Why rednecks may rule the world! BBC story.

[FalconSmitty]

BBC - Today
Why rednecks may rule the world

By Joe Bageant
Author of Deerhunting With Jesus


During this US election cycle we are hearing a lot from the pundits and candidates about "heartland voters," and "white working class voters."

What they are talking about are rednecks. But in their political correctness, media types cannot bring themselves to utter the word "redneck." So I'll say it for them: redneck-redneck-redneck-redneck.

The fact is that we American rednecks embrace the term in a sort of proud defiance. To us, the term redneck indicates a culture we were born in and enjoy. So I find it very interesting that politically correct people have taken it upon themselves to protect us from what has come to be one of our own warm and light hearted terms for one another.

On the other hand, I can quite imagine their concern, given what's at stake in the upcoming election. We represent at least a third of all voters and no US president has ever been elected without our support.

Consequently, rednecks have never had so many friends or so much attention as in 2008. Contrary to the stereotype, we are not all tobacco chewing, guffawing Southerners, but are scattered from coast to coast. Over 50% of us live in the "cultural south", which is to say places with white Southern Scots-Irish values - redneck values.


We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles


They include western Pennsylvania, central Missouri and southern Illinois, upstate Michigan and Minnesota, eastern Connecticut, northern New Hampshire…

So when you look at what pundits call the red state heartland, you are looking at the Republic of Redneckia.

As to having our delicate beer-sodden feelings protected from the term redneck; well, I appreciate the effort, though I highly suspect that the best way to hide snobbishness is to pose as protector of any class of folks you cannot bear. Thus we are being protected by the very people who look down on us - educated urban progressives.

And let's face it, there's plenty to look down on. By any tasteful standard, we ain't a pretty people.

Uppity and slick? Not us...

We come in one size: extra large. We are sometimes insolent and often quick to fight. We love competitive spectacle such as NASCAR and paintball, and believe gun ownership is the eleventh commandment.

We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles.


Her daughter had a baby out of wedlock? Big deal. What family has not?


And most of all we are defiant and suspicious of authority, and people who are "uppity" (sophisticated) and "slick" (people who use words with more than three syllables). Two should be enough for anybody.

And that is one of the reasons that, mystifying as it is to the outside world, John McCain's choice of the moose-shooting Alaskan woman with the pregnant unmarried teen daughter appeals to many redneck and working class Americans.

We all understand that there is a political class which dominates in America, and that Sarah Palin for damned sure is not one of them. And the more she is attacked by liberal Democratic elements (translation: elite highly-educated big city people) the more America's working mooks will come to her defence. Her daughter had a baby out of wedlock? Big deal. What family has not? She is a Christian fundamentalist who believes God spat on his beefy paws and made the world in seven days? So do at least 150 million other Americans. She snowmobiles and fishes and she is a looker to boot. She's a redneck.

American ethos

The term redneck indicates a lifestyle and culture that can be found in every state in our union. The essentials of redneck culture were brought to America by what we call the Scots Irish, after first being shipped to the Ulster Plantation, where our, uh, remarkable cultural legacy can still be seen every 12 July in Ireland.

Ultimately, the Scots Irish have had more of an effect on the American ethos than any other immigrant group. Here are a few you will recognize:

Belief that no law is above God's law, not even the US Constitution.
Hyper patriotism. A fighting defence of native land, home and heart, even when it is not actually threatened: ie, Iraq, Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Haiti and dozens more with righteous operations titles such as Enduring Freedom, Restore Hope, and Just Cause.
A love of guns and tremendous respect for the warrior ideal. Along with this comes a strong sense of fealty and loyalty. Fealty to wartime leaders, whether it be FDR or George Bush.
Self effacement, humility. We are usually the butt of our own jokes, in an effort not to appear aloof among one another.
Belief that most things outside our own community and nation are inferior and threatening, that the world is jealous of the American lifestyle.
Personal pride in equality. No man, however rich or powerful, is better than me.
Perseverance and belief in hard work. If a man or a family is poor, it is because they did not work hard enough. God rewards those who work hard enough. So does the American system.
The only free country in the world is the United States, and the only reason we ever go to war is to protect that freedom.
All this has become so deeply instilled as to now be reflexive. It represents many of the worst traits in American culture and a few of the best.

