I live in an area of the country that is nationally notorious for being rather "backwoods." After living here for a little over a year, I can see where that stereotype may originate. However, I have also noticed a strange kinship with my redneck bretheren. Here, the rednecks are loud and proud. They drive trucks with "Cowboy Up" emblazoned on the rear window. They watch Nascar, football, and carry guns. They decorate to the hilt for every holiday. They dress up for every football game and every holiday. They are fiercely pro-America, pro-armed forces, and country music fans. You see, I have a little theory. I believe that humans have inherent, default redneck tendencies, and we must sometimes stifle these tendencies to move to cultural "next level." We are all a little bit redneck.
My husband's redneck trait? His penchant for hunting and killing poor defenseless animals. My redneck trait? I'm a packrat, and I like to drink just a wee bit more than your average citizen. My mother's redneck legacy? She is a Christmas freak. She has every sort of Christmas decoration known to man, and keeps buying more every year. My friend, ChurchMom, loves shopping at Nordstrom. Her whole house is decorated in Pottery Barn, and she is a bit of a label junkie. Her favorite pastimes? Watching Nascar, baseball, and drinking beer. I can think of a redneck trait in every single one of my (usually refined, and quite well-educated) friends. We all buy more than we need at Wal Mart. We secretly enjoy Jerry Springer, even if we would never admit it to our seemingly "classy" friends. Maybe this is bourgeoise rhetoric. Perhaps the truly aristocratic of our society wouldn't dream of collecting snow globes or decorating the front lawn with huge, blow-up characters; nor would they be caught dead at a Nascar rally. Perhaps you can breed the redneck traits right out of your lineage, but I like to think otherwise.
I have patients that could write the book on being a redneck; yet they are the most genuine, passionate, and generous people that I have ever had the good fortune to know. Being a redneck, in many ways, can be a positive personality trait. It all hinges on your perception. How do you embrace your inner redneck?
14 comments:
There is nothing wrong with being a redneck and sometimes ya just gotta embrace it! Like that Gretchen Wilson song, Redneck Woman. Even though my salary is more than the household income in many areas, I still go to walmart because I can buy it on the shelf half price. YE HAH!
They drive trucks with "Cowboy Up" emblazoned on the rear window.
Yeah but do they have bull balls hanging from their trailer hitches? Or a whole room in the house devoted to all sports Colorado? My redneck thing is beer... does it still count if it is microbrew?
From the land of Adolph Coors...
I'm not so sure. I have plenty of hippie traits, but I can't think of any redneck ones. Drinking beer from the bottle, maybe? No, I think it has to be a can, right?
Hah! Okay, I'll admit it. I am fascinated by Springer. I rarely get to watch the show but I am captivated each and every time. The guests amaze me. Are they real people or are they paid to act on the show? I don't know. But I am fascinated each and every time as I try to guess what is real. There. My shameful redneck secret is out there for all to see (even though I am not one. Really. It's true. I'm not. At any level. Even if I do watch Springer :) .
Thanks for the laugh, Dr.Whoo.
I drink too much at a get together and then spend the whole next morning realizing that I'm not 20 years old any more? ;)
I'm sitting here at the computer, in my bare feet eatig fritos, thinking, "what redneck tendencies?"
I have been a Jeff Foxworthy fan since the early days of "you might be a redneck..." and it still amazes me how many of those lines resonate with me...
Being an ED nurse, I often see the living embodiment of redneck on a daily basis. Jeff Foxworthy said that the most common last words of a redneck are: "Hey, y'all watch this..."
Oh, how sadly true...
Ah, well, my on-again, off-again, flirtation with Skoal could be viewed as a flirtation with all things redneck...
Or, perchance, my love of Easy Cheese?
I don't wear makeup, shop routinely at the evil Wal-Mart, watch numerous reality TV series, wear black tennis shoes with my dress pants to work every day and fart openly in front of my husband. Is that enough to qualify?
As someone from Northeast Florida - basically Redneckville - where the hunting club stickers and "Piss On Jeff Gordon" decals grace almost every truck, where we celebrate football games like holidays (all while wearing our Florida Gator face tatoos), where we drink too much and play poker in garages on Saturday night - I really appreciate this post. I can totally relate to you and understand where you're coming from... and it's nice to know I'm not the only one who sees it this way!
I think deep down, most people enjoy their little redneck tendancies!
(ps, I ran across your blog from Fat Doctor! Really enjoy it!)
I will fix anything, no matter how cheap, with duct tape and use it for a good 3 years after it breaks before I break down and buy a new one. I am also a pack rat and everything I own has "sentimental value" even that scrap of paper I haven't picked up off the floor in 2 weeks.
I sometimes leave my holiday decorations out too long. I didn't know being a packrat was a redneck quality, but I've got that one, too. I can't go without mentioning this one, although I think hubby actually gets the credit - The caulk in our bathtub cracked in one spot. He hasn't had time to redo it, but I said we had to do something about the crack, even if temporarily, so water would not seep behind the tub. His solution: Duct tape. A two inch piece of duct tape in our bathtub where the caulk cracked. Eek.
I like to crank up the Skynyrd and enjoy a beer while grilling some poor defenseless animal over some hot coals! :D
(mmmm... meat)<--Homer J. Simpson
anon~ I agree. The problem for me is, at Wal Mart, I go in for one thing, and leave with about 50 things (and a whole lot less money!)
frectis~ LOL on the "bull balls" trailer hitches! Around here, they are usually fish or deer heads. Football memorabilia/shrine rooms abound, for sure. Oh, and yes, microbrews count.
DoctorMama~ Maybe the hippie traits are a genetic variant of the redneck gene? Perhaps you are just further evolved! :)
dr. k~ Your secret is safe with me. Hee. Jerry is my dad's all time favorite show. He just sits, watches, and laughs. It is strangely mesmerizing. Glad you got a laugh!
midwife with a knife~ Hmm, that doesn't even sound remotely familiar (heavy sarcasm intended, here!) Did you karaoke or take off any clothing items in public? That, is the question. :)
disappearingjohn~ LOL! I love Jeff Foxworthy, too. You are so right! Do you get a lot of ATV accidents in your area? They are the worst around here.
GG~ Hee! Do you still do that?? (Skoal, I mean.) Yea, that definitely qualifies.
FD~ Yup, you qualify! You had me (no makeup, check, Wal Mart, check, reality tv, check, flatulance, check) until you said black tennis shoes! I think that GG refused to date a guy solely (heh) because he wore black tennis shoes. Not like I'm any better, at least you dress up! I wear scrubs and Dansko mules every day.
angie~ Hi and welcome! I am glad that you found your way here. I agree with you. I know that we revel in our redneck ways in this household. I am oh-so-familiar with the social customs of NE Florida....soo, hmm do I know you? Just kidding. Thanks for reading!
medstudentitis~ Never underestimate the power of duct tape! I hear you on keeping things for "sentimental value." I just can't throw things away (even if I don't have a place for them!)
3carnations~ I am the worst at keeping decorations up past their prime (how long ago was Halloween, now?)
Oh yes, being a packrat is definitely a redneck quality, hence the rusted out cars and appliances littering the front lawns and porches of redneck abodes. You just never know when you are going to *need* that stuff! LOL on the duct-taped bathtub. I bet it is working, though!
julie~ Yea, Skynard, beer, grilling, and Homer. Ya just cannot beat that! :)
No karaoke, and no clothing off in public. Fortunately for everybody involved!
Post a Comment