I remember within a year or two on the news Georgia politician Zell Miller (Governor & Senator) had one of his temper tantrums when he heard the word “hillbilly” used. I forgot how it was used. I forgot if it was referring to him or a group close to him, but whichever, he was offended and blew his top.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of people think whoever pitches the biggest temper fit is the one that wins the debate.
It appears that Zell is offended by the word “hillbilly” just as blacks are offended by the N-word. I guess that is rightly so, usually the N-word or the word hillbilly is used in a demeaning kind of way, if it is used by someone outside of that group.
And there is also the word “Red-neck” which is a word to cut down a particular segment of people, and “White-Trash” would be another. Red-necks and white-trash people get a big kick out of red-neck jokes and white-trash jokes if it is told by their own…. I know.
But, how should “outsiders” refer to these words? I think the “N-word” rules should be followed. I suggest for hillbilly, if one is not a hillbilly, use the “HB-word”; Red-Neck = the “R-N word; and White Trash = WT word.
But there is also the “Trailer Park Trash”. “The TPT word?” And people north of the Mason-Dixie Line are referred to as “Yankees” in not so kind thoughts by the HB-words. Now, we also have the “Y-Word”.
4 comments:
Well, there you go then.
I think you're a victim of comment spam. The previous comment was clearly posted by a 'bot and is only leveraging your blog to contextually sell a book.
As for the basic post, I couldn't disagree more. The key difference between the groups which you compare is that African Americans are the only ethnic or cultural group listed which has had to face de facto and de jure discrimination. While the other groups clearly been treated as second class citizens economically and culturally, they have not faced legislation relegating them to such a status. Additionally, how many cases can be cited of mobs yelling "hillbilly" as an innocent person is strung up on the tree by the lynch mob? How many times have little white children been called "redneck" as the entire town came out to protest their enrollment in school? How many times have people marched through the streets yelling "white trash go home"? It simply has not happened to whites in this country. And these are not things which happened "generations ago" with African Americans.
White America needs to stop kidding itself by pretending there's any similarity between hillbilly and the "n word".
Rocky,
I wasn't comparing any groups, or saying any group had been as picked on as the other group. It goes without saying the Afro-American group has gotten the worse of the deal, ever since they were brought ashore in chains.
I was just saying that they find the N-word offensive, rightfully so, so maybe people who find the word Hillbilly be offened to, maybe for their feelings should be spared also and refer to it as the HB Word, and so on for other groups. Heck, why am I explaining this anyway?
I like to call myself and family Jewish white trash. My dad finds that extremely offensive. He doesn't deny the truth behind it though.
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