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I was born and raised in Los Angeles, Ca., My husband was from Tennessee. The funniest thing I ever heard my mother in law say was "We ain't rednecks" "We're hillbillies"
I have to tell you in my mind I was thinking "HUH?"
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, Ca., My husband was from Tennessee. The funniest thing I ever heard my mother in law say was "We ain't rednecks" "We're hillbillies"
I have to tell you in my mind I was thinking "HUH?"
There's a very distinct difference between the two (though both are technically derogatory words).
I am from central West Virginia... "hillbilly country". I now live in the outer suburbs of Atlanta... "redneck country". Yes, there are vast differences between the two.
But to sum it up as short as possible: Both groups are typically seen as backwards and less educated by other more "mainstream" groups in America.
Hillbillies typically are very private, quieter, less social, and tend to isolate themselves a lot more, keeping to themselves and have a "you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" type of mentality. Most commonly run into throughout the Appalachian areas (Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Western-Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania.
Rednecks on the other hand, are typically louder, more "in your face", and have a, "If we don't like it, we'll hunt it down and get rid of it", type of mentality. Most commonly run into in the South (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisianna, Carolinas, and into Texas).
A third slang, "Hicks" is sometimes used to describe one and/or the other, but it's typically much more generic, as I've heard that word used to describe "backwards folks" in any number of States from New York state to rural Michigan, Oklahoma, etc etc.
Again, they are considered derogatory words, unless used by "their own" (though they should be considered bad no matter who uses them). In other words, two guys in Kentucky can call each other hillbillies and it's used in jest, but if a guy from New York City called them a hillbilly, there would be a problem.
There's a very distinct difference between the two (though both are technically derogatory words).
I am from central West Virginia... "hillbilly country". I now live in the outer suburbs of Atlanta... "redneck country". Yes, there are vast differences between the two.
But to sum it up as short as possible: Both groups are typically seen as backwards and less educated by other more "mainstream" groups in America.
Hillbillies typically are very private, quieter, less social, and tend to isolate themselves a lot more, keeping to themselves and have a "you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" type of mentality. Most commonly run into throughout the Appalachian areas (Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Western-Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania.
Rednecks on the other hand, are typically louder, more "in your face", and have a, "If we don't like it, we'll hunt it down and get rid of it", type of mentality. Most commonly run into in the South (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisianna, Carolinas, and into Texas).
A third slang, "Hicks" is sometimes used to describe one and/or the other, but it's typically much more generic, as I've heard that word used to describe "backwards folks" in any number of States from New York state to rural Michigan, Oklahoma, etc etc.
Again, they are considered derogatory words, unless used by "their own" (though they should be considered bad no matter who uses them). In other words, two guys in Kentucky can call each other hillbillies and it's used in jest, but if a guy from New York City called them a hillbilly, there would be a problem.
Agreed -
but I would add, it is a matter of perspective. Where I'm from people think North Georgia is hillbilly country.
Also, to add to the "rednecks" you need to add West Virginia. They are rednecks because during one of the miner's strikes a huge group of miners declared war against the Baldwin Felts agency that was doing horrendous things to miners. In order to avoid shooting their own people, the miners said that they would wear red hankerchiefs around their necks.
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The difference between...
