (local football, NASCAR), hunter or fisherman (or both) who has a large pickup truck.

Hillbillies, on the other hand, are even more stupid than rednecks, and tend to be lazy and lax in sanitary habits.

There is a streak of anti-intellectualism that makes some Arkansans proud to have a school system based on nepotism and ranked 49th in the nation.

[slackmaster]

16. The polite term for hillbillies is "mountain people"

Referring to the Appalachian foothills where they live. Or so I was taught while visiting the Carolinas.

Hillbillies, on the other hand, are even more stupid than rednecks, and tend to be lazy and lax in sanitary habits.

I'll raise the ante on that one. The worst sanitary habits I've ever heard of were those of Hutterites that my grandfather told me about. He had once gone to visit them in Canada, southern Manitoba IIRC in the late 1950s. They had no refrigeration, so relied on salting and drying to preserve meats. Grandpa's description of the flies and maggots made me almost hurl when I was a young child.

But the funniest story was of one particular Hutterite man (which grandpa called "Huttish", as German was his first language). In 1917 my grandfather was one of 42 young men of various Anabaptist sects who tried to register as Conscientious Objectors on religious grounds during World War I. The men were held in a prison camp while awaiting trial.

The Hutterite man refused to bathe. Prison guards finally got so disgusted with his body odor that, with help from several prisoners, they stripped the Hutterite down to his black underwear and washed him down with a fire hose. They tackled the man and scrubbed him down with Fels Naptha Soap.

[gpandas]

23. hillbilly

since i went to college,i think of myself as a 'hill william'

[DoNotRefill]

36. Heh. "Hillbilly"...

around here, that's a fighting word.

The only worse insult is to ask if they're from West Virginia. That'll get you killed. :)

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

45. Hillbilly is fighting words...here in Ohio..its "Briar"...

...which used to be derogatroy, but has beent taken on by the appalachian immigrant community....

...hillbilly, though, is very derogatory. Dont use that word around here unless you are looking for trouble...

[dbt]

70. I am a Hillbilly

I am from Arkansas (like you couldn't tell). I do not find the word offensive. All of the hillbillies I have ever met are not stupid in any sense of the word. They may be unlearned, but they are independent, self-sufficient; they can live quite well off a few acres of land and a few animals.

They consume less of the Earth's resources and pollute less than most of their educated, civilized counterparts. They can play music without electricity.

They will have much to teach us after the bu$h Apocalypse.

:bounce:
dbt

[SayitAintSo]

12. In SC, Redneck is not as derogatory ... ( to rednecks)

It can be a badge worn proudly or a slur slung wide. Down here we have Good ol' Boys (red necks from fine ol' families), home boys and rednecks. But generally it's not seen as a serious slur, more of a subtle slur, depending on how its used.

[doni_georgia]

22. Same way here in Georgia

Most rednecks wear the badge proudly. My town is run by good ol' boys. We also hear the term "Bubba" frequently, which usually refers to your big, former jock types. Then there's "white trash" which is a derrogatory term, except when used by white trash to refer to other white trash. The south is a very complicated thing. LOL I moved out here to the far exurbs 12 years ago (then it really was rural) from downtown Atlanta. I had lived in Atlanta all my life as had my husband. It was major culture shock! The first month we lived here, we got pulled over by the police three times. We finally figured out it was our political left bumper stickers and our Fulton county license plate.

[Amerpie]

43. White trash

I got called on the carpet at DU the other day because some elitist started a "I can't stand it when people use bad grammar thread." He called someone whose grammar failed to meet his standards "white trash".

I called him on it and got the standard "Don't inject race into a discussion" retort.

[Must_B_Free]

50. Also in Atlanta - "Billy Bob"

People have "Billy Bob" fake ugly teeth they use to pretend to be rural, for a joke.

[formernaderite]

32. Redneck is not derogatory...

...I work with alot of guys who are "Redneck and Proud". To them it connotates a blue collar, working hard with my hands ethic. I've become an honorary redneck, as I've been working as a contractor for the last five years after ditching my consulting job.
But alot of ignorant and stupid elitists think it can only have a derogatory connotation...I usually assume these are people who hire other people to do all the manual labor related jobs in their life.
In fact, the only people who would take the label as an insult are obviously snobs.

