redneck To many people, the term "redneck" conjures images of trailer parks and rifle racks; hunting knives and confederate flags. Which is no wonder, given how often it's used as an insult to describe Southerners in the United States. According to the stereotype, "rednecks" aren't just from the red states--they're often alcoholic and racist too. Calling someone a "redneck" is similar to calling them ""white trash"--it implies that they are poor and uneducated--but it's slightly more regional. According to the "Oxford English Dictionary," this meaning of the word dates back to 1893 when it was a derogatory term used to insult rural farm workers. Farmers would work all day in the sun wearing straw hats and tee-shirts, and the backs of their necks would get sunburned. Get it, "red neck"? Since the South long remained the agricultural hub of the U.S., the term was eventually applied to Southerners in general. The word was first used, however, in 1830, to refer to the Presbyterians of Fayetteville, Georgia. Some historians argue that today's meaning of the term originated with this reference to poor Scotch-Irish farmers. These days, "redneck" has become a source of Southern pride in some circles. Comedians like Jeff Foxworthy turn "redneck" stereotypes into lighthearted mockery, as do television shows like "King of the Hill." Whether a source of pride or prejudice, it seems "redneck" culture has become a part of popular culture.

Comments

[Camille]

some people believe that redneck refers to a fun lifestyle that people in the south enjoy. however, when i say redneck, i'm not talking about that, i'm referring to racist white people who have no common sense or an open mind. i wish fun loving fishermen and hunters would find a better word, because i honestly don't have a problem with them. but, i do have a problem with my definition of a true redneck.

[dangg.daddyy.]

i got nothin but love for the south..specially cuz i live there..lol but uhm most rednecks i know are racist...NOT cool >:/

[Tori]

Some people may call me a redneck. But I am proud of it. When I can drive I want a pick up(full bed) and move to Georiga. I have a camo bookbag(real camo not that fake gay suff) and I love my Wranglers. I shot my first gun when I was six and go hunting every Thanksgiving. And fish every chance I get I'm getting my boating licnse. But I don't live in no trailer park yall. My best frinds are black. Red neck are people that are proud of their southern heredige. And I know way more yankees that drink.
I LOVE THE SOUTH!!! WE KICK BUTT YALL!!!

[Taylor]

Where I come from,
pretty much everyones redneck.

And if you ain't.. people will just think your gay or weird.

Thats how it is in a small southern town.

[stephanie]

I was raised in the south and moved up north my junior year in highschool. there wasnt a day that went by that some one didnt call me redneck or country hick or hill billy or something along those lines. I was just as intelligent if not more so than my graduating class and i graduated in the top 5 percent of my class. neither my accent (which isnt very noticeable at all except for a few words) nor where i was born makes me any less than any other person

If i still lived in louisiana it wouldnt have been a problem because there it is kind of a pride thing. being proud of your culture and your southern roots. not slavery or kkk or anything like that.... and for every one making those references the kkk as well as slavery was prominent in the north nearly as long as in the south. and there is racism every where. not just the southern states.

I am in louisiana again (moved back as soon as I graduated and turned 18). Here redneck can refer to people who enjoy that lifestyle (fishing hunting farming what have you) they are not all alchoholics they are not all trailer trash/white trash... I have a few friends who are proud rednecks... and they are AMAZING people.

it pisses me off when people treat me differently because they assume i am stupid just because of the way i speak and where i was born.

[Emma]

PPL CALL ME REDNECK DON'T BOTHER ME A BIT.BUT WHEN PPL CALL ME RACIST THAT'S WHEN I GET MAD.I HAVE BLACK FRIENDS.AND WHEN WE WEAR REBEL FLAGS IT'S MORE OF A SOUTHERN PRIDE THING THEN A HATE THING.

[[><]COURTNEY]

oh and ya'll should check this shit out...

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=24651902

listen to the words and yall will know why we damn pround.

