Posted on 08/03/2007 5:21:20 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
Thread hijacking?
You say you’re a red neck. Do you believe what he wrote about rednecks and country boys?
On it face "Keepin' it real" means remembering where you came from -- not forgetting the people who knew you when you were a nothing, and not selling out and putting on air. Fine, as far as it goes.
But what it usually means in practice is that folks who manage to rise out of the ghetto feel a misguided obligation to retain ghetto values and patterns of behavior, and maintain ties to unsavory characters that drag you back down instead of pulling them and the community up.
So it means hanging out with thugs and gang-bangers. Instead of helping cousin Ray-Ray get a job where he has to show up on time and wear a tie, it means investing in his dogfighting business. It means Ray Lewis, Jayson Williams, Pacman Jones, and Michael Vick, among innumerable others, with all their millions, acting like nothing more than two-bit punks who now have a bigger budget.
I am a redneck myself, and proudly so. I notice how this columnist - and this was a good column - was very quick to use the word redneck (in a derogatory way, of course) and he never mentioned the other word that is applicable here. Kind of funny how that goes, isn’t it.
No, not highjacking a thread newbie. Just wondering what your stance might be on abortion since you think Michael Vick should be killed. I guess you don’t see a connection or a correlation?
Your post should just say ‘kill *Michael Vick*’.
A 'healthy' blood lust? When is blood lust ever healthy?
The very fact that you need to call me “newbie” indicates hostility on your part. So this will be the last post to you. I need not have discourse with anyone who thinks ad hominem is acceptable.
This thread is NOT about abortion. Get over it.
There is more than one issue in the world to deal with.
He didn’t say “went out and interviewed.” he said he’d “heard from” those folks. And as someone with a national column and a functioning e-mail address, I’m sure he has. Right here on FR, I’ve heard from a couple of folks — only a couple — who insist that animal fighting is a vital part of Southern culture, and the outrage against it is more evidence of the yankeefied wussification of America.
Re: a vital part of Southern culture, and the outrage against it is more evidence of the yankeefied wussification of America.
Since you bring this point up, was slavery also a part of the culture that went away because of the “yankeefied wussification of America”?
Ma’am, I also am a redneck, along with swampsniper. And, no, I do not believe what he said about them. I do not for a moment believe he ever spoke to a redneck about anything. He certainly never called me! It appears to me that he is attempting to spread the guilt around a little by mentioning rednecks, but he doesn’t have to do that. I don’t think many people in America believe that because Vick does this that every black in the country is either doing this or somehow aiding in it. Vick, and all his associates in this, should go down and go down hard.
How could a thread not be about abortion???? Oh wait, it could be about immigration. Good point.
You know alot of people cash in their old nick for a new nick and are not really newbies. I am thinking about doing that myself.....
I'd go a step further and say that you can't even witness this kind of cruelty without it taking a toll. Soldiers and cops see things no one should have to, and the sacrifices they make and risks they face to keep the rest of us safe go far beyond the physical.
But taking joy in cruelty, seeking it out, calling it a sport, that's moving to another level. If two dogs ripping each other apart is your idea of a good time, something inside you is either dead or you're killing it.
Sweet Jesus, can we occasionally have a thread that doesn't devolve into another never-ending rehash of the War Between the States? I'm expecting stand watie to pop up any time and perpetuate this thread for at least a couple months.
Slavery was a grave sin, and left a stain that still lingers over all of Western civilization, not just the Southern US or even the US. Ending it by any means necessary was just.
There were many things wrong with Reconstruction, but none more wrong than how inept its execution was and the fact that the Union pulled out before the job as done. In the end, the Federals pulled out and left blacks in a state of oppression that had to be revisited, dramatically and traumatically, all over again a century later.
And yes, there are parallels there to Iraq and Afghanistan. As my mom used to say, if you can't find the time to do it right, where are you going to find the time to do it over?
I just wanted to say this about the rednecks I know. I live in rural central florida, and I’ve gotten to know a lot of them. I even have a couple that work for me. They are generally very outgoing and friendly, always willing to help. They are also the kind of people I love dealing with. You ask them something and they answer right off the top of their head. Tell you instantly what they think. Very likable and very easy to get along with. A few may lack some sophistication, but when you work around a bunch of academics, like I do, who are all PHD’s, scientists, or graduate students, most of which are constantly trying to impress, rednecks and their laid back approach, is refreshing and pleasant.
It means, "I'm not gonna act like I'm white."
"Newbie" is not in itself hostile. Any more than being called a pledge or a freshman. It can even be used kindly -- "Take it easy on the newbie. He's just settling in."
Online communities are, on many levels, not too different from any other community. It takes a while to find its rhythms, learn its language and traditions, finally fit in, and then help welcome and educate other newcomers.
It isn't fast -- there are towns in New England where you're considered a newcomer if your family has only been there for a couple or three generations. And it isn't easy -- in fact, the commitment involved could be described as HUGH and SERIES.
Thank you for them kind words. And I know personally what you mean about Ph.D.’s and their desperate need to impress everyone around them. My husband is a Ph.D. in English literature. He’s a good man, God love him, but....
Or it could be about T---i S-----o.
(Running down to the shelter now)
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