[DBoon]

15. a redneck is someone who

calls me a latte-drinking volvo-driving big city liberal

[doni_georgia]

21. Damn, that's articulate for a redneck LOL

Around here they're not that well versed. I usually get, , "F*cking Hippie!"

[vetwife]

26. I agree and I am a Georgian

It is a term of endearment to all the rednecks I know.
A redneck can be spotted easily and frequently here.
They like the title. Didn't you ever hear the song, Rednecks, White Socks and blue Ribbon Beer? LOL True Hit song in country by Johnny Russell (late Johnny Russell)
The love to display those rebel flags, proudly display an uneducated lifestyle and grammer and would get really upset if you called them anything but a redneck. Most think it is their heritage. Trust me, they don't find it offensive down here unless you are not one. I have never met a redneck that was not predjudice......

[doni_georgia]

19. We basically go with the Jeff Foxworthy definition here in GA

Around where I live, the term generally applies to anyone who drives a pickup truck with gun rack, has a bumper sticker declaring his right to own guns, has at least one NASCAR sticker on his car, most have a Calvin peeing sticker as well (Calvin peeing on FORD if it is a Chevy truck, Calvin peeing on Chevy if it is a Ford truck, etc), is a biggot, and has at least one rebel flag flying somewhere on either his house or car. There are different degrees of rednecks here. The more rebel flags, NRA stickers, and shotguns in the gun rack in the pickup - the higher the degree of redneck.

The redneck KING lives down the street from me. He has EVERY known rebel flag flying from an illuminated flag pole in his front yard. next to the flag pole is a statue of RE Lee. His barn is painted in the motif of a rebel flag, and at Christmas time, he decorates his whole house in the rebel flag design with red, and blue Christmas lights. I really am not kidding. Saddest thing is, he is a local policeman. No joke!

Then there's the guy down the road from my mom with a big black number 3 painted on his roof in memory of Dale Earnhardt (again no joke!)

[mitchum]

27. redneck=grit=hillbilly=woolhat=peckerwood=hilljack=whitetrash=...

sandhill tacky=derogatory terms for "white" proletariat

[Selwynn]

30. Uncultured, Uneducated, proud of it, and aggressively loudly opinionated

(Geez, after not posting this where I wanted it three different times, I think I finally got it)

That's my definition of the term "redneck" though I don't make much practice of using it.

I live in Idaho, so I know better than to think that the term has anything to do with geographical location. But there is a certain kind of people who are completed uncultured and utterly ignorant who see that as something to revel in and be proud of, and who develop a kind of disdain and hatred toward people who are educated and cultured - people who are fanatically aggressively loud in ranting and raving about their completely uninformed opinion and shove it in everyone else's face while being unwilling to listen to true facts, or to be educated on the issue, or do to anything in fact, to improve themselves in anyway.

I believe the term really does have a certain kind of aggressiveness associated with it. For example, friends of my parents who live in Georgia and are self-proclaimed "simple" folk don't fit the term to me. They may be "simple" but they are kind and open minded, inclusive, un-bigoted, sociable, respectful (even admiring) of the more experienced/more educated and interested in learning/not threatened by others.

The on the other hand, there is the guy who wants to beat yer ass because you're "smart" and who's solution when the subject gets to challenging is to punch things - angry, mean spirit, completely and utterly ignorant and unwilling to change, aggressive, moronic and militant. That guy deserves the label..

[BeFree]

38. Consider this:

Selwynn, what you have described are goons, deadbeats and users.
".. angry, mean spirit, completely and utterly ignorant and unwilling to change, aggressive, moronic and militant. That guy deserves the label..

He may deserve another label, but redneck is not the right one. Redneck is someone who can take care of himself and others because that what he's been adoin' all his life. A redneck is not a crook, ignorant or moronic. But then again, nobody is perfect.<grin>

[Selwynn]

39. You say Tomato....

"He may deserve another label, but redneck is not the right one."

Says you. I really don't give a fuck what you call it. I say a redneck is a crook and ignornat and moronic. So who's right? No one. Who the hell cares?

[BeFree]

46. Who the hell cares??

Me and my redneck friends care.

It's like calling all blacks the N word. Same diff, only coming from a Liberal. Have a nice day.

