Redneck

Rednecks live in the Southeastern United States. While they do not comprise the entire population in this region they do make up the vast majority of the people here. Typically, rednecks live in rural settings. They avoid urban settings. They are proud of their pick-up trucks or older cars and stick with them despite rising gas prices. They typically work industrial or manual labor jobs. The majority do not have anything beyond a high school education. They depend on the "Good 'Ol Boy" system of advancement. They are extremely weary of those who do possess the desire to act educated -- these people are perceived as sell-outs. You can often see rednecks hauling lawn equipment or hunting (dog) equipment even if they do not plan on using these items in the near future. It is a proud symbol of their social class. Rednecks often are seen about in hunting attire even though they do not plan to hunt anything. Dressing up comprises of dockers and a tucked in polo shirt. Baseball hats on men are a must regardless of the occasion or whether indoors or not. Most rednecks do not live in mobile homes anymore. Most have modest homes. Typically they decorate in Native American or hunting themes. Most devote much more money into their vehicles then their homes. Rednecks speak with a Southern accent and avoid using big words. They may know big words but it is not socially acceptable to use them. People who do are identified as outsiders. Rednecks support major brands such as Coca-Cola and Nascar. Their major past times are watching television, hunting, fishing, and shooting. They detest reading (other than romance novels or the newspaper). Rednecks tend to be socially conservative. They are extremely defensive against outsiders and anyone different from them. They have learned to avoid those who do not adopt their culture. Many rednecks may also be Evangelical Christians. They will not hesitate upon meeting you to tell you that you "are going to hell" if you are not also Baptist or a similar denomination. Overall, rednecks are extremely friendly people but they are very reluctant to accept those different from them so it is hard for others to mingle with them or understand them. Many do not ever travel outside of this region. Places such as the Blue Ridge Mountains, Pigeon Forge, and Myrtle Beach are considered to be the ultimate vacation spots. They are very stubborn about their conservative beliefs. They believe that all liberals have lesser moral values. This is often hypocritical -- for example, the Southeast has a much higher divorce rate then the rest of the nation. Part of this stubbornness also stems from their idea that their culture is under attack since they tend to associate morality with social conservativeness. This stubbornness can have many negative effects -- it can contribute to false knowledge of the world and the culture within and outside of the Southeast. For this reason, most rednecks will to this day deny that the Civil War was about slavery. Finally, most rednecks are closet racists. They will vehemently deny this but racist remarks are often made among white groups. They are outwardly friendly towards minorities but they certainly have very large reservations about hiring or becoming close friends with them. This is done almost as a quest for assurance amongst each other that no one in their presence is a cultural sellout.