Creepy Condescending Wonka

I'm rural but I'm not a redneck...I am a hillbilly...and PROUD OF IT

I used to say the same thing. You know who convinced me I was wrong? Three guesses.

Which part did you used to say?

The top part: That redneck is a racist term.

I'm game. When used as an insult, how is it not racist? (The fact that some whites embrace it does not make it not racist. I cannot tell you the number of times I see the phrase "real n-words" used as a positive on facebook, but if I were to use it as an insult, it's racist).

Oh I agree. Where I come from, it was almost always a racist insult (or a classist insult, when it came from white people). But the problem for me was that the people who were on the receiving end of the insult use it of themselves.

The n-word is still different, though. I know, it's a double standard, but it applies. Redneck, no matter how viciously hurled, will never have the stinging power of the n-word. It's just reality.

But the point of them meme is exactly to point out that it IS a double standard. Liberals who pride themselves on being "non racist" and "for the poor" regularly will deride those who disagree with them as "rednecks" or "trailer trash". In fact this meme was originally a response to a meme that did just that.

I understand, and there's a lot of nuance we won't resolve here. To me, redneck CAN be a racist term, but it will never pack the racist punch of the n-word, ever. So as far as I'm concerned, your point is taken. If a liberal uses redneck in a racist way, that liberal is a hypocrite. Fully exploring our terms and their nuances would require a thesis. This is a comment section on a meme. Enjoy your day. :)

That is true. But, so is the following information. I'm not sure how one term was derived from the other, just thought I would share it.
"The term redneck comes from the West Virginia Coal Miners March (aka Battle of Blair Mountain)" in 1921 "when coal miners wore red bandanas around their necks to identify themselves as seeking the opportunity to unionize."
Very interesting stuff about this period of time.