View Full Version : I find this hysterical. Is it offensive?
Nobody on my Facebook page "likes" this. I think its really funny. But with nobody "liking" it, it makes me wonder if its offensive.
A friend of mine knows these guys. What do you think?
Its about the only way I would ever have a "6-pack". As my lady doctor says "Why would you want a 6-pack when you can have a keg". hahaha
Hope you all don't find this offensive. I just think its hysterical.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/RedneckAbs_zpsc2911a93.jpg
I think that it funny, but maybe it is because I have relatives just like those guys. Brothers-in-law. Same kind of fence, different guys. Yep.
If anyone needs perspective, I have a Redneck, not too offensive, I could share. :~)
That should be Redneck joke.
Tanglefoot
1-19-14, 1:05pm
That's funny right thar!
A more imaginative bunch one may never find...
I don't particularly see this as a redneck joke........just 2 guys being silly. and funny.
I can see any type of person with a good sense of humor (and a big enough belly) doing this!
Well, the whole "redneck" thing is offensive to some...
Replace with "ethnic-slur-of-your-choice", and re-read.
ApatheticNoMore
1-19-14, 4:41pm
a special kind of abs: fl-ABS. Oh wait that's offensive ...
new2oregon
1-19-14, 5:23pm
That's funny! Thanks for sharing.
Made me laugh...but silly usually does.
It's cute - along the lines of Blue Collar Comedy tour stuff, which having grown up in a blue-collar family and neighborhood, I can relate to.
It struck me that these guys were laughing at themselves, not anyone else.
iris lilies
1-19-14, 6:02pm
It struck me that these guys were laughing at themselves, not anyone else.
That's what it looked like to me, they are making an amusing image using themselves as the models. The image is funny but did they provide the caption using "redneck?"
I don't think its funny. I think its trying to say that a particular sub group is stupid enough to think that sticking their flesh through a fence is the equivalent to working out. I don't think making people look stupid is funny.
ApatheticNoMore
1-19-14, 6:19pm
I don't think its funny. I think its trying to say that a particular sub group is stupid enough to think that sticking their flesh through a fence is the equivalent to working out. I don't think making people look stupid is funny.
I would not have interpreted it like that AT ALL. Stupid would have never crossed my mind for the joke (except that it's a stupid joke ok :)). Or that it was in any way making fun of rednecks for being stupid. I though it was making fun of rednecks for being fat! Which may offend rednecks or fat people.
I saw this on my news feed the other day at work and laughed out loud in the break room. I don't find it offensive at all; I thought it was pretty clever!
rosarugosa
1-19-14, 7:27pm
I think it's pretty funny and nobody seems to hold redneck jokes against Jeff Foxworthy!
I think it's pretty funny and nobody seems to hold redneck jokes against Jeff Foxworthy!
Just like nobody seemed to hold African-American jokes against Eddie Murphy. Something about racist/ethnic humor being acceptable when engaged in by members of the group in question...
And let's not forget:
http://canadaalive.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/bobanddoug1.jpg
goldensmom
1-19-14, 7:43pm
I don't particularly see this as a redneck joke........just 2 guys being silly. and funny.
I can see any type of person with a good sense of humor (and a big enough belly) doing this!
That's how I see it.....just 2 guys being silly.
Well, the whole "redneck" thing is offensive to some...
Replace with "ethnic-slur-of-your-choice", and re-read.
Nope, the difference is that "redneck" is sort of a cultural choice, whereas race is something one is born with. I don't see much difference between this (making fun of beer-drinking, chubby rednecks) and, say, Portlandia (making fun of uber-liberal hippies in the PNW).
rosarugosa
1-19-14, 8:13pm
I agree Rosie. I was comparing it in my mind to jokes about Yankees, and I don't think many folks around here would take offense at those. (In this context, Yankee would be stereotypical old-time frugal New Englander).
Nope, the difference is that "redneck" is sort of a cultural choice, ...
Not exactly. I've plenty of relatives in wee villages in back woods kinds of places living in trailers, working mines and such, who were born there, will likely never go more than 100 miles away from the holler they were born in, and are unlikely to be able to "choose" to escape unless they have extraordinary luck.
"Redneck" is an ethnic slur.
Well, the whole "redneck" thing is offensive to some...
