Rednecks...why does everyone automatically assume

I actually commented on this in a thread maybe last week. Someone wanted to unlimited beer/wine and one of their family members said it was "country." And I was 1) like why is country being used as an insult and 2) how is vodka or whiskey less country than wine?!

I have seen that.... I am like hey I am a country girl but I totally know how to appropriately dress.

I completely understand! My family itself is not rednecks, but FH's family is. Most of them act just like everyone else and can dress properly too! Some of them are a little on the trashy side though. I think I mentioned my FH's family were rednecks in another post referring to their dressing, and I wasn't quite referring to the majority of his family. I guess I was more referring to the "trashy" side. Probably should have worded that better! But there's nothing wrong with being country or redneck! I love my redneck FH!

To me, a redneck is a southern person who doesn't know how to act appropriately, speaks poorly, is uneducated, etc. For example, my former neighbor was a redneck. He didn't know what proper grammar was, left his cigarette butts and empty beer cans scattered in his and MY yard, and took it upon himself to hack the tree in MY yard WITHOUT my permission because "it was touching his truck".

A person who is 'country' is classy - they are educated, polite, know how to dress for what occasion, but they may drink whiskey, drive a truck, enjoy muddin', fishing, and such, and speak with a southern accent. They enjoy some of the same activites as a redneck, but aren't classless idiots.

Ok, see there's a difference in trailer trash and redneck still lol. Uneducated and trashy, is white trash.

And back in the day a lot if country folk were slightly uneducated bc there was a farm/ranch to run. An 8th grade education was like today's doctorate.

I can be trashy or I can be classy. Depends in who you are and how you act. How I act I determined by how you treat me :-)

Just saying, throwing it like its deragotory, is almost like throwing the N word out. Not politically of course, but group wise, it's close.

I don't care about getting called redneck. But I work, I'm clean and educate and my home and family are clean and well kept. Just sayin.

Our "getaway" from the reception will be on the back of a pick up truck. And we use proper grammar, wear shoes and everything!

I've always understood there to be a difference in southern, country, red neck, hick, hillbilly and white trash. The first two are just fine.... You call me one of the others and we are going to have a problem. I love being southern and there's nothing wrong with country some people just use the different words as something derogatory. But I think most know that calling someone or something white trash; red neck, hick or hillbilly is not a compliment.

If it doesn't apply to you and you don't believe you are a redneck, then you shouldn't take offense to it. Unless someone is calling you out specifically.

I don't consider the word redneck as a negative term and I think a lot of "rednecks" would consider it offensive to be lumped with white trash and both are very stereotypical on what people seem to think what makes someone one or the other. I don't think someone has to say anything to someone personally for them to be offended by someone elses remarks. It's about being respectful to other people.

Or why does people put down whole states as being stupid?

I don't take offense when people call me country or redneck. It's fine whatever people want to label me. I wear Wranglers and boots and honestly most people assume I ride horses. I guess it's the same as some people thinking every northern person is a dumb yankee! I hear that all the time especially when the snowbirds are in town.

Country isn't BAD. Good lord, even though I'm a geeky little punk rocker, I'm from Nebraska ranching stock and still love Garth Brooks and Patsy Cline with all my heart.

Trash is trash, no matter what your cultural background is. I got a dressing down from my godmother, who is country as all get out (wife of a Nebraska large animal vet) on proper etiquette more than once. And boy howdy, if country classy and rustic charm are really things, she encapsulates that. They both like to play dumb and want us to think they're just "simple country folk" but they're two of the sharpest people I know.

I fully expect her husband to walk me down the aisle in bolo tie and cowboy hat, and his dressiest pair of boots. Because he wouldn't be my godfather without these things. Is it country? Heck yes. Is anyone going to call him a redneck for it? Not in my hearing, thank you.

My experience with rednecks is that they KNOW they're trashy, they call THEMSELVES trashy and they wear that title with pride.

And I was in FFA in high school.

I've never known a redneck to take the term trashy, offensively.

That's what they want to portray themselves as.

Its fine but, then don't get mad at me for calling it like I see it.

Really? Are you saying that all redneck trash is in FFA? That is ridiculously stupid.

Lol let's go back and read what I actually said.

MY EXPERIENCE with so called "rednecks" was that they took pride in their title. They called THEMSELVES trashy!

The ONLY time I ever came across so called "rednecks" was in FFA!

And they WANTED to protray themselves as trash.

Never once, did I say what you just accused me of saying.

That is my experience with them and they LOVED calling themselves "rednecks" and "trashy"

BUT if I were to call them that, the tables turn and it becomes a big deal!

You can't get mad at me for calling you what you call yourself!

I have never once come across someone who enjoys calling themselves "trashy".. Who takes that title with pride?? Redneck? Heck yes. Me and my FH will proudly call ourselves rednecks, but will never say we're trashy. Just because someone is "redneck" does NOT make them "trashy".

It's not what people call you that matters.....its what you answer to. Everyone stereotypes and majority of the time its based on lack of knowledge.

Again, I never said that it automatically makes them trashy but, my experience with people who refer to themselves as "rednecks" also refer to themselves as "trashy"

And again, that is my experience with them.

But this is pointless.

I'm done going back and forth.

I don't know anyone who would find pride in calling themselves trashy. I certainly wouldn't. I am country, and I have never heard any of my friends bragging about being trash. You just made it seem all redneck trash attended FFA.

No, there is a fine line between being country and being a redneck. When I hear country, I think of southern. When I hear redneck, I think of my experiences with rednecks or people who referred to themselves as rednecks.