[lbo-talk] gibson, missionaries, shrub's distraction

[kelley at pulpculture.org]

At 03:47 PM 2/27/2004, you wrote:
>I don't recall anyone writing that they used to live in n-wordtown or some 
>such equally offensive phrase that would have been comparable to the below 
>characterization of a rural working class area as redneck. Perhaps you 
>could forward it since I missed it? Or perhaps you mean that regardless of 
>context the word cannot be used by white people at all? Self criticism is 
>all well and good but maybe the rest of rural working class NY doesn't 
>wished to be referred to in such a racist and classist manner while she's 
>doing it.

I AM a redneck. I was calling myself a redneck. But the problem with that 
is there have been people on this list, other lists, and in graduate school 
who question my right to say name myself that or anything supposedly less 
offensive (hick, yokel, backwoodsmen) if I'm not _currently_ living life as 
a redneck. Most people want this identity to be something I take on and 
offlike a cardigan sweater--and in some respects it can feel like that. So, 
with the memory of those conversations in my mind (I've had them with 
Wojtek about what some of us thought were his stereotypes of 
rednecks/hicks/white trash), I was careful not to claim I'm currently a 
redneck so as to avoid the interminable bullshit about whether i really am 
or not.

You might want to know, too, that in Florida people proudly call themselves 
cracker.  And they proudly call themselves and the areas they are from 
redneck too.

Finally, if you're still worried about my leftist soul, please go to the 
list archives and type in "white trash" and my name or hick and my name or 
redneck and my name. You will find and the long timers on this list will 
tell ya that it's hilarity on ice that anyone here lectures me about white 
trash or redneck. LOL. Joanna?! Wojtek?

Kickin' back with a genny scream fo' too long,

RedNeckSnit