[[><]COURTNEY]

first off fuck off, if your against rednecks !
we have fun, know what to stand up for,
and have pride.
im a southern girl.
country gal, redneck, and whatever
the fuck else you wanna call me.
and suree i can be rasist, but
i've actually got a black friend.
i just dont like foreigners, or
people who are scared and hate me just
cause im white.
i aint dumb,
id like to see you work a gun, drive
with a camper or horse trailer, or go fishin.
and we aint "white trash"

and who gives a fuck what you live in !?

so any haters can fuck off !

i love who i am, and down in the south its all good.

i love all my redneck friends, and we have a blast !!!

[><]

[Keira]

Don't matter where ur from to me i think that people shouldnt be sayin these words if they are gonna insult somebody
be proud from and don't let anybody tell u that aren't worth anything because every person in this world is here for a reason but dont give into to stupid stuff like callin people names

[KEENER]

Well look here now i'm from irvington alabama and i consider myself to be a redneck. Its not a bad thing or an insult. I take pride in the fact i'm a redneck. It about pride, tradition, and God. But none of you damn yankys would know about that.

If you don't like it you can kiss my country ass- in the words of Rhett Akins

[Jasmine]

To me, rednecks are people who are country and don't know any better than their hill-billy ways!!! rednecks are ignorant and un-educated people that have poor grammar. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WHOULD BE PROUD TO COME FROM THE SOUTH. the south is responsible for slavery and the kkk. why would anyone ever be proud of death destruction and hate?

[Courtney]

Alrighty.
I reckon you'd call me redneck or
whatever. But that definatly aint
no insult to me! I aint racist but
I dont like niggers, niggers aint
black people they are stupid and ignorant
people. But Im proud when people
call me a redneck or country girl or whatever. And why is redneck associated
with he KKK? or being racist or whatever.
Cause that aint even what its all
about. Its pride! Its pride in yer homeland. Pride in the south!

"Tearin' down a dirt road, rebel flag flyin',
'Coon dog in the back.
Truck bed loaded down with beer,
An' a cold one in my lap.
Earnhart sticker behind my head,
An' my woman by my side.
Tail-pipe's poppin', the radio's rockin':
"Country Boy Can Survive".
Well, if you got a problem with that,
You can kiss my country ass.
Well, I love Turkey calls, overalls,
Wrangler jeans: smoke nothin' but Marlboro reds.
Tattoos up an' down my arms,
An' deer heads over my bed.
My Grand-Daddy fought in World War Two,
An' my Daddy went to Vietnam.
An' I ain't scared to grab my gun,
An' fight for my homeland.
If you don't love the American flag,
You can kiss my country ass.
If you're a down home, backwoods redneck,
C'mon, stand up an' raise your glass.
But if you ain't down with my outlaw crowd,
You can kiss my country ass.
Well, there's a whole lotta high-class people out there,
That's lookin' down on me.
'Cause the country club where I belong,
Is the Honky Tonk till three in the mornin'.
Don't wear no fancy clothes,
No ties or three-piece suits.
You can find me in my camouflage hat,
My tee-shirt an' cowboy boots.
If that don't fit your social class,
You can kiss my country ass.
If you're a down home, backwoods redneck,
Hey, c'mon, stand up an' raise your glass.
But if you ain't down with my outlaw crowd,
You can kiss my country ass.
'Cause I'm a front-porch sittin',
Guitar pickin', moonshine sippin',
Bacca juice spittin' country boy from the woods.
An' I love fried chicken an' blue gill fishin',
An' outlaw women, an' I wouldn't change if I could.
I ain't tryin' to start no fight, but I'll finish one every time.
So you just mind your own damn business,
And stay the hell outta mine.
If you got a problem with that,
You can kiss my country ass.
I said if you got a problem with any of that,
You can kiss my natural born,
Redneck to the bone,
Ever-lovin' country ass."

And thats what I believe. You dont like me or my people "you can kiss my natural born, redneck to the bone, ever lovin country ass"

[Dolly Daggers]

OK SUM REDNECKS I GUESS R NIICE LIKE JEFF FOXWORTHY AND STUFF

BUT I WILL DEFINITELY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE AT ALL BEING THE ONLY MINORITY IN A ROOM FULL OF REDNECKS IS ALL I CAN SAY..SCARY

[Courtney Rao]

The term is Southeastern, not redneck. The R word is probably just as bad as the N word, especially if the person being called that isn't white LOL. I'm half Native, half Irish, and from the Southeast.