And that has every thinking person here in the US, except perhaps John McCain and Sarah Palin, worried.

Very worried.

[FalconSmitty]

Guess I ain't a full redneck because i don't agree with parts of this essay.

[FalconSmitty]

cartoons to ponder

[gabulldog]

yea me ether smitty
i was with him on alot of it but he keep saying we we we at the same time making us so called red necks sound dum and out of touch and oh yea we are fat he said that too
and at the end he says we are the reson thinking poeple are scared sooo we dont think i guess
and then the list of things we live by he has some of them way wrong
the love of guns and repect of the warror ideal hmm i dont know many who truely loves guns but we all belive we have the right to have them even if we dont in our own home and as for the repect of the warror ideal i think that go's back to the Hyper patriotism

most of us dont like to fight or be in wars but we dam sure repect the poeple who has to fight for the usa Freedom or to help some small place protect them selfs and the main reson we do is becouse its our friends dams moms brother sisters and our boys and girls thats doing it and if it was theres they would think that way too

and yes whats wrong with us being humble and hard working we dont every thing handed to us and we dont care about keeping up with the jones andif more was like this it would be a better place to live

now as for that we dont care that her girl is having a baby out of wedlock who dont omg your so wrong most of us think thats is a very very bad thing but if it happens to our lil girl we deal with it unlike the uper class to ship there kids away

oh and the one thing he forgot
family means more to us then anybody most of us would die for our kids and we put them first and if our mom or dads called we would be there and realy aint a dam thing wrong with it and oh yea we dont like poeple who talk about our familys or someone esles so leaver her daughter alone

anyways i guess im about done he did have one thing i liked nobody is better then me yea i do think that way but i allso think im not better the anybody else

alan sampson

[gabulldog]

and btw alot of us so called red necks voted left for many years untill they went so far left and forgot about the poeple
but good one like zell we will neaver see again
alan

[minnowsoaker]

guess I aint full blooded either.

Here's some more good readin.....

Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or a Redneck?
>
> Here is a little test that will help you decide.
>
> The answer can be found by posing the following question:
>
>
>
> #You're walking down a
> deserted street with your wife
> and
> two small children.
> Suddenly, an Islamic
> Terrorist with a huge knife
> comes
> around the corner, locks eyes with you,
> screams obscenities, praises
> Allah, raises the
> knife, and charges at you.
>
>
> You are carrying a
> Kimber 1911 cal. 45 ACP, and you are an expert shot.
>
>
> You have mere seconds
> before he reaches you and your family. What
> do
> you do?
>
>
> .................................................. .........
>
>
> THINK CAREFULLY AND
> THEN SCROLL DOWN:
>
>
>
>
>
> Democrat's
> Answer :
>
>
> Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
> Does
> the man look poor or oppressed?
> Have I ever done anything to him that
> would inspire
> him to attack?
> Could we run away?
> What does my wife
> think?
> What about the kids?
> Could I possibly swing the gun like a club
> and knock
> the knife out of his hand?
> What does the law say about
> this situation?
> Does the pistol have appropriate safety built into it?
> Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind
> of message
> does this send to society and to my children?
> Is it possible he'd be
> happy with just killing me?
> Does he definitely want to kill me, or would
> he be
> content just to wound me?
> If I were to grab his knees and hold
> on, could my
> family get away while he was stabbing me?
> Should I call
> 9-1-1?
> Why is this street so deserted?
> We need to raise taxes, have
> paint and weed day and
> make this happier, healthier street that
> would
> discourage such behavior.
> This is all so confusing! I need to
> debate this with
> some friends for few days and try to come to a
> consensus.
>
>
> .. .................................................. ...........
>
>
>
>
> Republican's
> Answer:
>
>
> BANG!
>
>
> < BR>............................................... ... .................................................. ..........
>
>
>
> Redneck's Answer:
>
>
> BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
> BANG !
> Click... (Sounds of reloading)
> BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
> BANG! BANG!
> BANG! Click
> Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those
> the
> Winchester
> Silver Tips or Hydra shocks?! '
> Son: 'Can I shoot the next
> one?!'
> Wife: 'You ain't taking that to the
> Taxidermist

[Outlaw1&2]

Yep,except I use Desert Eagle 44 and Hydra Shocks.