HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
May 15, 2003 Here lately CBS is drawing the ire of more and more people for dipping into the cess pool of degeneracy that is reality T.V. and coming out with a tender little nugget called "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." The show which is slated to air this spring or summer will document the culture shock which results in a poor rural family being up rooted from Appalachia and moved into a luxurious mansion in Beverly Hills. Because of the rather tasteless nature of the program CBS has become the target of more and more protests who claim they are seeking to humiliate those whom they choose to take part in the show and fueling stereotypes of the atypical redneck family. "If a television network proposed a 'real life' show treating poor African-Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asians or Jews as curiosities," States John O'Brien in an article for the New York Times "they, and all Americans of good will, would be justifiably outraged." Among those groups protesting the show are the Center for Rural Strategies who have bought ad space in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today, the United Steelworkers and Mine Workers of America as well as 44 members of congress who have sent a joint letter to CBS president Leslie Moonves. Now I've never been much for protests. In fact here in the last year or so I've seen more than I can stand. I've also never been one for political correctness. People these days take themselves way too seriously. Regardless I see Mr. O'Brien point. CBS wouldn't dare put a poor black or Latino family or any other minority for that matter and if they did they'd get a knot jerked in their tail so fast Fox would feel it. It doesn't really seem fair to me. I mean if you can't pick on everybody you shouldn't be able to pick on anybody, which sounds bad I know. I always vote for picking on everybody, but rednecks should not have to take the razzing for everybody else. Again, as somebody who's grown up around rednecks it doesn't seem right and it's fueled by what pushes every other kind of prejudice, ignorance. For those of you who haven't had the privilege of growing up in a rural environment I thought that I would bring everyone up to speed on rednecks. Who are they? What do they want? Where do they live? What makes them tick? First off you’re probably calling me a hypocrite for going to bat for these people and then turning around and calling them rednecks. This charge is easily answered, I never really thought of "redneck" as being wholly derogatory. It's not like calling somebody Sweetie or Buddy, something like that, but it's not an out and out slam either. It got its start with farmers who would go out into the fields to work. Naturally if you stand out in the sun all day, even if the rest of your body is covered it's very likely that your neck will become exposed and turns red. When these people came to town they were called rednecks, because their necks were red (duh). It wasn't until recently that the term redneck came to mean an ignorant, racist, potentially violent often drunk white male who represented all that was wrong with the world. Basically the term redneck has become confused with white trash, a distinction that will be covered later. I think that the best definition of redneck that I've ever heard came from southern comedian, and redneck, Jeff Foxworthy who said that redneck describes: "a glorious absence of sophistication." I like that, it's funny, it not derogatory and it's correct. Rednecks are not sophisticated; it's not to say they're bad people. There are a lot of unsophisticated people who are the salt of the earth and there are a great many sophisticated people who aren't worth the skin that it took to make them. Before I conclude today's lesson on Redneckery 101 I would like to familiarize everyone with the different types of rednecks. We are living in complicated times and it just doesn't seem like the term redneck aptly describes everyone anymore so I have separated those people who exhibit the "glorious absence of sophistication" into six distinct categories. The True Redneck: As I said before these would be mostly farmers and rural types who help to create the term redneck by walking out of the country with a neck red from the sun. Most are hard-working, god-fearing people and have made very vital contributions to our country. Many served their country unfailingly in WWII and there is a chance, although it grows slimmer with the passing years that the food on your table was grown by a redneck. Famous true rednecks include: My father, okay he isn't famous but I've included him anyway, Jed Clampett, Grandpa McCoy, Andrew Jackson and John the Baptist. White Trash: These days the term Redneck is often times confused with white trash and if you want a description of the later think of how most rednecks are portrayed. White trash are ignorant, uneducated, uncouth, dirty and many have three or four kids before their old enough to vote. Despite the name not all white trash are poor, although most are white. Famous white trash include: Anna Nicole Smith, Tonya Harding and Monica Lewinsky. The Bubba: Most Bubbas are one generation removed from the true redneck as one or both of their parents fall in that distinction. Bubbas are different in their parents in that they are college educated and many have become successful in the public sector while retaining some of their redneck tendencies such as a fondness for hunting, fishing and stock car racing. Many are also rabid college football fans and from what I've heard the stands at University of Georgia games are crawling with them. Famous Bubbas include: Me although most Bubbas are baby boomer age or older, Lewis Grizzard and Bill Clinton, although he does have some white trash tendencies. It would also be safe to say that our present commander in chief has some bubbistic tendencies as well. Good Old Boys: These fellows are sort of a combination of true rednecks and Bubbas, differing from the former in age and the later in the lack of education. Most are a little more down to earth than your average Bubba but not quite as rustic as the true redneck and possessing the qualities, both good and bad for each. Famous Good Old Boys can be found among your older NASCAR drivers although the G.O.B.'s are slowly phasing out which is one of the things wrong with the sport these days. Those drivers include: Sterling Marlin, Rusty Wallace and Kenny Schrader among others. Bikers: I don't think bikers need any description. We've all seen them although I'm talking about your average Harley rider, not some stock broker from Atlanta who's decided to adopt the Harley lifestyle to try and hang on to his quickly fading youth. I should say that not all bikers are of the Hell's Angels variety. The Concerned Biker's Association does a great deal of charitable work including raising money and donating toys to various children's charities. I can't really name any famous bikers although you may see several any given night on Court TV. Eminems: This is a relatively recent phenomena and I call them Eminem's because most look like Eminem. I got the idea for this category riding through Thomasville, N.C. a couple of months ago. I saw two younger guys, and these people are usually teenagers or younger, wearing camouflage jumpsuits and bright orange caps like they were going hunting but as we passed by them I could see that they were wearing earrings, which used to get your butt beat at any redneck get together. Then they got in a monster truck and started blasting rap. It's an unusual combination, but again these are unusual times. I don't really know any famous Eminems, I don't think Eminem himself would fall into this category, but keep watching the airwaves as they grow in number they're sure to make their own scar on the world. So I hope that my little lecture has enlightened all of you in the ways of the redneck and helps everyone to become a little more tolerant of those who aren't as sophisticated as you are. So until next time, keep 'em twinxst the ditches cuz. Jon (confessed redneck/Bubba) ------------ Email Jonathan Farlow: jonathan-farlow@excite.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