Besides, only very light skinned people get red necks in the sun, right?

[player hater]

REDNECKS R RACIST PEOPLE!111

THIS ONE REDNECKCALLEDM E A NIGGERR

THEY R ALL FROM THE KKK

AND THEY R UGLY

[molly]

I have this friend, and I sometimes jokingly call her a redneck, and she says, "Yeah, that's true! And I'm proud of it!" So I guess it's not always offensive. Yeehaw. :)

[ang]

im redneck and proud of it yeehaw! first off it doesnt make us racist either! im not racist! we may have a heavy southern twang in our speech and wear tight pants and our daisy dukes but whats worng with that? and our country music ha have you ever listened to our country singers lyrics they are beautiful and not one bit racist it talks about everyday situations and not about shootin people or drugs...we like being outside and partyin and havin a good time even going to church. red necks nothing wrong with bein from the south im proud to be!

[Mishart]

Ok. Redneck. Gotcha. I seriously thought everyone was racist to blacks only. Well that's little old "cracker" me. ^_^ I think people should only insult THEMSELVES so others can say, nah, you're fine. I laugh when I insult me, then I treat myself to a load of compliments that annoys the person I sit beside in class. Heehee. Then he insults me (he calls me ugly or stupid, but haha! We both know I'm beeeee-oooo-tiful and SMART) so I tell him that. Heheh. I'll shut up now. Yay rednecks, whomever you are!

[camille]

there's no problem with being proud of being from the south, because i am. however, the first thing that comes to my mind when i hear redneck is a racist piece of poor white trash. i understand that most southerners are proud of the confederate flag, but that really offends me. it shows that they are still supporting the idea of slavery. although this word can bother me, i still harbor no bad judgment toward the people who call themselves that. i just wish that they would pick another word that wouldn't be so controversial.

[[ME]]

I have a 4.00 GPA, never had a drink in my life, and I'm not lacking money (not that I'm super rich); but I'm still a redneck because I live in a hick town and have a Southern accent and a good shot. But I'm not insulted at all; I'm proud to be a redneck!

P.S. Did you know that owning a combine or any other heavy piece of machinery cost more than a couple of small vehicles? And in order to farm, you have to own several acres to farm the land on? Land isn't cheap.

[AxGirlxInxPurple]

O.O im a guy… ^^

[xxallthelostsoulsxx]

eric r u seriously the only guy on here!?

[Eric[possibly the only dude in here?]]

the first thing that comes to my mind when i hear the word redneck is the kkk.
im sorry if that affended anybody im not tryin to say that all "red necks" are racist that just is the first thing that comes to mind bcuz out here where i live..most of the so called "red neck" kids are extremely racist.
but like i said IM NOT CALLIN U RACIST IF U CONSIDER UR SELF A "RED NECK"

[JO THE REDNECK NEXTDOOR]

being a redneck aint about drinkin or partyin; phrat boys do that. it aint about loving mud; pigs love the mud too. it aint about wearin cowboy boots; anyone can put on boots. it aint about what type of jeans you wear; everyone wears jeans. no its about waking up each morning get on your old work close and go out and work your ass off. then to come back on home to a family or just to whatever you got. you pour a drink, put on some good old time country music or lynyrd skynyrd sit looking out pass the proch railin with the christmas lights still on, cross the feilds where you have put your blood and sweat into them green fields and asking your self "How did i get here?" but its when you truely figure that question out then thats when you are a true redneck.
you may think oh thats an easy question well you better look again. its no simple question with a simple anwser. no it took me years to get what i got and i still know there is much more to it. it many take all my life to figure it out but when i do i know it will be true and the only and it is worth it in the end cuz many dont ever find out the reasons in this life.
"how did i get here?"
"why am i here?"
being a redneck is about strength.
being a redneck is about pride.
being a redneck is about love.
being a redneck is about freedom.
being a redneck is about heart.
being a redneck is me!

