God Bless Rednecks

God Bless Rednecks by Joseph Harris

I can't help but have a soft spot in my heart for rednecks, especially southern rednecks. I once saw a woman at an intersection with car problems. She was stranded beneath the red light. This guy behind her jumped from his TRUCK (all true, card carrying rednecks drive trucks) to help her. I parked and also got out and helped the guy push the frustrated woman's car to safety. Now this guy's appearance told me he was king of the rednecks, or at least their poster child. Cap, MOM tattoo, boots and his basic demeanor screamed redneck and proud of it.

When I got back in my van (out of breath and proud of it) my wife asked why rednecks are usually more than willing to help someone in distress. Good question. I thought a moment and then mused that maybe it was because they were just down to earth people, with still enough humility to feel their fellow man's pain and relate to the down-and-out. Being down to earth means they can afford to act on the instinct of common sense and help ease the load of someone who is burdened.

While I am bestowing laurels on rednecks, don't get the wrong idea. I do not condone, but deplore the beer drinking, cussing, vulgar, etc, etc, Jeff Foxworthy image that comes to mind when the word "redneck" is mentioned. Yet, most of those type rednecks will still give a hand in a jam. When I say redneck, I am speaking more of the guy with a Southern mentality who still believes the words "Ma'am" and "Sir" have merit, the guy who holds a door open for a lady, the guy who begins to get teary eyed at the mention of Mother and won't take kindly to defacing her memory. This redneck of which I speak is somewhat mannerly, often tactless, yet never minces words, and he still believes in valor, chivalry, and integrity. He is the one who will take his hat off during prayer, when the Star Spangled Banner is played or when a funeral procession passes. These anachronisms are, thankfully, still found in the South.

It is a custom in South Mississippi to pull off the road and stop your vehicle when a funeral procession passes. Once when I was in a funeral procession, I observed one redneck pull his truck over, take his hat off and hold it over his heart. Though he did not know the deceased, he did this act with all sincerity and reverence.....and with a plug of tobacco in his mouth that would choke a mule. Another time, I saw a sign painter on a billboard stop his work and stand at attention while the deceased was brought out of a church building and loaded into the hearse. After the hearse was out of sight, he continued with his painting. I can't help but almost get choked up when these things happen. And they usually happen with rednecks.

I close with a quote from Dr. Carl Hurley, "You can tell I'm a redneck. I drive a Cadillac.........with a gun rack in the back. You just never can tell when you may come across a brand new road sign. Last night I went out and got my limit......2 "Caution, Rocks Falling" and 1 "Slippery When Wet", but they didn't dress out too good."

Joseph Harris is the Vice President of Southeastern Baptist College in Laurel, MS. (This article may be reprinted in whole, as long as the name Joseph Harris and www.miniedition.net also appear).

well said.
a black female editorial writer for the atlanta journal years ago had a column on this subject.i disagree with 90 % that comes out of her pen.but she got it right this time.a friend of hers from up north had expressed concern about her living in the south.
in her column she stated that her south was where you will see a redneck with a jacked up 4-wheel drive festooned with confederate flag paraphernalia stop in the rain, and change the tire of an elderly black lady on the side of the road.
we are still around.

When I went into the Air Force many years ago I met "Rednecks" and "Good Olde Boys" for the first time.

Some of the best people I've ever met.

And those guys really knew how to have a good time.

Great story.

Leche said:

Great story.

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LOL..is ain't no story.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a friend (57 y/o in good health) was trying to change a tire. The problem was he didn't have a lug wrench.
2 younger guys he described as "redneck tweaker type dudes" stopped. He was apprehensive, but for no reason. They said "can't stand to see an old man like you stranded in the heat" and changed his tire with their tools.

Do people everywhere not stop for funerals?

Growing up in rural Georgia, I grew up redneck. And while I don't bring it to the level I did in high school(we thrived on the jeff foxworthy thing), I do maintain a Southern Gentleman attitude.

kg4ghn said:

Do people everywhere not stop for funerals?

Growing up in rural Georgia, I grew up redneck. And while I don't bring it to the level I did in high school(we thrived on the jeff foxworthy thing), I do maintain a Southern Gentleman attitude.

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Are you kidding? I see people not pulling over for ambulances or fire trucks.

