Tuesday, February 15, 2005

You neck might be a little red if......

1./ You have ever stolen your Christmas tree from public land.

2./ You have ever stolen your Christmas tree from land owned by your local municipality.

3/ You have ever been so broke that you "borrowed" toliet paper from the supply at work.

4./ Your family gets in farting contests after dinner, and seems disappointed that the dog always wins.

5./ You have ever used duct tape to hold together any part of your home or vehicle.

6./ Your family really believes that FOX NEWS is "fair and balanced"

7./ You add an R to your pronunciation of WASH and you think two Es make an I sound in the word "creek".

8./ You have considered bloody marys or screwdrivers to be breakfast foods

9./ You belong to a church where when asked who has access to a pick-up truck, everyone raises their hands.

10./ You have gotten excited as some point in your life about doing your school shopping at KMART.

11./ You're family enters a crisis because it has two members referred to as BUBBA.

12./ Every once in a while you have a hankering for government cheese.

13./ People you know confuse the terms lesbian and thespian on a regular basis.




FYI--most of this list was made from the personal experience of Clint Walker

3 comments:

Gossip Cowgirl said...

What is government cheese?

So the real question is: do you consider yourself a redneck. I think I'm a redneck. Well, I grew up a redneck, anyway. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a redneck. It's not like all rednecks are unintelligent and uncultured.

Friar Tuck said...

Government cheese is generic cheese, somewhat like American cheese or Velveeta, given to those with limited income, with a big USDA label on it.

Becca--yes I consider myself a redneck. Officially the term redneck started in the south to refer to people who were so lowbrow that they did not have slaves and had to work their own land. They got the backs of their necks burned in the summer, thus the term.

So historically, and even today, one who identifies with the term redneck usually grows up with and lives by a more blue collar mentality. We are generally more earthy and less into propriety.

While not all rednecks are unintelligent and uncultured, I think generally there would be less of an emphasis on anything too high minded, wordy, etc. I think it is important to remember that intelligence does not equal book smarts. I am a lot more academic than Micah's husband, but there are a lot of ways where he is a hell of a lot more intelligent than I am. On the other hand, I think I was raised in a more redneck family than either of them dreamed of being in. I think both Micah and her hubbys families would be insulted if you called them rednecks. My old man would wear it as a badge of honor, and has claimed the name as long as I can remember. Especially when we were driving down the road in 100 degree weather in a Old Scout International with no air conditioning.

As for the culture thing, I think their is a difference socio-culturally in how people interact with "cultured" activities. "High" culture values detachment and aestetics, whereas redneck, blue collar culture values attachment and engagement. For a good picture of this difference (and this is not a commentary on morals in blue collar America) watch Pretty Woman where they go to the Opera. Actually, since Pretty Woman was just in fact a knock off of My Fair Lady made more salacious with a prostitute, watch the whole movie. The whole point of this is...I think being a redneck greatly challenges how you interact with culture.

As an aside, that is my most difficult adjustment here in the Springs. I am a redneck in a blue stocking church. I am wondering if I will ever fit.

Friar Tuck said...

My good buddy Shawn Geer, who is an American Baptist pastor in Plainfield, IA put in his resume as a pastor that he knew how to attach and haul and double-tongued trailer hitch. Shawn may not consider himself a redneck, but that is a definite redneck move.

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