I am a redneck.
Did reading that make you laugh? Cringe?
Why?
Posting about my being a redneck might seem strange to you, but remember that I said I'd be posting at least one Friday a month with things you might not know about me? Well here you go!
I felt the need to write this post based on a few comments on facebook in response to a status I posted. The status said, "off to AnxietyLand, oh I mean WallyWorld". What I meant was that I sometimes have anxiety when I grocery shop by myself. But some people posted comments making fun of rednecks.
Now if I had posted that I was going for a drive to one of the roughest neighborhoods in town, would people have posted comments with racial slurs? I'd like to hope not. If I had said I was going to a gay bar, would people have made fun of gays? Certainly not. That's wrong!
So why is it okay to redneck-bash?
I think that from the outside looking in, the life of a "redneck" is really misunderstood. People tend to believe the stereotypes that we are racist pigs with two teeth. In reality, all that being a redneck means to me (an actual redneck) is that I hunt and fish for my own food, don't live a wasteful life, wear camo, drive a pickup and YES, I even shop at WalMart! A redneck isn't so much a type of person as a way of life. Friends and family always come first but you will help a stranger that needs it. You say what you mean and mean what you say. You are honest. You don't tolerate liars and thieves. You work hard. You thrive in the outdoors.
What is there to make fun of?
Don't get me wrong. Those comments didn't hurt my feelings and I really don't care, but I also don't understand. I make no secret of being a redneck. It is who I am, and I like me!
Did reading that make you laugh? Cringe?
Why?
Posting about my being a redneck might seem strange to you, but remember that I said I'd be posting at least one Friday a month with things you might not know about me? Well here you go!
I felt the need to write this post based on a few comments on facebook in response to a status I posted. The status said, "off to AnxietyLand, oh I mean WallyWorld". What I meant was that I sometimes have anxiety when I grocery shop by myself. But some people posted comments making fun of rednecks.
Now if I had posted that I was going for a drive to one of the roughest neighborhoods in town, would people have posted comments with racial slurs? I'd like to hope not. If I had said I was going to a gay bar, would people have made fun of gays? Certainly not. That's wrong!
So why is it okay to redneck-bash?
I think that from the outside looking in, the life of a "redneck" is really misunderstood. People tend to believe the stereotypes that we are racist pigs with two teeth. In reality, all that being a redneck means to me (an actual redneck) is that I hunt and fish for my own food, don't live a wasteful life, wear camo, drive a pickup and YES, I even shop at WalMart! A redneck isn't so much a type of person as a way of life. Friends and family always come first but you will help a stranger that needs it. You say what you mean and mean what you say. You are honest. You don't tolerate liars and thieves. You work hard. You thrive in the outdoors.
What is there to make fun of?
Don't get me wrong. Those comments didn't hurt my feelings and I really don't care, but I also don't understand. I make no secret of being a redneck. It is who I am, and I like me!