Assumed racism?

[typhoon44]

and some how the racist word -redneck- seems to be ok with many one here, why is that

r-neck is not a race. it's a culture.

[mexi cali]

Because it doesn't single out a race. It singles out a certain type of person.

Here it is Mr. T.;

Definition of redneck
1sometimes disparaging : a white member of the Southern rural laboring class
2often disparaging : a person whose behavior and opinions are similar to those attributed to rednecks

Neither of the definitions specifies race. Culture maybe, but not race.

[ajoker]

Maybe he's referring to the natives guys, hear him out.

[whatwhat]

However, there is literally no other word in our vocabulary that's treated the same. There are many very vulgar and hateful words out there that we don't do this with, so why only the N word? How is this word different? If it's such a horrible word, why do people only take offense when it's said by a non-black person?

I mean, the knowledge is out there. It took me like 3 seconds to find articles with the reasoning behind it. You can always do some more research as well, as I am sure there are lots of different opinions, and viewpoints on the matter.

https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/09/why-you-cant-say-the-n-word-if-youre-not-black

Secondly, the N-word is a classic example of the reclaiming of language through the subversion of its power. Essentially, when Black communities reclaimed this word, they flipped it on its head and used it as a tool of camaraderie to the point where the word lost its power over them.

This has been seen in many marginalized groups. Take the word “*bleep*,” for example. Gay men and others in the LGBTQ+ community toss this word around in a joking, almost endearing way. The more it is used in this manner among queer people, the less power it has over them when it is used as a slur.

When the F-word is used in a derogatory manner by a straight person, it’s extremely offensive. That's because when the word is used in this way, similarly to the N-word, it acts as a reflection of the existing power dynamics in society.

[youjustcomplain]

r-neck is not a race. it's a culture.

From Wikipedia
Redneck is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.[1][2] Its usage is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Texas, Georgia, and Florida), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks),[3] and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality).[4][5][6] In Britain the Cambridge Dictionary definition states: "a poor, white person without education, esp. one living in the countryside in the southern US, who is believed to have prejudiced ideas and beliefs. This word is usually considered offensive."[7] People from the white South sometimes jocularly call themselves "rednecks" as insider humor.[8]

By the 1970s, the term had become offensive slang, its meaning expanded to include racism, loutishness, and opposition to modern ways.[9]

It clearly states "white americans". If White isn't a "race", then neither is "black".
In terms of how we take offense to words, the words used to discriminate against people based on their "race" makes those words racist (provided context). So, in the same way someone can be offended to the N word, someone can also be offended by the R-Neck word.

I'm offended by neither, but appreciate that people don't want to be called either, so I don't use them in that way. Can't tell me that offensive slang used on white people isn't racist just because white people have privilege.

[mexi cali]

Maybe he's referring to the natives guys, hear him out.

Those would be "red skins".

[mexi cali]

The N word applies to black people. All of them. Red neck applies to a very specific group of people, southern white laborers.

The term comes from the fact that the work they do requires them to be looking at the the ground to do what they do (digging, laying tar, spreading gravel etc.) exposing their necks to the sun which turns red.

Red neck was synonymous with undereducated, blue collar workers who had a tendency toward inbreeding, Walmart memberships, White gown and mask wearing, jacked up truck driving, squirrel hunting, beer swilling, still stilling, grade 6 edgeeecashun, heavily armed, police hatin, jack boot wearin, chaw chewin, butt scratchin, friday night fightin, bullyin, black folk hatin, church goin (ironic) beer swillin, snap back cap wearin, pit stain shirt wearin, eyes to close together, foul mouthed sum biiiitches.

Red necks tend to wear the moniker like a badge of honor.

I guess though if you look at the definition of racism, where one race believes they are superior to another, then maybe it does work here because we all be definally betta than any dang red neck. Sarcasm off, over to you.

PS; don't encourage Truth by throwing him bones.

[the truth]

r-neck is not a race. it's a culture.

