Quote:
Originally posted by the
Yes, it is impossible to argue otherwise.
You prove my point yourself when you wrote "The "we, as a society" to which you refer has left out the folks that are, in fact, truly insulted by the term "redneck".
That admits that the term isn't viewed as offensive by society as a whole (the way things "are"), but then states that it does so by leaving out folks that are truly insulted by the term redneck (the way things "ought to be"). Your own argument - you are admitting that "we as a society have accepted Redneck as an acceptable term."
Which is of course true. "Redneck" is widely accepted as a largely benign term in the U.S. That's just the way it is. There is "Redneck Beer." A million car and motocross teams called "Redneck Racing." "You might be a Redneck . . . " is widely accepted. www.redneckworld.com is completely uncontroversial.
Do you think "N Beer" would be as uncontroversial as "Redneck Beer?" "N Racing?" "You might be a N . . . ?" "www.n******world.com?" C'mon, let's be real.
Are some insulted by "redneck"? Probably. But that doesn't change the fact that (1) most aren't, and (2) that is reflected in society's acceptance of it.
Everything is PC these days. If a significant part of the population was truly deeply insulted by the term, Jeff Foxworthy would not be a mainstream phenom, and "Redneck Racing" would not be painted on race team trailers, T-Shirts, etc. throughout the country.
Maybe you think Redneck SHOULD be viewed as being as offensive as the N word. Again, that's a completely different argument. But in real life America 2006, it simply isn't.
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Hmm... I'm not sure how to clear this up for you, other than to point out that we are saying essentially the same thing. "Redneck"
is accepted today; I don't dispute that. I do, however, decry that acceptance.
My point, and I believe where we might differ, is that the only reason the term "redneck" is so accepted in mainstream society today is because of that society's indifference concerning that term. It has become so accepted, so de rigour, that those who use it have no idea of how hurtful it is to some. Or maybe they just don't care. This has happened before in America.
Think of how the term "nigger" was used in America just a generation or two back. It was used in the most enlightened, educated circles. No one thought twice about using it. Hell, most of the people using it never even considered how hurtful it was to others. It took the Civil Rights Movement to cast the term "nigger" in its proper light for society to see. We are now at exactly that same point with "redneck", only there will never be a similar civil rights crusade on their behalf.
And no, real-life rednecks cannot afford to race. They don't have TV shows, or stage acts. They don't sell tee shirts. Jeff Foxworthy is their modern-day equivalent of the old Vaudeville "blackface" acts, wherein performers made fun of, and perpetuated all the well known stereotypes about, the American Black. And everyone laughed. I'm sure that all seemed pretty harmless to enlightened society back then, as the whole "redneck" issue does today.