Okay, Charlotte. What does redneck mean to you? (income, racist)

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by Bunky39

i dont know who "we" is but i dont know anybody that talks like that . anyway not for long and not standing up.
ever thought bout makin some new friends?

Well, I don't think people usually say these things to other people's faces. More like - labeling them when talking to other people.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by anifani821

Well, I don't think people usually say these things to other people's faces. More like - labeling them when talking to other people.

i get it........... well then just a thought
but if we stop named calling among ourselves to front or back
then maybe others would stop too? destroy little by little
the culture of disrespect and self hatred?

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Ani, here is the definition of rednecks by people I know who consider themselves rednecks:

The nickname "redneck" has for generations in the south been used to describe the man who physically works hard to feed his family - either laboring in his fields or out on off shore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Basically, rednecks got sunburned on the back of their necks from being bent over their work in the sun all day long. To have a red neck was a sign of being a hard worker, not some lazy bum content to live off of welfare or other assistence. Rednecks take pride in their hard work, take care of their families no matter what, acknowledge God and practice their faith without fear of being politically incorrect. Rednecks are just salt of the earth people - the first to help out in a time of need.

Now... unfortunately, other folks from other regions of the nation have co-opted this name and turned it into something it isn't - which is where some of the confusion comes from on the part of non-southerners. Outsiders now use this term as a way to stereotype anyone they see as ignorant, lazy, uneducated, etc. The reality of who rednecks are is actually just the opposite.

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! I stumbled across this thread while surfing through the different forums and thought I'd contribute to it from a northwestern perspective.

I do think unfortunately that folks from regions outside of the south have taken to using the term redneck in a negative manner, even way up here in the Pacific Northwest the term is now widely understood to be a negative term. However, there was a time when that wasn't the case, at least here in the state of Washington.

This is really not related to this topic, but maybe somebody might find it interesting. An Appalachian migration

The article is about the connections between NC and Washington State and why there are so many people here with connections to North Carolina...including myself.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! I stumbled across this thread while surfing through the different forums and thought I'd contribute to it from a northwestern perspective.

I do think unfortunately that folks from regions outside of the south have taken to using the term redneck in a negative manner, even way up here in the Pacific Northwest the term is now widely understood to be a negative term. However, there was a time when that wasn't the case, at least here in the state of Washington.

This is really not related to this topic, but maybe somebody might find it interesting. An Appalachian migration

The article is about the connections between NC and Washington State and why there are so many people here with connections to North Carolina...including myself.

Hi, Seattlerain! Thanks for stopping in and adding to the discussion! I look forward to reading the link . . . and glad our little discussion here caught your attention! Stick around!

[seattlerain]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! I stumbled across this thread while surfing through the different forums and thought I'd contribute to it from a northwestern perspective.

I do think unfortunately that folks from regions outside of the south have taken to using the term redneck in a negative manner, even way up here in the Pacific Northwest the term is now widely understood to be a negative term. However, there was a time when that wasn't the case, at least here in the state of Washington.

This is really not related to this topic, but maybe somebody might find it interesting. An Appalachian migration

The article is about the connections between NC and Washington State and why there are so many people here with connections to North Carolina...including myself.

Glad you stumbled across us! Come on in and stay awhile - we don't bite, at least most of us don't! Thanks for the link, VERY interesting

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! I stumbled across this thread while surfing through the different forums and thought I'd contribute to it from a northwestern perspective.

I do think unfortunately that folks from regions outside of the south have taken to using the term redneck in a negative manner, even way up here in the Pacific Northwest the term is now widely understood to be a negative term. However, there was a time when that wasn't the case, at least here in the state of Washington.

This is really not related to this topic, but maybe somebody might find it interesting. An Appalachian migration

The article is about the connections between NC and Washington State and why there are so many people here with connections to North Carolina...including myself.

Read the article and - WOW! I had no idea about the connection b/n Sylva and Washington State. This is fascinating. I thought I was pretty astute about the migration patterns to and from NC b/f the turn of the Century, but I just discovered info I have never seen anywhere. Part of my family ended up in Haywood County (Plott) and so I have spent some time researching the region near Sylva. Just have never run across this fascinating piece of history.

Thank you again for sharing . . .

[BarbJ]

What interesting information. Thank you so much Seattlerain. I'm fascinated by stories of people traveling long distances in order to find a good place to make a living. My mother's family apparently traveled back and forth in the late 1800's between Washington state and the Iron Range in Minnesota before finally settling in Minnesota. I wonder how these people traveled? Probably by train? North Carolina to Washington must have been more than a three day trip. I realize that this trip was easier than that of the original settlers, but for these later travelers to leave their established homes in NC must have been a difficult decision. A very interesting topic.

[BlkAnjil]

This is an interesting string … I have a story.

I had just relocated to the area and was in an executive position in a large organization located in Charlotte. I was at a cancer benefit in Center City when I was being escorted around to meet a number of different people. I had been explaining that I was looking at a number of different place to live, but was especially interested in living on the water. I had been looking at both Lake Norman and Lake Wylie. I was gravitating to Lake Wylie because it was less developed, inexpensive and closer to my work (the airport).

Well, while I was explaining this, an older woman (who I later found out was part of the Reynolds Family, one of the old money families of Charlotte) who had been listening in, excused herself and said, “Well honey, you don’t want to live in that area, that’s where all the rednecks live. Lake Norman would be a much better fit for you.”

]I laughed, and jokingly said, “Well, Ma’m, it’s all perspective. I’m coming down from Washington, D.C., and to me, you all are rednecks.”

Those people that I came with laughed, knowing I was kidding. This woman just stared at me, looked as though she was going to let me have it, but instead, spun around and stormed off, followed by here gaggle of other matronly moneyed women.

[timbo0069]

redkneck isnt a term that should just be thrown around to get your amusement from the misfortunes of other people. while some ppl may not have the best things in life such as a nice house or a gas hogging SUV, they still stand for something in this life and country. for those of you that may not know this the term redkneck was given to the coal miners mainly from va from an article writting new york gentlmen. what brought this whole term about, coal miners of VA. fell into a great battle along time ago with the sherriff's and deputies of VA. trying to get them union. 50 of va's coal miners would lay dead by the end of this battle all coming forth from a single day. the coal miners were in route to a county in va to fight for the mines to be union. upon their quest to have this done the came across a sherriff the deputised what was said to be a small army of 3000 men. men of which waited for them at the tops of mountains for them to cross before opening fire on them. the coal miners would wear red bandanas and scarfs around their knecks to identify themselves as coal miners. hints the term redkneck. it doesnt mean someone that lives in a trailer or has a living room on the front lawn although i must say jeff foxworthy does make the term sound funny. so when you are reading this just think. it was a redkneck that brought you the opp. to read this article not meaning me but the men and women of today that work 10-12 hours miles underground to get that precious coal. if it wasnt for the redknecks of the southern coal mining states you would still be living like the amish. thank you for your time reading this. if you have any other questions about this article or about any of the facts stated here in. e mail me at hillbilly_hustler2000@yahoo.com
and the term hillbilly is a whole new topic. until next time, i have coal to go and mine.