From Wikipedia
Redneck is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.[1][2] Its usage is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Texas, Georgia, and Florida), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks),[3] and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality).[4][5][6] In Britain the Cambridge Dictionary definition states: "a poor, white person without education, esp. one living in the countryside in the southern US, who is believed to have prejudiced ideas and beliefs. This word is usually considered offensive."[7] People from the white South sometimes jocularly call themselves "rednecks" as insider humor.[8]

By the 1970s, the term had become offensive slang, its meaning expanded to include racism, loutishness, and opposition to modern ways.[9]

It clearly states "white americans". If White isn't a "race", then neither is "black".
In terms of how we take offense to words, the words used to discriminate against people based on their "race" makes those words racist (provided context). So, in the same way someone can be offended to the N word, someone can also be offended by the R-Neck word.

I'm offended by neither, but appreciate that people don't want to be called either, so I don't use them in that way. Can't tell me that offensive slang used on white people isn't racist just because white people have privilege.

exactly, all the regulars on here that use the world -redneck- to insult will never admit that the word redneck is racist when it clearly is , *removed*

[TylerM4]

I mean, the knowledge is out there. It took me like 3 seconds to find articles with the reasoning behind it. You can always do some more research as well, as I am sure there are lots of different opinions, and viewpoints on the matter.

https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/09/why-you-cant-say-the-n-word-if-youre-not-black

1st off - an opinion article is in no way research.
2nd - the author compares the word to the F word and says it's the same reason/context.

When the F-word is used in a derogatory manner by a straight person, it’s extremely offensive. That's because when the word is used in this way, similarly to the N-word, it acts as a reflection of the existing power dynamics in society.

This article is doing more to support my position than it is to debunk it. Think that complaint about the university professor would have received any attention had he used the F word instead? Does anyone ever tell you "You can't use the F-word, ever under any circumstance/context"?

And finally: The article is very clear on what is offensive or not. Finding it offensive does not automatically mean it's racist. I think that's a key point and ties in perfectly to the theme of this thread - Assumed racism.

[the truth]

The N word applies to black people. All of them. Red neck applies to a very specific group of people, southern white laborers.

The term comes from the fact that the work they do requires them to be looking at the the ground to do what they do (digging, laying tar, spreading gravel etc.) exposing their necks to the sun which turns red.

Red neck was synonymous with undereducated, blue collar workers who had a tendency toward inbreeding, Walmart memberships, White gown and mask wearing, jacked up truck driving, squirrel hunting, beer swilling, still stilling, grade 6 edgeeecashun, heavily armed, police hatin, jack boot wearin, chaw chewin, butt scratchin, friday night fightin, bullyin, black folk hatin, church goin (ironic) beer swillin, snap back cap wearin, pit stain shirt wearin, eyes to close together, foul mouthed sum biiiitches.

Red necks tend to wear the moniker like a badge of honor.

I guess though if you look at the definition of racism, where one race believes they are superior to another, then maybe it does work here because we all be definally betta than any dang red neck. Sarcasm off, over to you.

PS; don't encourage Truth by throwing him bones.

well almost everyone says webster is the gold standard so here you have it redneck is a racist word people , https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redneck case closed

[mexi cali]

The N word applies to black people. All of them. Red neck applies to a very specific group of people, southern white laborers.

The term comes from the fact that the work they do requires them to be looking at the the ground to do what they do (digging, laying tar, spreading gravel etc.) exposing their necks to the sun which turns red.

Red neck was synonymous with undereducated, blue collar workers who had a tendency toward inbreeding, Walmart memberships, White gown and mask wearing, jacked up truck driving, squirrel hunting, beer swilling, still stilling, grade 6 edgeeecashun, heavily armed, police hatin, jack boot wearin, chaw chewin, butt scratchin, friday night fightin, bullyin, black folk hatin, church goin (ironic) beer swillin, snap back cap wearin, pit stain shirt wearin, eyes to close together, foul mouthed sum biiiitches.