[Selwynn]

47. Ok, I'll be sure not to use the term around you.

You have a nice day as well.

What's next?

I'm sorry, but I'm failing to see what the big problem is. I don't commonly use the term "redneck" anyway, and if it offends you I'll make note of that and be respectful to your feelings... so what is the big deal? Not everyone feels the same way about the word as you do.

[BeFree]

49. Read my words again, for the first time.

For the first time, get it?

[Selwynn]

53. Ok I have read your words again - now what?

I heard you the first time - the term offends you. Fine, I'll do my best never to say it around you. But a lot of people don't feel that way about the term, a lot of people posted as much right here, so I'm not sure why definition and use of the "word" redneck needs to be a superthread.

The bottom line is, there is no universal definition, it is a contextual word (as most things are) - used in the right context, it can have merit, used insensitively or in the wrong context it can be unfairly hurtful. Move along. Nothing to see here..

[w4rma]

63. Imho, the way you use the word is offensive, Selwynn.

My suggestion is that you re-evaluate your definition of bigotry and learn how to be inclusive of another culture, instead of being exclusive of it.

[Selwynn]

66. You know what, my advice to you is that you stop giving advice

...to people you've never met and know nothing about, and take your self-absorbed judgmental attitude down about six notches.

When I came into this thread I had never given much thought to what a formal definition of "redneck" would even be. Why? Because no one where I live would really care all that much. Where I live, people describe themselves as rednecks all the time. You don't have to have a philosophical discussion about what it means, people identify themselves by the term. However, when I think about how people use the term around here, I think they're really getting a different qualities - I think they are referring to people who are not from a certain locale, but primarily a type of person who makes a deliberate choice to embrace being ignorant and yet be very aggressive in opinions, etc.

Now whether you disagree with that are not is of no relevance whatsoever to how "inclusive" I am of other people. Language is language. It is not objective, it is contextual. When I am in a situation where I know I may offend with certain language, I try to avoid it. I can't think of the last time the term redneck has been used by me in daily conversation. That said, I can think of numerous examples where I could use the term and offend absolutely NO ONE - especially when the people I might be addressing don't find the term offensive.

I don't need to be lectured by someone who has no relationship to me and no knowledge of me whatsoever on what I do or don't need to reevaluate. For one thing, if I say the word "flumdoo" means an uneducated person, who is aggressively opinionated despite willful ignorance, there is nothing "bigoted" about that - if you actually know what the word "bigot" means. You can disagree with the definition, but it has zero to do with not being "inclusive" enough. However if I was to say "all white souther people are flumdoo" that would be a bigoted, stereotypical comment that is clearly false. That's the difference.

By the way, I'm being much more generous than Webster. The Dictionary definition of "redneck" is:

Main Entry: red·neck
Pronunciation: 'red-"nek
Function: noun
1 sometimes disparaging : a white member of the Southern rural laboring class
2 often disparaging : a person whose behavior and opinions are similar to those attributed to rednecks

The bottom line is, using words like "redneck" is a question of:

1. intent
2. context
3. reception

What is your intent when using the term? To hurt or not? What is the context in which you use the term? Is it with people who find the term acceptable and voluntarily and happily label themselves that way? Or is it not? What will be the reception of the use of the term? Will it be positive, neutral or hurtful? Those are the issues that should be involved every time we make use of language.

If you can point me to one post outside of this thread where I have ever used the term "redneck" then let's talk. Otherwise, I was only trying to think about what people mean when they use the term redneck, was a little put off by how over-thought the issue seems to be, and that's about it. So back off.

[mouse7]

58. So I'm a redneck crook and "ignornat" and moronic?

I'm from Southern working class redneck stock. Redneck is working class. It's derived from the comparison of people who earned a living out in the sun getting tanned through the process, while the rich elite plantation owner class were pale as ivory from sitting on their ass inside in the shade sipping mint juleps.

The derogatory term is "white trash." Lotsa redneck white trash. Lotsa white-trash plantation class, too.

As for you, selwyn, how about if I call you ignorant and moronic for ranting about shit you haven't the remotest clue about?

[Selwynn]

67. No - that's not my point

And I admit that my point was not clear before - its becuase I still can't believe this subject has gotten as serious as it has. So now let me try to address it more seriously.

