Being called a "redneck" was once considered derogatory and offensive, but many 'Muricans have embraced the title and managed to turn it into a badge of honor.
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is a self-proclaimed redneck, and uses his southern-style sense of humor to demystify the often misunderstood demographic. Foxworthy's self-deprecating jokes have helped to pave the way for a very particular brand of funny. And nowadays, there are even dedicated online spaces where this humor reigns supreme.
The Redneck Memes Instagram account has more than 1.9 million followers and is a wall of comedy gold. Bored Panda has put together some of the page's best posts. From improvised contraptions, bizarre vehicles and daily hacks, to questionable life decisions, some of these memes might be more relatable than you'd expect.
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"When people get offended, they act like if you gave rednecks a billion dollars, they wouldn't be rednecks." Those were the words of comedian Jeff Foxworthy, when someone tried to insult him by calling him a 'redneck.' Foxworthy says he refused to take it as jab, and instead, turned the word 'redneck' into a badge of honor.
"I said they would still be rednecks. They would just have bigger boats, bigger trucks. I mean, more things to shoot at. They're happy with who they are," the comedian revealed.
Foxworthy has termed the redneck way of life as “a glorious absence of sophistication,” and in 1989, his first book on the topic was published. Titled, You Might Be a Redneck If . . . , was wildly popular and he ended up writing several more.
"He has contributed to the culture of his time by bringing an oft-misunderstood American demographic—the redneck—into the mainstream spotlight," reads the Georgia Encyclopedia.
Redneck comedy has today become a subgenre of American stand-up comedy. It focuses on rural, working-class Southern culture, self-deprecating humor, and folksy everyday life observations. From one-liners, to memes, and even entire comedy tours, people are cashing in on the redneck brand.
But not everyone is laughing.
"Rural poor and working-class white southerners have endured a broad range of slurs throughout US history, many derived from geographic regions, dietary habits, physical appearance, or types of clothing," writes Patrick Huber in a piece for Southern Cultures magazine.
He adds that, for approximately the last one hundred years, "the pejorative term redneck has chiefly slurred a rural, poor white man of the American South and particularly one who holds conservative, racist, or reactionary views."
In the words of former Senate nominee Hershel Walker, who received Donald Trumps endorsement, "America is the greatest country in the United States".
However, Huber says that many so-called rednecks have fought back against the discrimination.
"Rather they have time and again rehabilitated the derogatory stereotypes ascribed to them by using language to fashion an identity as honest, hard-working common folks," he explains, adding that the definitions and connotations of redneck in the American language have changed over the years.
Huber says the term redneck originated as a class slur in the late-nineteenth-century South. But in the late twentieth century, white blue-collar workers (especially those from the South) gave it a more complimentary meaning.
"The redefinition and use of the term by these self-styled rednecks speak powerfully to their racial and class consciousness as an economically exploited and yet racially privileged group," he notes.
If you won enough to pay for the fridge, put some decent beer in it
These are what Kidd Rock and RFK Jr wear while they drink raw milk topless in blue jeans while enjoying the hot tub.
And most of a tail for no good reason. European and British boxers haven't been docked in years now, and quite rightly too.
I don't know, gotta get under there anyway. Long as you already know it's 13mm.
Five years?! I would do that hermit thing tomorrow! Just give me unlimited WiFi, unlimited money, and store to door shipping-you would never have to see or hear from me again.
I worked in a backery with machines made in "West Germany" - 20 years after the unification
Nooo... dude atleast put a foil around the bread. You don't want soggy bread.
It seems like school busses lately have dark tinted windows. Maybe that keeps them cooler in the hotter months?