Red necks tend to wear the moniker like a badge of honor.

I guess though if you look at the definition of racism, where one race believes they are superior to another, then maybe it does work here because we all be definally betta than any dang red neck. Sarcasm off, over to you.

PS; don't encourage Truth by throwing him bones.

well almost everyone says webster is the gold standard so here you have it redneck is a racist word people , https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redneck case closed

Ummmm. You just used my source to make my case.

Ummmmm. Thanks?

removed

I am trying to stay between the lines.

[Staredintoabyss]

What an absurd assertion.

Just because you think you experience something doesn't mean you experience what you think you did. That is a basic human factor, we are all biased. Believing that your version of events is the only version is basic narcissism.

Beyond that what kind of cultural imperialism are you pushing for? Be silent because you have the wrong race?

People need to listen for sure but that does not equal people needing to accept everything they hear.

Sounds familiar. "I am a heterosexual white male so only I can decide if something is discriminatory"?
That's how we got here.

I find it interesting that you view everything through the lens of race. Though I would not accuse you of racism that is what someone of that ilk would do as they would ignore the individual merits of any individual to dismiss them based solely on a shallow perception of race.

It is almost as if you do not recognize the individuality of humans but rather judge then by immutable characteristics they can do nothing to change. It is almost as if you practice the same ideology as all bigots of this world engage in and yet somehow call yourself virtuous for ignoring all that makes each human unique, the very things that are most important in combatting racism.

Yet I must be mistaken, as no one in this age should feel good about such a horrid puritanism, so I must not understand your argument.

It is unimaginable in this age that someone would be dismissive of coherent logical arguments based solely on arbitrary judgements based on very small and shallow observations.

Do you actually believe that only white appearing people are biased in their perceptions? That somehow melanin levels are related to ones capacity to be impartial?
What a fascinating position, somehow even more bizarre than believing in a flat earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev373c7wSRg

[mexi cali]

Good video. Sums up life in Canada nicely. The ideals stated are incontrovertible and we all should jump on board in order to make the world a better, safer place.

You stay in your corner and we'll stay in ours, that way nobody suffers from offensive words or hurt feelings. Lets keep the melting pot as close to homogenous as we can so the colors aren't in danger of becoming blurred.

[Ka-El]

and some how the racist word -redneck- seems to be ok with many one here, why is that

Because it refers to an attitude, not a race. There are white, black and even Hispanic "rednecks" and "hillbillies". No matter what definition you manage to find on the internet, a review of an anthropology text that refers to all the different types of races on the planet would serve you well - although I know that's not going to happen.

ETA: this might help. One anthropologist identifies four different races, the other five …

Blumenbach divided humankind into five “varieties” and noted that clear lines of distinction could not be drawn between them, as they tended to blend “insensibly” into one another. His five categories included American, Malay, Ethiopian, Mongolian, and Caucasian. (He chose the term Caucasian to represent the Europeans because a skull from the Caucasus Mountains of Russia was in his opinion the most beautiful.) These terms were still commonly used by many scientists in the early 20th century, and most continue today as major designations of the world’s peoples.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/race-h ... ns-of-race

The Basic Races of Humanity
~ Caucasoid
~ Mongoloid
~ Negroid
~ Australoid
https://biologywise.com/list-of-human-races

… and not a “redneck” or “hillbilly” to be found.

[Ka-El]

Secondly, the N-word is a classic example of the reclaiming of language through the subversion of its power. Essentially, when Black communities reclaimed this word, they flipped it on its head and used it as a tool of camaraderie to the point where the word lost its power over them.

Very true. While black people may greet each other with the n-word, I certainly wouldn't recommend any white person try using it on the streets of Detroit. Likewise with the term "Indian". Yes, you'll even hear First Nations people greet each other with the same term (and for the same reason), but I wouldn't suggest using it on the streets of Prince George.