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.
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....
I hope you have some sort of perimeter fence and cloaking device, because if folks see "rural central Florida," someone will come along and put condos on it.
They [rednecks] 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.
This is where we run into some inconsistent use of terminology. To me, the folks you're describing above are good ol' boys. Good ol' boys have taken possession of the word "redneck," just as gays have taken possession of the word "queer" -- wearing a slur as a badge. In its origins, "redneck" is the most literal description -- it described white folks who worked the fields, so the backs of their necks were sunburned.
Just working folks with no airs or pretense, and while they may not have enjoyed a broad-based liberal arts education, if you think they're dumb, you've got another think coming. They give respect and expect the same. Other cultures have similar terms -- e.g. "paesan," literally "peasant," among Italians and Italian-Americans. Simple, honest, kindred folk.
Then there are the other folks. Mean drunks, people who run with the Klan or cook meth in their trailers, no-account pains in the ass who bring nothing but trouble. In some circles, "redneck" describes those people. "White trash" and "trailer trash" are close synonyms. Or there are are other code phrases that vary from place to place -- "he's from up by the tracks" or "she's from down in the holler" may mean nothing to an outsider, but to a local ol'boy, they tell everything.
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.
Just don't call the rednecks unless they offer the term first. They may or may not take it in the spirit intended. It's like the difference between a rapper saying "yo, nigga" to a friend and my flabby white self walking into the 'hood and yelling out "hey, nigger!" The latter is unlikely to end well. Make sure you can see the waters to the bottom before diving in.
One of my favorite intellectuals is the late Eric Hoffer. The son of German Immigrants, a longshoreman by trade, he had time to read and an acute nose for human nature. His book "The True Believer" was as sharp and dead-on as anything written by any Ph.D. If there were any justice in this world, the dictionary entry for "autodidact" would have his picture next to it.
Hoffer spent his time accumulating knowledge, not credentials. Like Will Hunting in the movie. Or, for that matter, Abe Lincoln. George Washington. Clarence Darrow. or Ronald Reagan.