[Peace-discuss] Message from Redneckia

[John W.]

At first I thought this was pure satire, but upon re-reading it I conclude
that maybe it isn't.  God knows there ARE plenty of Americans who fall into
Joe Bageant's category of "redneck".  I myself have been hated and resented
for using words of more than three syllables, and for being less than
"hyperpatriotic".  (I note in passing that he makes "hyper patriotism" TWO
words, but that "patriotic" itself has FOUR syllables.)

Joe doesn't have much of a clue about the reasoning behind political
correctness, though.

John Wason


On Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 9:52 AM, Ron Szoke <r-szoke at illinois.edu> wrote:

Why rednecks may rule the world
> By Joe Bageant
> Author of Deerhunting With Jesus
>
> During this US election cycle we are hearing a lot from the pundits and
> candidates about "heartland voters," and "white working class voters."
>
> What they are talking about are rednecks. But in their political
> correctness,
> media types cannot bring themselves to utter the word "redneck." So I'll
> say it
> for them: redneck-redneck-redneck-redneck.
>
> The fact is that we American rednecks embrace the term in a sort of proud
> defiance. To us, the term redneck indicates a culture we were born in and
> enjoy.
> So I find it very interesting that politically correct people have taken it
> upon
> themselves to protect us from what has come to be one of our own warm and
> light hearted terms for one another.
>
> On the other hand, I can quite imagine their concern, given what's at stake
> in
> the upcoming election. We represent at least a third of all voters and no
> US
> president has ever been elected without our support.
>
> Consequently, rednecks have never had so many friends or so much attention
> as in 2008. Contrary to the stereotype, we are not all tobacco chewing,
> guffawing Southerners, but are scattered from coast to coast. Over 50% of
> us
> live in the "cultural south", which is to say places with white Southern
> Scots-
> Irish values - redneck values.
>
> They include western Pennsylvania, central Missouri and southern Illinois,
> upstate Michigan and Minnesota, eastern Connecticut, northern New
> Hampshire…
> So when you look at what pundits call the red state heartland, you are
> looking
> at the Republic of Redneckia.
>
> As to having our delicate beer-sodden feelings protected from the term
> redneck; well, I appreciate the effort, though I highly suspect that the
> best way
> to hide snobbishness is to pose as protector of any class of folks you
> cannot
> bear. Thus we are being protected by the very people who look down on us -
> educated urban progressives.
>
> And let's face it, there's plenty to look down on. By any tasteful
> standard, we
> ain't a pretty people.
>
> Uppity and slick? Not us...
>
> We come in one size: extra large. We are sometimes insolent and often quick
> to
> fight. We love competitive spectacle such as NASCAR and paintball, and
> believe
> gun ownership is the eleventh commandment.
>
> We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana
> sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles.
>
> And most of all we are defiant and suspicious of authority, and people who
> are
> "uppity" (sophisticated) and "slick" (people who use words with more than
> three
> syllables). Two should be enough for anybody.
>
> And that is one of the reasons that, mystifying as it is to the outside
> world, John
> McCain's choice of the moose-shooting Alaskan woman with the pregnant
> unmarried teen daughter appeals to many redneck and working class
> Americans.
>
> We all understand that there is a political class which dominates in
> America, and
> that Sarah Palin for damned sure is not one of them. And the more she is
> attacked by liberal Democratic elements (translation: elite highly-educated
> big
> city people) the more America's working mooks will come to her defence. Her
> daughter had a baby out of wedlock? Big deal. What family has not? She is a
> Christian fundamentalist who believes God spat on his beefy paws and made
> the
> world in seven days? So do at least 150 million other Americans. She
> snowmobiles and fishes and she is a looker to boot. She's a redneck.
>
> American ethos
>
> The term redneck indicates a lifestyle and culture that can be found in
> every
> state in our union. The essentials of redneck culture were brought to
> America by
> what we call the Scots Irish, after first being shipped to the Ulster
> Plantation,
> where our, uh, remarkable cultural legacy can still be seen every 12 July
> in
> Ireland.
>
> Ultimately, the Scots Irish have had more of an effect on the American
> ethos
> than any other immigrant group. Here are a few you will recognize:
>
> ~  Belief that no law is above God's law, not even the US Constitution.
>
> ~  Hyper patriotism. A fighting defence of native land, home and heart,
> even
> when it is not actually threatened: ie, Iraq, Panama, Grenada, Somalia,
> Cuba,
> Nicaragua, Vietnam, Haiti and dozens more with righteous operations titles
> such
> as Enduring Freedom, Restore Hope, and Just Cause.
>
> ~  A love of guns and tremendous respect for the warrior ideal. Along with
> this
> comes a strong sense of fealty and loyalty. Fealty to wartime leaders,
> whether it
> be FDR or George Bush.
>
> ~  Self effacement, humility. We are usually the butt of our own jokes, in
> an
> effort not to appear aloof among one another.
>
> ~  Belief that most things outside our own community and nation are
> inferior
> and threatening, that the world is jealous of the American lifestyle.
>
> ~  Personal pride in equality. No man, however rich or powerful, is better
> than
> me.
>
> ~  Perseverance and belief in hard work. If a man or a family is poor, it
> is
> because they did not work hard enough. God rewards those who work hard
> enough. So does the American system.
>
> ~  The only free country in the world is the United States, and the only
> reason we
> ever go to war is to protect that freedom.
>
> All this has become so deeply instilled as to now be reflexive. It
> represents
> many of the worst traits in American culture and a few of the best.
>
> And that has every thinking person here in the US, except perhaps John
> McCain
> and Sarah Palin, worried.
>
> Very worried.
>
>  --  Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
> /today/hi/today/newsid_7600000/7600592.stm<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/today/hi/today/newsid_7600000/7600592.stm>
> Published: 2008/09/06 09:39:12 GMT  (c) BBC MMVIII
>
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