Replace with "ethnic-slur-of-your-choice", and re-read.
I will let my brothers-in-law to stop using that word about themselves.
It's cute - along the lines of Blue Collar Comedy tour stuff, which having grown up in a blue-collar family and neighborhood, I can relate to.
The previously mentioned brothers-in-law recite, mail and e-mail all of those jokes and many more personal stories to me. I never thought of it as an ethnic slur. It is clear that I am seriously lacking in cultural sensitivity and respect.
I will let my brothers-in-law to stop using that word about themselves.
See previous statement above about members of the in-group...
It is clear that I am seriously lacking in cultural sensitivity and respect.
Well, it is awfully hard to keep up with what is currently politically correct. It seems to depend upon your race, age, gender, nationality, political persuasion and social status. I've been advised by several members of this forum that as a middle class, middle aged, conservative leaning, heterosexual, caucasian male, I'm not allowed to comment on or make reference to women, minorities, immigrants, homosexuals or those trapped in generational poverty. Something to do with their perception of privilege, although I suspect it's something else entirely.
Kind of hard to carry on a online conversation if most topics are considered unacceptable, isn't it, Alan? Is that why some sages have said that silence is golden? LOL
Funny how we all have difficulty in accepting that all that is being shared is one's viewpoint, neither right nor wrong. Maybe it is when one considers his or her viewpoint to be the only correct one that trouble occurs?
Kind of hard to carry on a online conversation if most topics are considered unacceptable, isn't it, Alan? Is that why some sages have said that silence is golden? LOL
Look at the title of *this* thread though. The original poster is asking "Is it offensive?".
Presumably that invites comments on the very topic of the thread?
Kind of hard to carry on a online conversation if most topics are considered unacceptable, isn't it, Alan? To be fair, I've found that it's not that the topics are unacceptable, rather that if you're not perceived to be a member of the appropriate group, it's unacceptable to take part. That's where Bae's got it right.
On this particular issue, having grown up in the middle of a cotton field, in a house without running water, but with a '49 Ford on blocks in the back yard, my red neck doesn't take offense as long as the phrase is used as a descriptor rather than as a means to ridicule or demean.
new2oregon
1-19-14, 10:19pm
This world would be a better place if people would lighten up. I see this online all the time people get offended because of how a joke is worded or taken.
Not exactly. I've plenty of relatives in wee villages in back woods kinds of places living in trailers, working mines and such, who were born there, will likely never go more than 100 miles away from the holler they were born in, and are unlikely to be able to "choose" to escape unless they have extraordinary luck.
"Redneck" is an ethnic slur.
Having lived in TX for a few years, I guess I don't think of redneck as the same thing as poverty. I have a friend who is an attorney in TX who would consider himself a "redneck" and be proud of that. Maybe it's a gray area or an interpretation thing. I interpret an attitude of choosing ignorance over education, liking NASCAR and other car-racing stuff, being really into hunting, and drinking cheap pilsners as the "redneck" attitude. There's the "white urban liberal" attitude: liking classical music and NPR, choosing vocabulary that maybe not everyone will easily understand, hoping to be interpreted as "tolerant" but not actually knowing anyone who's poor, gay, of color, etc, and drinking wine or possibly high-end microbrews. The Simpsons (for example) makes fun of both of these stereotypes to great degree, and I would not consider it offensive. Then there are the neo-hippies, the soccer mom/helicopter parents, the business men, and on and on. Yes, upbringing has something to do with what you eventually become, but I think of all these as sub-cultures with their own stereotypes and biases rather than something offensive if I see or hear a joke about.
goldensmom
1-20-14, 6:46am
Did anyone else learn the term ‘redneck’ as referring to a hard working person who spends many hours out in the sun therefore having a red neck at the end of the day? That includes every farmer (a profession for which I have profound respect) I knew as a child before the days of huge tractors with air conditioned cabs. That’s what I learned the term to mean many, many years ago and that is how I still think of it today. I guess it depends on many factors as to what the term means to an individual but because it means one thing to you do not assume it means the same thing to me and get all riled if I do not agree. I will in turn return the courtesy.
bae just likes to argue........in case you haven't noticed.
it is awfully hard to keep up with what is currently politically correct.
