A Few More Rednecks

I was driving along a few days ago, Pandora streaming to the radio, when David Allen Coe came on with his version of A Few More Rednecks. Well, to start with, I love Coe. His rough style and straight up irreverence appeals to me. No, he isn’t even remotely Politically Correct, but who really cares?

I listened to the lyrics and thought “Damn, I agree with most of that.” Me? A Liberal? Yup. Me. The crap about guns is crap. And nobody would want John Wayne as President, seriously. But the core message to me is this:

What most people call a redneck

Ain’t nothin’ but a workin’ man

And he makes his livin’

By the sweat of his brow

And this:

But it makes my temper itch

When my hard earned money goes

To make some politician rich

There is probably a list of slurs, and “redneck” is probably on the list. Most likely it depends on who and under what circumstances it is used. Kind of like “nigger”.  A white person says it, or even says “the “N” word” and gets in all kinds of trouble. But watch “The Wire” or listen to Black people on the street and you will get tired of hearing it.

Rednecks are really just working people, mostly good folks, just trying to get by. The so-called lower class or lower middle class. With very little chance for upward mobility or real wage increases. And yet they vote in startling numbers for the Republican Party, a political party dedicated to making the rich people including most politicians richer, and keeping the poor working class people poor and undereducated.

What the hell are they thinking? Answer: they are not thinking. They are sucking up the poison put out by the rich people. They are lied to every time they turn around. And they don’t seem to be able to see it.

So maybe “a country boy will survive”, but he will always be poor and under educated. Because he votes for the overlords who keep him down, ignorant and poor.

Yes, this is a generalization, and yes, some rednecks actually see the benefit of voting issues rather than just following the party line. But if you look at the Red vs Blue states, you will see a preponderance of rednecks voting in a block for the Republican Party. Boggles the mind.

Image: http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/elections/35518d1233792355-rednecks-obama-rednecks-obama.jpg

1. Charlie Denials Band www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF1GiZCcL1o