It depends on what you were taught growing up. In some parts, parents don't teach their kids hardly anything. It's out of sheer ignorance.

kg4ghn said:

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Growing up in rural Georgia, I grew up redneck. And while I don't bring it to the level I did in high school(we thrived on the Jeff Foxworthy thing), I do maintain a Southern Gentleman attitude.

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LOL...I resemble that remark. The reason why Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy are so popular is that most of us from the South have friends that these guys emulate in their shows. God Love 'Em!

You're not describing rednecks, you're describing small town residents.

People in the city always assume that someone official will be along soon enough the handle the problem - and experience has taught us 'getting involved' usually ends up being a bigger pain in the *** than not.

Go West Young Man said:

You're not describing rednecks, you're describing small town residents.

People in the city always assume that someone official will be along soon enough the handle the problem - and experience has taught us 'getting involved' usually ends up being a bigger pain in the *** than not.

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I live in NYC and I can assure you we spend most of our time avoiding the huge hassle that comes along with getting the official people involved. At least once a week I'm over at a friends house fixing a bike, or moving a couch, or installing an A/C unit, or something else that involves the tools and handiness i have that most of my (mostly female) friends don't.

When the laundry room of my building needed to be repainted, I put a notice up in the elevator asking other tenets to help me do it, I provided paint, rollers/ brushes, tape, drop cloths, pizza and beer (which the land lord paid for) and showed people the basics, 4 of us did the room in a day, we couldn't have gotten a professional crew in there for at least a month.

I saw a guy in a suit and tie and dress shoes climb a tree in central park to get a kids ball down on Friday around noon it was a hot and humid day.

I've seen mechanics in Brooklyn roll out the floor jack and compressed air lug nut gun and change the tire of some one who happened to have a flat out front then refuse payment for something the guy "could have done him slef, but we just had the better tools".

Every time I have a minor issue on one of my bikes or my motorcycle people stop and ask if I'm ok/ need help.

What it boils down to is that there are "rednecks" everywhere. You just see them more often in the South.

Southern hospitality. You see alot of it on B&B.

kg4ghn said:

Do people everywhere not stop for funerals?

Growing up in rural Georgia, I grew up redneck. And while I don't bring it to the level I did in high school(we thrived on the jeff foxworthy thing), I do maintain a Southern Gentleman attitude.

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I was kind of wondering the same thing. That said, I'm also from Georgia but while I grew up out in the country, I now live in Atlanta and I still see everyone stop for funeral processions.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this sort of 'friendliness' and gentlemanly behavior is dying a slow death. It will be over my dead body, but it is a slow death. Consider that this would never have been news, much less an article and internet talk, just a few years ago.
I still live in a community where we all look out for each other, and I certainly help out strangers. But I remember a time when I was young and could hitch a ride from a stranger. Those days are pretty much gone (unless of course they just broke down on the road, or something similar).

kg4ghn said:

Do people everywhere not stop for funerals?

Growing up in rural Georgia, I grew up redneck. And while I don't bring it to the level I did in high school(we thrived on the jeff foxworthy thing), I do maintain a Southern Gentleman attitude.

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It is the law in all 50 states, and england as well that cars make way for a funeral precession they are also allowed to to cross red-lights and given a police escort.

C Reed said:

It is the law in all 50 states, and england as well that cars make way for a funeral precession they are also allowed to to cross red-lights and given a police escort.

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It's not the law in some states. In fact some towns here and around the nation have passed laws to not allow police escorts and to limit how many vehicles may participate in funeral processions. Seems the processions were causing more harm than good. A good read on it here and this Associated Press article.

GentsInstinct said:

It's not the law in some states. In fact some towns here and around the nation have passed laws to not allow police escorts and to limit how many vehicles may participate in funeral processions. Seems the processions were causing more harm than good. A good read on it here and this Associated Press article.

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Our politicians once tried to 'save money' by having the sheriffs dept use their "resources" on more important things. That idea was dropped as soon as the papers got a hold of this nonsense.

Saw a documentry on the history channel, in the 1920s Bill Blizzard leader of the pro-union miners in West Virginia had them wear red bandanas around their necks to distinguish them from the anti-union forces of the mine owners; "Rednecks".

There's no stopping for funeral processions in Los Angeles. Traffic is more of a force of nature in these parts.

I do appreciate the hospitality and friendliness in the south. I've spent a few months in various parts down there and found the people wonderful.