My thoughts exactly. It's getting harder and harder to be "just folks" without someone labeling you or getting offended. The other day I caught an old episode of All in the Family and thought to myself that this probably wouldn't fly in today's world. We do need to lighten up.
goldensmom
1-20-14, 10:13am
My thoughts exactly. It's getting harder and harder to be "just folks" without someone labeling you or getting offended. The other day I caught an old episode of All in the Family and thought to myself that this probably wouldn't fly in today's world. We do need to lighten up.
I agree also. I am trying to figure out where I belong so as to be offended as I rarely am offended. Is there a group for 'at-the-far-end-of-middle-age, short, color-my-hair and wear glasses women'? My husband is blond, maybe will do.
Tanglefoot
1-20-14, 1:29pm
I don't think they wrote the caption. I found the photo online without the caption.
They don't look like rednecks to me. If you had to classify them, I'd say "Latin-Americans".
Grouping aside, I love how they're taking a stab at pop culture and its obsession with personal appearance. I would definitely hang with them.
I think these Miranda Musgraves lyrics apply here: "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't so you might as well just do whatever you want".
I also thought it was funny and saw it more as mocking uber-fitness lifestyle than the "redneck" lifestyle (whatever that is). And because it was a self-parody I didn't find it offensive. I often make dumb blonde jokes (I am a blonde) at myself and don't think they are offensive if meant in jest (although they would be offensive if the person doing the joking was serious). Same with any self-parody. But I do see Bae's point that it could be offensive to some (I'm sure shows like Honey-Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty and the like are very offensive to many people in rural areas) if it is seen as mocking a group of people based on a negative stereotype.
bae just likes to argue........in case you haven't noticed.
CathyA - you started the thread.
"Redneck" is an offensive term. Your question is answered.
That's not arguing, that's fact:
Redneck is a derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the Southern United States.[1][2] It is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding 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]
By the 2000s, the term had expanded in meaning to refer to bigoted, loutish reactionaries who are opposed to modern ways,[7] and has often been used to attack white Southern conservatives. The term is used broadly to degrade working class and rural whites that are perceived by urban progressives to be insufficiently liberal.[8] At the same time, some Southern whites have reclaimed the word, using it with pride and defiance as a self-identifier.[9]
uber-fitness lifestyle
This hit home with me as our town has become saturated with cyclists, runners and "cross-fitters". I was just out walking my dog and almost got run over by a young woman jogging very fast while pushing a baby carriage. She looked like she wanted to kill someone and the baby was bouncing around like a ball. By the way, the term "redneck" here is not seen as necessarily derogatory. It denotes a certain mindset and lifestyle and is part of our culture.
This hit home with me as our town has become saturated with cyclists, runners and "cross-fitters". I was just out walking my dog and almost got run over by a young woman jogging very fast while pushing a baby carriage. She looked like she wanted to kill someone and the baby was bouncing around like a ball. By the way, the term "redneck" here is not seen as necessarily derogatory. It denotes a certain mindset and lifestyle and is part of our culture.
Ha Ha - well I'm guilty of participating in that fitness lifestyle myself but at least I DO find it humorous :-)! Spartana - out jogging the furthest...or at least to the closest donut shop :devil::treadmill:
I don't think it's offensive. I'm an old hippie living in redneck country here - they find me offensive. LOL
Redneck is a cool thing to be here....or so they tell me. ;)
I have to say I don't find it funny or offensive. I wouldn't bother "likeing" it on Facebook, whatever that means.
From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redneck):
In Scotland in the 1640s, the Covenanters rejected rule by bishops, often signing manifestos using their own blood. Some wore red cloth around their neck to signify their position, and were called rednecks by the Scottish ruling class to denote that they were the rebels in what came to be known as The Bishop's War that preceded the rise of Cromwell. Eventually, the term began to mean simply "Presbyterian", especially in communities along the Scottish border. Because of the large number of Scottish immigrants in the pre-revolutionary American South, some historians have suggested that this may be the origin of the term in the United States.
As a person who was raised Presbyterian and can trace Scottish roots I still don't get stirred up when someone calls me a redneck. And yes, it happens. Guess I'm really just a hick...
BTW, I thought the pic in the OP was funny.
I was too busy laughing to think it was offensive. I might even try it if I can find a fence like that.:D
LOL. I thought it was pretty creative. Its the only way I'll ever have a 6 pack. hahaha
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