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Perhaps you were unaware that when discussing "The South", capital 'S', we are talking about Dixie.
I can let the mention of El Paso slide since it's in a former Confederate state, although it's obviously more tied to the Southwest than the traditional South. But there's no reason Tucson should be included.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Thing about the terms redneck and hillbilly, they were both allegedly coined in the south to refer to certain types of people. Negativity depended on the person using it.
Some people seem to think that because of the southern roots of the words that they cannot apply to the same exact kind of people outside of the south. I disagree.
Both iterations of the words hillbilly and redneck (by which I mean both as insults or self bestowed badges of pride) in fact apply to people outside of the American south. In fact they even apply to people outside of America. Ever been to rural New Brunswick? Donair-eatin' rednecks, eh?
The people who fit the bill of either exist in any westernized culture. I would say especially in the US and Canada by our understanding of the sort.
All you have to do is traverse back-woods NY, PA and Ohio or go out into Montana or Idaho to see that the north on either side is just as full of this kind of person as the south. It's just not the focal point of the regional identity in the same way I guess.
Another fascinating case is rural California. Not what you'd expect.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Oh and, I saw somebody earlier in the thread ask what the difference between a hillbilly and a redneck is. I think I've got some of it down from personal experience in both categories (I gots roots, believe me).
A redneck exhibits generally rural minded qualities. Ingenuity with working on things, the willingness to try something boneheaded for the sake of getting it to function. Typically very into fishing, hunting, trapping, sports, NASCAR, etc. Often a gear head too. Bold personalities though not always to their benefit.
Rednecks can be from a city and can be pretty well to do. Some rednecks I've known (from Louisiana) were hardcore but had never been poor in their lives.
A hillbilly may share some of this but is actually more defined by two other factors. One, having lived in or is currently in poverty. Two, is at least from somewhere with hills (personal preference I suppose). Since hillbilly traditionally refers to the impoverished residents of southern and central Appalachia, the qualities are more in line with that region.
The term certainly applies to citizens of the northern Appalachians as well, I know this all too well. However, people are less likely to label northerners as hillbillies so much as people here label themselves. That said, vacationers from highly urban areas who travel into the hills in the summer do tend to treat the locals like low brow garbage; we are not immune to this judgment here. Many a bad word about upstate NY or central PA has been uttered by people from NYC, Jersey and urban Maryland.
Remember, the rich northerners are the ones who can afford to travel. That's why you always meet that type. Doesn't mean the rest of us don't exist.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that I also feel there is more stoicism in hillbilly sub-culture than in redneck. A tendency to keep a reserved and suspicious eye on strangers. However, people of this ilk can also be very friendly at the same time.
On the in-breeding stereotype, it's stupid. The most in-bred people in history were high-class royals, both European and Asian. Everybody has a branch that folds backwards somewhere in their family tree regardless of circumstance. Dumb stereotype.
Last edited by CookieSkoon; 03-15-2017 at 11:51 AM..
I can let the mention of El Paso slide since it's in a former Confederate state, although it's obviously more tied to the Southwest than the traditional South. But there's no reason Tucson should be included.
If anything I'd put Tuscon in the redneck but not southern category.
Cities that are considered "progressive" like Portland and Seattle have their fair share of rednecks. Eugene/Springfield win the prize of probably the most redneck area in the NW.
Cities that are considered "progressive" like Portland and Seattle have their fair share of rednecks. Eugene/Springfield win the prize of probably the most redneck area in the NW.
Sad to hear about Eugene. Would love to live there one day.
Sad to hear about Eugene. Would love to live there one day.
I have lived in some redneck areas. Rednecks are people, too. And 10-30% of all people, whether redneck or urbane, are A-holes.
The trick is to find a place that is at the lower end of that statistic and let the rednecks and urbanites fall where they may.
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