Nancy Williams: There’s a good type of 'redneck' and a not-so-good type
I recently saw a photo on social media of some young adults laughing while shooting a possum at close range with a handgun as the possum was being released from the cage they’d captured it in. The nighttime photo had evidently come from a video that I guess had been edited/freeze-framed the exact moment you could see the blast coming from the handgun. The scene struck me as deeply disturbing. Maybe because of my counselor training background, I’m aware of the close connection between intentionally hurting animals and mental illness.
A guy friend of mine said that sort of activity is what rednecks do and then chuckle with each other about it. Also, he said, lots of young men that age unwisely post it on their social media sites.
Um, no. Not the young men I know. And I’ve watched quite a few young men grow up. Flawed and finding their way. Doing dumb stuff. But not hurting animals for sport. Then bragging about it.
And let’s talk about rednecks. The term troubles me. When I was a teen myself, I thought redneck meant country people. Rural farmers. With necks, literally red from working in the sun. At that point, our country was no longer an agrarian society, but poor people had gardens mostly because they needed them. Worked weekdays in the factory, then during the summers, worked evenings and long Saturdays outside raising food to help feed their family and others in the community who needed help. Red necks meant sunburn from farming and hard work. People as honorable as honor gets.
Somewhere along the way, the term took a hard turn toward derogatory. Now when someone makes reference to rednecks, I want to qualify … you mean good rednecks or bad ones?
Not an expert on “rednecks” and maybe too close to the subject due to my growing up poor, I asked another friend of mine who has worked for decades with many rural teens and families, if he sees a difference between good rednecks and bad rednecks. He said yes definitely, in a poetic sense of the word.
Good rednecks like Budweiser, say ma’am and sir, and grace. They’ll fight when necessary, but are as kind as can be. He said they are who the Hank Williams Jr song “A Country Boy Can Survive” are about. Live and let live. They wear camouflage clothes, drive trucks, and hunt. They take a deep sigh after they kill an animal. Then harvest the meat, grateful to God and the animal for food.
They tend to like jobs where they actually “do” something and don’t overvalue education. Want to work and not take from the government. Wave the flag and care about the country. Have strong sense of the collective and community as well as the individual. Take responsibility and duty seriously, but don’t want to be the center of attention.
Good rednecks are givers and show up for others. They are humble and remain fiercely loyal to those who have helped them and are committed to offering a hand to others.
Service is a way of life, and they staff volunteer fire departments and dinners at the church. There’s honesty and integrity in their religion and they have traditional values, often based on what they understand the Bible to say. They respect authority and understand the importance of faith and fidelity. Will stand up for themselves, but even more likely to stand up for others, especially underdogs.
My friend said the epitome of good redneck was a former colleague, an assistant principal at a high school. The man dug graves for people who couldn’t afford to pay for a grave to be dug for a family member. Without credit or fanfare. Just knew of a need and quietly met it.
He said bad rednecks are takers. Entertain themselves at the expense of others. Drive big, obnoxiously loud trucks and love to spray smoke on hybrid cars. Make racist comments for laughs. Openly disdain authority. Take all they can get from the government, then badmouth other people who use social programs. No sense of collective. Hypocritical, self-serving religion. Treat animals and women as trophies. Wave the flag, but spit on the president if he’s not from their party. Hang out in packs of 2-3 or more and feed on each other’ big talk and arrogance. Say things and believe things as facts that simply aren’t, but too intellectually lazy to find accurate information. Don’t volunteer anything unless there is something in it for them. Crave attention and being in the spotlight.
Another difference most high school teachers could probably tell us about is discipline in the home of rednecks. Parents of bad rednecks say young people are this way, it’s a problem in the country and there’s nothing we can do. The kids in those homes are in charge. No expectations from parents and no real consequences for bad behavior.
Parents of good rednecks are top of the family hierarchy and insist on respect for authority. They don’t excuse or justify or blame others when their kids get in trouble. They take away car keys, phones, and any other privileges teens have. A comedian I heard said his mom would say with force (and emphasis on the “not”), “I can tell you what you’re NOT going to do.” And he knew by her tone that he wasn’t going to do it.
I suppose I shouldn’t use the word “redneck” at all. One use of it is my heritage, my calling, my people and what I’m proud to be associated with. Poor, hard-working, traditional. Simple, common folk. Pitching in without being asked. Going the extra mile for others.
The other use of it refers to the bottom of the values barrel. Not necessarily criminal, but not far from it. Fakers and takers. Users and abusers. Believing themselves to be fine people. I want nothing whatsoever to do with those.
Judgmental of me? Yes. I openly and firmly disapprove of the bad brand of redneck. Hope those possums they are shooting at for fun bite them hard.
This is the opinion of Nancy Williams, the coordinator of professional education at UNC Asheville. Contact her at nwilliam@unca.edu.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Nancy Williams: Good types of 'redneck' and not-so-good types
