should b afraid of moving bcause of rednecks?? (Atlanta, Powder Springs: homes, find a job)

[BuckeyeGal]

And if you hear a Redneck say, "Hey, ya'll watch this!" Know that someone is fixin' to get hurt.

[gt6974a]

To address the original question:

no you don't have to worry about 'rednecks' unless you provoke them, if you do look out.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on other races and/or slang terms describing other races in the area b/c my post will be removed.

Just know there are other groups of races in these areas as well.

[mccarley]

If you start telling the local folks how you did it in New York, you will anger them. They really don't care.

[Padgett2]

The present day term denotes a certain attitude rather than a social or ecomonic standing. I think most of the above posters have pretty well described it.

The Redneck isn't impressed by the latest fashions or the BMWs or degrees from Harvard. New York City probably has it's share of Rednecks. They just have a different accent.

And, Georgia is having a teacher shortage due it's fast growth in certain areas and a mandate to reduce class size.

I will add to the warning about not bothering to tell folks how it was done "up Nawth." No one will care. Most will be too polite to say so, but some will even tell you what you can do with your opinion.

[carmel one]

you will never know if you dont try

Originally Posted by MOVINGOUTOFNYC

oh oh!!!! I'm planning to move there (Paulding),,I was just reading some of the comments...........what did you guys say about rednecks?????? I'm hispanic and surely, my skin color is not necessarily white (LOL)..
Will I be in trouble???? I have 2 beautiful boys, (1 and 9),will they be treated unfairly?????
I can get along with everybody.......I'm a newyorker!!!!
Guys please be honest.......
Does that also mean that I may not be able to find a job (guidance counselor)...
I would also appreciate any assistant by someone with experience in working within the school systems....
BLESSINGS!!!

[manc]

I live in northern florida where we have nmany red necks and everyone of them are great down to earth people who just want to be left alone, don't want non natives telling them what to do or how to live and never look down on others or think they're better

great people

[nadinethehowlingdemocrat]

Originally Posted by MOVINGOUTOFNYC

oh oh!!!! I'm planning to move there (Paulding),,I was just reading some of the comments...........what did you guys say about rednecks?????? I'm hispanic and surely, my skin color is not necessarily white (LOL)..
Will I be in trouble???? I have 2 beautiful boys, (1 and 9),will they be treated unfairly?????
I can get along with everybody.......I'm a newyorker!!!!
Guys please be honest.......
Does that also mean that I may not be able to find a job (guidance counselor)...
I would also appreciate any assistant by someone with experience in working within the school systems....
BLESSINGS!!!

We will be glad to have you in Georgia. The school systems all over the state are very much interested in anyone, to include hispanics, who can speak spanish. The hispanic population has grown tremendously in Ga for several reasons, all good. Counselors are needed. In most systems, two schools will share one counselor where there is a specialty.

You will be treated according to the way that you allow others to treat you.

A redneck is a white male who works hard on his farm which results in his neck turning red. He is a christian and one who seeks peace to pursue it. Anybody else who calls himself a redneck is a phony.

Your image of yourself is what will fuel your willpower. Come with a good attitude, a spirit of courage and know that people in Georgia are basically good people and you will make it and we will be glad to have you.

Welcome to Georgia, home of Ray Charles, Otis Redding and James Brown.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by MOVINGOUTOFNYC

I come from the beautiful island called: The Dominican Republic!!!

This question is a month old and somehow I missed it, but I'll answer it now because I actually live in the Powder Springs area right near the Paulding/Hiram line, and work in-between the two towns.

Ok - I'm known for laying it on the line, so here goes, and I assume you want true honesty, "movingout"...

Paulding has a varied mixture of people that range from Atlantans that have moved further out to get away from the city, or transplants from other areas of the country, and yes, a few "rednecks" scattered about here and there. The futher West you go the more of the redneck variety you will find. Hiram isn't that bad anymore, Dallas you'll find a few, and by the time you get to Rockmart you kind of reach the "Heehaw" area, but it's still more just very rural as opposed to hard-core redneck types.