My point was not that "crook" and "moronic" should be the rightful definition of any term. My point was that there is NO agreed on objective definition for the term, so one person is as justified in defining it in whatever was as another person would be...

..my point in other words was that there is no point to the debate, not trying to establish the definition you gave above.

There is also a huge difference between origins of a word and common usage of a word. No shit sherlock the term originally refereed to working class, having to do with field/outdoor labor, farmer, rural, etc. However, that's not how many people commonly use the term today. In fact, that's just my point, today the term is used many different ways.

Terms like "redneck" "hick" "hillbilly" "white trash" or whatever else are totally relative. Some people will use the terms to describe themselves and have no problem with it. Others will be deeply offended by it. Many people use the term "redneck" today to refer to undereducated and over-opinionated. Other people do not.

My primary point was that I think when a lot of people use the term "redneck" they are referring in part to an aggressive quality of opinion holding - there is a quality of aggression associated with the label of "redneck" for many people right or wrong. And if you read my posts again, you'll see that I specifically commented on the fact that using "redneck" as a pejorative term against "all southerners" or something is a clear wrong.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[citizen snips]

31. A Southerner.

[DoNotRefill]

57. And we wonder...

why we don't do terribly well in the South... :shrug:

[doni_georgia]

71. As a southerner who ISN'T a redneck

If you haven't lived in the south, you can't possibly understand it. Believe me. We still have a very classist society, but not the way one typically thinks of classists. You have "rednecks" who proudly wear the label. It has to do with their attitude toward life and the things they like (NASCAR, hunting, country music, all things confederate, etc.). You have southerners who aren't rednecks. It has nothing to do with money. I know self-proclaimed rednecks who make 2-3 times what my husband and I make a year, live in really nice expensive homes, drive pickups that cost almost as much as my house. The accents are different depending on what type of southerner you are. I have little to no southern accent. My husband and kids have no accent at all. Rednecks, though, take pride in their southern accent, and so they make it all the more pronounced. I know redneck republicans and redneck dems, and I know non-rednecks of both parties. Oh well, like I said, unless you are from the south, it is very difficult to explain.

[DoNotRefill]

74. I'm Southern...

and have lived here all of my life.

[Zorra]

33. Uneasy Rider

Uneasy Rider

I was takin' a trip out to LA
Toolin' along in my Chevrolet
Tokin' on a number and diggin' on the radio...
Just as I crossed the Mississippi line
I heard that highway start to whine
And I knew that left rear tire was about to go

Well, the spare was flat and I got uptight
'Cause there wasn't a fillin' station in sight
So I just limped on down the shoulder on the rim
I went as far as I could and when I stopped the car
It was right in front of this little bar
Kind of redneck lookin' joint, called the Dew Drop Inn

Well, I stuffed my hair up under my hat
And told the bartender that I had a flat
And would he be kind enough to give me change for a one
There was one thing I was sure proud to see
There wasn't a soul in the place, 'cept for him and me
And he just looked disgusted and pointed toward the telephone

I called up the station down the road a ways
And he said he wasn't very busy today
And he could have somebody there in just 'bout ten minutes or so
He said now you just stay right where you're at
And I didn't bother tellin' the durn fool
I sure as hell didn't have anyplace else to go

I just ordered up a beer and sat down at the bar
When some guy walked in and said; 'Who owns this car?
With the peace sign, the mag wheels and four on the floor?'
Well, he looked at me and I damn near died
And I decided that I'd just wait outside
So I layed a dollar on the bar and headed for the door

Just when I thought I'd get outta there with my skin
These five big dudes come strollin' in
With this one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth
And I was almost to the door when the biggest one said:
'You tip your hat to this lady, son'
And when I did all that hair fell out from underneath

Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight
In Jackson, Mississippi on a Saturday night
'Specially when there was three of them and only one of me
They all started laughin' and I felt kinda sick
And I knew I'd better think of somethin' pretty quick
So I just reached out and kicked old green-teeth right in the knee

He let out a yell that'd curl your hair
But before he could move, I grabbed me a chair
And said: 'Watch him folks, 'cause he's a thoroughly dangerous man
Well, you may not know it, but this man's a spy
He's an undercover agent for the FBI
And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan'

