Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Snake Stewart on August 19, 2008 at 12:52

Now thats what Mr. Ed meant by Pork Chop Sideburns !

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Permalink Reply by Jack Blake on September 11, 2008 at 6:13

Since I became a Haynesville hillbillie I've grown Elvis chops. Never had a mullet. Maybe I'll grow one. I loved Joe Dirte'.

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Permalink Reply by Ashley on August 19, 2008 at 15:40

All this talk of hillbillies and mullets reminds me of Joe Dirt. Love that movie. Gotta watch it if you havent seen it. Even shows a part where Joe Dirt is working on a land rig.

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Permalink Reply by KT on August 20, 2008 at 12:42

Work in the sun for very long and you are going to be a redneck Unless your neck is black and then you still get a sunburn. That's why they called us rednecks - to separate us from the blacks. Grandpa couldn't read or write more than his name but he knew his numbers real well. Sharecropped and raised a family in the cotton fields of this great state. Did his plowing behind mules until he got a couple of old tractors - one lungers. Sometimes he'd get one stuck in a mudhole and burn up the clutch - never burnt the clutch up on a mule. Stayed on that tractor and on that farm (he and his sons bought it) until they decided he was too old for it. Died a couple of years later. Daddy never saw a flush toilet until he joined the Air Force - just in time for Korea. Went there and did his part. A few commendations, saved a life or two, got home safe. Back to the farm. Outhouse halfway between the house and barn. Magazines for toilet paper. Married my mother. I got born, my brother got born. A lot of stuff happened. I'm a redneck and proud of it. And I'm a purty fair gambler. Got a good hand. Welcome to the Haynesville Shale.

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Permalink Reply by Margaret Wren on August 20, 2008 at 12:53

Your daddy sounds like mine! I sure wish he was here and this was still his instead of mine, the gleam in his eye would be worth it all...

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Permalink Reply by V.P. on August 21, 2008 at 4:49

My brothers and I were discussing our parents the other day - (both passed on the last couple of years) Whenever we would be sitting around the campfire or out on the deck of their old houseboat, Mom would say - "Wonder what the rich folks are doin'... can't be any better than this." Right before she passed we were sitting on her porch and she said to me..."wouldn't it be great if just once, just once, our family would get a break and win the lottery or something?" Well, looks like your wish came true Mama... "here's an old story 'bout a man named Jed"... Gotta love it !

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Permalink Reply by V.P. on August 21, 2008 at 4:50

My brothers and I were discussing our parents the other day - (both passed on the last couple of years) Whenever we would be sitting around the campfire or out on the deck of their old houseboat, Mom would say - "Wonder what the rich folks are doin'... can't be any better than this." Right before she passed we were sitting on her porch and she said to me..."wouldn't it be great if just once, just once, our family would get a break and win the lottery or something?" Well, looks like your wish came true Mama... "here's an old story 'bout a man named Jed"... Gotta love it !

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Permalink Reply by Roger Bigod on September 10, 2008 at 14:04

I think we got good press from the Guardian and the NY Times. The theme of both stories was that some middle class folks were getting a lot of unexpected money. Which is true. But the lucky people were presented as dignified and realistic about it. The NYT said a couple of times that Shreveport looked kind of shabby, which is also true. We have a lot of what real estate people call "deferred maintainence".

The term "Redneck" comes from the Borderlands between England and Scotland. For 500 years or so, neither country controlled the area consistently, the natives developed a distrust of distant authority and fell back on family and clan. Because police and courts were undeveloped, a code of personal self-reliance and dignity grew up. Children were brought up to be hunters and fighters, and proud of it. Sound like anybody we know?

Anyway, as part of the general attitude of defying authority, some of them signed a document (the Covenant) against the established church (Anglican). Some signed in blood and afterwards wore a red cloth around their necks. Some of them stopped over in Ulster for 100 years or so before coming over here (the Scots-Irish). There's references to them in Ireland as Rednecks. Nobody ever complained about too much sun in Ireland, so the theory about sunburn on the back of the neck is probably wrong.

If anybody is interested, the books are "Albion's Seed" by a historian named Fisher, and "Born Fighting" by Sen. Jin Webb.

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Permalink Reply by KT on September 10, 2008 at 18:15

"The 'Redneck War' - 1920-21. Generally viewed as beginning with the Matewan Massacre, this conflict involved the struggle to unionize the southwestern area of West Virginia. It led to the march of 10,000 armed miners on the county seat at Logan, ending in the Battle of Blair Mountain in which the miners fought state militia, local police, and mine guards. These events are depicted in the 1987 novel Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina and the 2005 novel Blair Mountain by Jonathan Lynn."

From wikipedia. Saw a pbs or history channel special on matewan, rednecks. Was interesting - but I still prefer my explanation.

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