In the last three years perhaps, there has been a trend in this area which has baffled even the real estate agents. We're getting a lot of foreign transplants who are moving here from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and so on. As in - a lot. To the point now that a particular city worker here (who is black) told me jokingly that they're afraid that Jamaican accents will be the official accent of West Cobb before long - he was joking, but let's say it was a "nervous laugh". Again, no one really knows why folks from these particular areas are picking West Cobb/Paulding over so many other places, but it's happening. Maybe it's the trend that if one makes it here they save up money then move their whole families over (?). I dunno. Just be aware that these transplants are referred to here by many as "the Island People" - not necessarily in a slanderous way, but as a generalized way.

Here lies the problems - attitudes. Apparently, cultures from "the islands" vary greatly when compared to rural Georgia. Many of the people moving here from there are what local call "very abrupt and rude" when they come into the local stores and shops. Maybe they're not really rude - maybe where they come from this is the norm, but I can say from working in a shop locally as well that yes, at least to the locals here, many of the people from these nations do SEEM quite verbally short and in a few cases, flat-out rude as heck. There have been a few instances of shop owners basically just doing the, "get the hell out and come back when you learn some manners" to a few of them, and this even includes some black shop owners, so it's not a race issue as the attitude miscommunication problems are happening with whites AND blacks locally.

I will add that what hasn't helped matters much is that a few of the folks that have come over as what we'll say less than law abiding. So once a few teens from families from these nations got caught participating in things like car and home break-ins, etc., then that didn't exactly help the image much; a few around here associate "island people" with "crime".

So honestly, I really can't answer for you if you'll be accepted in this area or not, because you're just words on a screen - I don't know how you interact with people on a one-on-one basis. If you're a personable person and friendly, respect your neighbors (no loud parties or letting your kids scream in the yard at 11pm, etc), then folks here will be quick to accept you and you won't have a problem. If however, you are abrupt or what they may perceive here as "rude", then yes, I'm going to say, you'll probably have more than one person call you, "one of those damned island people" right to your face. I've seen it happen.

So again, only you know how well you play with others. The folks out on this side of town really aren't bad - but they have a short fuse when it comes to what they perceive as "attitudes", especially from foreign transplants. Nice folks are taken in - those with those perceived attitudes are shunned.

That's my frank talk for the day. LOL

[Granny Sue]

These "redneck" terms always amuse me....

Take me...Lot's of education....comfortable job....you know the type...civilized..I even know what fork to use when..can sit through a symphony or Opera..have all of my teeth(receipts shown on request)...no redneck qualities there.......

Then my other side.....I love NASCAR..ok ok I confess, any kind of car racing.
I love Arena Football, I love a REAL back yard BBQ, and a good game of horseshoes...don't mind getting my hands dirty doing a job that needs to be done..and cranks it up to Lynrd Skynard...so this side is called a "redneck"

I have such an identity crisis!!!!!

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by captnemo62

These "redneck" terms always amuse me....

Take me...Lot's of education....comfortable job....you know the type...civilized..I even know what fork to use when..can sit through a symphony or Opera..have all of my teeth(receipts shown on request)...no redneck qualities there.......

Then my other side.....I love NASCAR..ok ok I confess, any kind of car racing.
I love Arena Football, I love a REAL back yard BBQ, and a good game of horseshoes...don't mind getting my hands dirty doing a job that needs to be done..and cranks it up to Lynrd Skynard...so this side is called a "redneck"

I have such an identity crisis!!!!!

Personally, I've never used the term "redneck" to describe someone who eats BBQ, watches Football, or gets their hands dirty. Most people I know don't associate "redneck" that either. Ok, I will admit, I do label the Nascar folks that way a lot, but only because I've been to a couple of these events to see what the fuss was about, and pretty much everyone at the things I went to were of the "yeehaw" trailer park variety. I also acknowledge however, that there are tons of people who WATCH Nascar who don't fall into this category - it does to me seem that those who actually go to the races are more on the iffy side, though (just my opinion based on my observations).

All I can say is that myself, and those I know, usually reserve the "redneck" label for white people who act like trash in public. People who are generally rude, mean, take their family dramas out into the open for all to see and hear, keep their yards filled with junk or their yards at waist-height, brag about how many DUI convictions they've had but still have their licenses, etc etc. I think that MOST people can very easily separate the difference between someone who is "country" vs. someone who is "redneck".

Every group of people - white, black, asian, male, female, urban, rural, etc etc... has their majority "norm" and then they have their stereotypes. Those stereotypes would not exist if there really weren't SOME people who really do fit the part. So rednecks do exist I'm sorry to say - but I don't think people label every single person in the South as one... even (cough cough) Nascar watchers.