Rednecks

[hellsbells58]

I just watched one of the latest episodes of Top Gear (a British car show) and during the episode they drove from Miami in Florida to Louisiana. The challenge in this episode was to buy a car in America for $1000 or less, get it to the destination, and sell it, while doing a number of challenges on the way.

One of the challenges really got my back up though. In Alabama, the challenge was to decorate each others cars in order to get them shot at or generally rile up the locals.

So, Jeremy's car was decorated with "Country & Western Sucks" and "NASCAR Sucks", Hammond's with "Man Loving is OK" and James' with "Hillary for President" and "I'm Bi" written on the sides of their cars in fluorescent paint.

Now that did attract some attention from the locals. People beeping at them as they drove past on the highway, some angry faces. But the thing that pissed me off the most was when they pulled into a petrol station to fill up, and the owner got really riled up.

She said, "Are ya'll gay looking to see how long it takes to get beat up in a Hick town?" and began swearing and stuff. Then she said she was going to get "the boys". Where a short while after a pick-up truck full of rednecks arrived and began hurling rocks at the camera crews, the presenters and their cars, abusing the camera crew etc.

I mean, what sort of primitive behavior is that? These people are supposedly Christian, yet they get all violent over some words painted on a car. How many of these Southern Redneck states are like this?

How intolerant are they to get so worked up over some words painted on their cars? And how, HOW, in this day and age are people still so insulted by different views to their own?

It's 2007, don't you think by now we should be able to tolerate and respect those with different views and opinions than ourselves? I mean, if some people will be willing to hurt another just because they've got "Hillary for President" written on the side of their car, how does that give any hope for maintaining peace or quelling disagreements between Muslims and Christians?

For a moment, I despised everything about America.

HB58

[Eons]

Don't believe everything you see on T.V, their probaly trying to hipe up thier show where stereotypical references, but I don't know I guess I would have to see it. But I live in Florida close to Alabama and I'm sure a car like that may get honks but I dought all the violence. Most of the younger "rednecks" act the way they do cause they think its cool in some way.... but I couldn't see them taking it that far. Who knows though their are alot of radical people out there.

[drummer]

Christians come in all shapes and sizes. Some of those shapes and sizes are less than desirable.

[bongobro]

What a letdown, hb58! I thought "Top Gear" was more a show in which they reviewed new cars ... but it sounds like they had to dig into some reality-show dregs to "rev it up."

Unfortunately, the "redneck" image is as unrealistic as assuming all dudes from OZ are like Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan, Mel "Mad Max" Gibson, or the late Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin--or keep a stray 'roo in a pen in the back yard the way most people would keep a dog or cat. (And not all Aussies sound like any of the above, either.)

(And I may have given out a couple more cliches above, referring to Australia as "OZ" or kangaroo as "'roo"--there's a shampoo commercial stateside with the tag line "Put some 'roo in your 'do"--ironically I don't remember the brand name! So much for the efficacy of that campaign!)

To expand on drummer's comment, mate--PEOPLE come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them are indeed less than desirable...

[Candlelight Chaos]

Dude, believe me, I KNOW WHAT A TRUE REDNECK IS.

Redneck - a person of rural origin who is close-minded, belligerent, unwilling to change, and full of himself.

People like that, I wish would drop off the face of the earth! I live in a place where you actually have to deal with behavior like that. And trust me, Its not fun.

You haven't seen anything until you have to live with them and are different. If the gays here didn't have a ton of chicks as their friends, they would be.....in a bad way, we'll say.

[CyberComa]

I don't encounter that too much around here, dealing with that might sound funny and bring to mind some good jokes, but it must be hard to live around that or have to deal with it on a daily basis.

[Roaddebris]

For a moment, I despised everything about America.

HB58

And for a moment, you're exibiting the same kind of reactionary narrow mindedness that you condemn. If the hypocrisy you point out in those you assume to be Christian is so offensive to you, why do you indulge in the same kind of behavior youself?