He was still bent over, holdin' on to his knee
But everyone else was lookin' and listenin' to me
And I layed it on thicker and heavier as I went
I said: 'Would you believe this man has gone as far
As tearin' Wallace stickers off the bumpers of cars
And he voted for George McGovern for President'

'He's a friend of them long-haired, hippie type, pinko fags
I betcha he's even got a Commie flag
Tacked up on the wall, inside of his garage
He's a snake in the grass, I tell ya guys
He may look dumb, but that's just a disguise
He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage'

They all started lookin' real suspicious at him
And he jumped up an' said: 'Now, just wait a minute, Jim
You know he's lyin' I've been livin' here all of my life
I'm a faithful follower of Brother John Birch
And I belong to the Antioch Baptist Church
And I ain't even got a garage, you can call home and ask my wife'

Then he started sayin' somethin' 'bout the way I was dressed
But I didn't wait around to hear the rest
I was too busy movin' and hopin' I didn't run outta luck
And when I hit the ground, I was makin' tracks
And they were just takin' my car down off the jacks
So I threw the man a twenty an' jumped in an' fired that mother up

Mario Andretti woulda sure been proud
Of the way I was movin' when I passed that crowd
Comin' out the door and headin' toward me in a trot
And I guess I should-a gone ahead and run
But somehow I couldn't resist the fun
Of chasin' them all just once around the parkin' lot

Well, they're headin' for their car, but I hit the gas
And spun around and headed them off at the pass
I was slingin' gravel and puttin' a ton of dust in the air
Ha Ha, well, I had 'em all out there steppin' and fetchin'
Like their heads were on fire and their asses was catchin'
But I figured I oughta go ahead an split before the cops got there

When I hit the road I was really wheelin'
Had gravel flyin' and rubber squealin'
And I didn't slow down 'til I was almost to Arkansas
Well, I think I'm gonna re-route my trip
I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped
If I went to LA...via Omaha

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

44. woah,dude, that takes me back....

..,,1973 all over again....

[kaitykaity]

34. I actually like "cracker" better to describe

by background and up-dragging. We we poor white trash. Our house was clean, but we drove beaters and shopped at second hand stores and ate a lot of biscuits and gravy.

It's no insult. It's where I'm from.

[DoNotRefill]

35. I'm a redneck....

and don't consider myself to be racist, zenophobic, or ignorant. Neither are most of the rednecks that I know.

I consider those who use the term redneck in a derogatory fashion to be elitist snobs. I'm comfortable with who I am, and simply think the derogatory use of the term redneck is indicative of the personality of the person using the perjorative, not the person supposedly being insulted.

[MikeG]

37. Peckerwood.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

42. "stumpjumper"....Wisconsin redneck?

I think this is a yankee term thats sort of equivilant to cracker or redneck.

[Justpat]

40. Where I used to live in Virginia

a redneck was someone with the IQ of a rutabaga on their best day
and also shot and/or ran over all their entrees and grew all their
side dishes. This is my own personal definition that I came to
after living in the country in VA for eleven years.

[pop goes the weasel]

65. how gauche!

To think they may grow their own vegetables and slaughter their own meat! Why, they might even fix their own vehicles and mend tbeir clothes for continued use rather than tossing them away! I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they don't also hang their laundry on a line to dry! These are all sure signs of being a great big idiot, because only a great big idiot could manage to scrape a living together on $12,000 a year. Of course, it would be different if they had once held the reins of power--then their livestyles would be evidence of their spiritual wholeness. They could write long navel-gazing articles about living simply so that others can simply live, and have them published on Salon. But since they have no money in savings, and were never well off, they obviously have the IQ of the crops they harvest. Unless they don't harvest rutabagas. What if they harvest peanuts? What is the IQ of a peanut in comparison to a rutabaga? How about a cantaloupe?

[Redneck Socialist]

72. Good post

Thanks.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

41. why does it have to be rural?

I thnk there are rednecks that are also urban or suburan?