[Colleen]

I've been called a redneck many times in my life. Mainly because of my choice of drinking/partying, my love of mud, and my choice to wear jeans carhartts and cowboy boots 90% of the time. But I'm also proud of it because to me being a redneck isn't about worrying what you don't have but making do with what you have.
I ain't white trash, but I ain't first class. I'm wild and a little crazy too.

I'M JUST PROUD TO BE WHO I AM AND IF THAT MAKES ME A REDNECK THAN YEE HAW!!

[lily osment]

FUCK RED NECKS ARE AWSOME THERE PEOPLE LIKE ME THEY DONT SIT AROUND AND CO SHIT ALL THEY GO HUNTING, FISHING, THEY WORK HARD, THERE GREAT PEOPLE

FUCK ILU ALL THOSE READ NECKS OUT THERE

[JO THE REDNECK NEXTDOOR]

whats your promble not all rednecks are racist. and we are smarter then you if you think its wrong to be a redneck. im proud cuz thats my roots its where i come from and if you got a promble with where some one roots then maybe your being racist? IM DAMN PROUD OF BEING A REDNECK AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY. AND BY THE WAY YOU ARE THE IGNORANT ONE

[Charina]

Only ignorant people are proud of being something deragetory. Really ignorant. Why the hell are you proud of being a redneck? Your stupid, thats one reason why you people are always viewed as racist.

[JO THE REDNECK NEXTDOOR]

IM A REDNECK AND DAM PROUD. I AINT NO WHITE TRASH. I LIVE IN A NICE HOUSE AND DRIVE A GOOD CAR AND GOT A HELL LOT MORE PROPRTEY THEN MOST HAVE. MY FAMILY WE ALL WORK HARD, DRIVE TRUCKS AND TRATORS, AND WE ALL LIKE OUR GUNS. AND SHIT I LIKE BEING A REDNECK. IT MEANS THAT I DONT PUT UP WITH ANY ONES BULLSHIT. AND ANOTHER THING IS REDNECKS GOT ALOT MORE PRIDE THEN MOST DO. AND ALL WE ARE ABOUT IS WORKING HARD AND LOVING OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AND LOVIN THAT GOOD OLD COUNTRY MUSIC AND SOME ROCK! BUT I KNOW IM PROUD OF MY ROOTS. AND I DONT DIS YOURS SO DONT DIS MINE. MAYBE ALL YALL WILL SEE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BING A REDNECK. LOVE YA ALL

[Jill]

I think redneck is such a funny word.
I know it's degrading.
But it's so funny.
And to be honest, you rednecks definatley think its funny too =)

[Kyle]

Yea, Tiffany, I think you're wrong.
You basically described the average person in th south. In that case, cops are rednecks? I mean, they do need to be good with guns for their job. Who knows, they might wear wranglers! Lots of people love to drink and go to parties. Country? Big deal. Down to earth? No different. Are you even from the south?

[That One Girl]

Eww! Country music sux!

[tiffany]

Yeah, I think you're wrong.
Redneck to me is something diff.
Redneck to me means someone who is good with guns, wears wranglers, drinks//partys, has fun, listens to country, and is down to earthh.

[COUNTRY HICKS]

WE'S FROM KANSAS. WE'S BEEN TOLD THAT WE'S REDNECKS. THIS HURTS US FEELINGS DEEP INSIDE. JUST BECAUSE WE FARM ALL DAY AND RIDE TRACTORS TO SCHOOL, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'S WHITE TRASH. WE'S INSULTED, WE'S INSULTED.

[Jesse James]

What i don't like about the [RED NECK]
name is it used all wrong and the people that use the work mislead it withe the confederate flag and use that as a hate crime ,word ect, and that flag it all but hate and the KKK the skin heads use it for their own little hate wars and really they need to be kicked in the nut for even using the flag that way, red necks all around are normal hard working people with family and friends unlike the haters of the KKK and the skin heads a other hate groups , people theres more to like than hate ..It's harder to hate someone than to be cool!