[trof]

48. The 4 Southern Social Classes:

In descending order:
Aristocracy
Good Ol' Boy
Redneck
White Trash

Aristocracy: The true movers and shakers. Wealthy. Not elected officials. The ones who give the elected officials their marching orders. You don't know them, and they don't want to know you. Probably graduated from an Ivy League college, one of the military academies, The Citadel, or Vanderbilt. If they're actively engaged in business, they have an advanced degree, probably Harvard School of Business or Wharton. They drink single malt Scotches or small batch Bourbon or Evian. Possibly expensive French wines and hard to spell foreign beers.

Good Ol' Boys: Basically the upper-middle and middle class. A redneck with one or more college degrees. The politicians come from this class. They drink good bonded Bourbon or Johnny Walker Red. California wines. Bud Lite.

Rednecks: Your basic small dirt farmer, laborer, or blue collar worker. Possibly a high school diploma. Probably an NRA member. The "Mullet" hairstyle and huge pick-up trucks are popular. They vote for the Good Ol' Boys. Some aspire to be Good Ol' Boys themselves one day. They drink whatever beer is on sale.

White Trash: May marry/cohabit with next-of-kin. Eighth grade education, tops. Beer and math.
At home: Indoor furniture outdoors, and outdoor furniture indoors.
If you were behind one in the Wall-Mart check-out line you'd think about moving to another register.
Creepy.

I am Good Ol' Boy on the cusp of Aristocracy.
You could look it up.
;-)

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

52. so where does Bubba fit in this?

I know thats a Southernism...is Bubba a good old boy?

(BTW, like that sig line graphic).

[ulysses]

51. more than a couple of my in-laws.

Far from being offended, they claim the title.

It's not a term I use often, but when I do, it has nothing to do with class and everything to do with willful ignorance and bigotry.

[VelmaD]

56. Anybody besides me heard the Dixie Chicks song "I'm a redneck woman"

I'm a Southern girl from the country and despite my extensive education and the fact that me and my whole family are life-long, yellow dog Democrats...I still have my twang and some real redneck leanings.

I love to sing along with "I'm a redneck woman" every time I hear it. If the Dixie Chicks can be liberal icons and rednecks at the same time then that is sure to give lots of people some cognitive dissonance. :)

[Feanorcurufinwe]

60. It means one of those people

who dislike me as soon as they meet me, because I look like a hippie.

[cally]

62. Another thing DU taught me

I never understood how insulting the term redneck was. I have used it in the past to deride a group of folks who are ill-informend and righties. Some terms are just wrong. I include trailer trash, white trash, redneck, and a few others that if I list I may hijack this thread. I no longer use any of these terms because I learned I might offend others. I'm smart enough to hava a larger vocabularly that I don't have to use words that others find offensive.

[Nikia]

69. Well "redneck" means different things to different people

It is one of those loaded words that mean different things to different people depending on who is called "redneck" and who calls the person "redneck". I guess that it is sort of like "bitch" or even perhaps some ethnic or sexuality slurs in that regard. Now that I realize that it is perhaps elitist of me to refer to others as "redneck" maybe I shouldn't use it even in private. I am rather hypocritical if I generally proclaim that all people have worth and deserve the same rights as anyone else, while using that word. To say that I don't use it against all white rural working class people, only certain people, is like saying that I wouldn't use ethnic/racial slurs against all members of that group, only certain people. It isn't anymore right than that.
I see that some people don't have any problem being called "redneck" and do not take some of the negative connotations included with it. To them, it is not a negative word.
Since it means different things to different people though, perhaps we should be careful using the word on a public message board. I am not calling for censoring or anything of the sort. Just be aware that everyone takes the word differently and perhaps other words or some explanation about your context would be appropriate in such a post.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

75. My husband has a red neck

but he's anything but.

As for myself, I am a combination of many types. I definitely have some redneck in me, as defined as white and of rural roots (but not a bigot or ignorant). My redneckiness is mostly in my roots. I have enjoyed a fried bologna sandwich on white in my lifetime. I have eaten Kool-Aid straight out of the packet, mixed with sugar. My mother used to go to the store barefoot and with rollers in her hair. So yeah, there's that...

I am also a nerd through and through.

I am a political junkie.

I am also a granola-crunchy earth mamma.

There's a bit of a shoe-shopping diva inside me.

I'm inhabited, too, by a corporate-hating anarchist who secretly rejoices at the activities of the ELF.

I'm a lot of people. We all are.