Is the term "r*****k" offensive?

[Sommerswerd]

This is a short article posted in the news section of AL.com:

Is "r*****k" as offensive as the n word?

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A Jefferson County official on Wednesday called three Republicans on the County Commission a "bunch of rednecks."

Andrew Bennett, the outgoing tax assessor of Jefferson County's Bessemer Division, set off a firestorm with his assessment of the GOP majority and didn't back down today.

His remarks caught the attention of radio talk shows, social media and, of course, commenters for AL.com.

Bennett, an African-American, directed "rednecks" to three white commissioners after they declined to authorize his payment for a trip planned his week to a conference in Orange Beach.

Some commenters believed Bennett's use of "redneck" would be akin to a white person who directed the N-word toward three black commissioners. Others disagreed.

What do you think?

Here's what some commenters had to say after Bennett's remarks were first reported on AL.com:

50years2L8: "As a bona-fide redneck, I take offense that this tax ASSessor is upset because his beach vacation isn't being paid for by the tax payer.

I do not take offense of his use of the term. We know who we are. The world has gotten way too sensitive."

It's not cool to say racist stuff whether you're white or black."
Paul: "I believe Mr. Bennett needs to get control of his emotions. It's obvious he has underlying problems with hatred for certain groups of people. In my opinion, the R word carries the same weight as the N word."

Jay Cee: "If this was a white dude using the N-word, he would have already been pressured into a public apology, sensitivity training, and community service in a black neighborhood."

Simian: "'REDNECK' is racist...... this from the crowd that says it's okay to call a football team 'Redskins' complete with picture.... hmmmmmm."

Sequitur: "Can you imagine the outcry if he had been white and used the N-word?"

Bamabound80: "It's amazing that everyone on here is trying to turn this into some polarizing political event. It was dumb what he said/did. Does it represent all democrats? Absolutely not.

"This "lib" reminds you that your side does a lot of dumb things as well but I am not the first to demand an apology from every conservative. Does it ever get exhausting?"

Footbawlguy: "A white guy making similar derogatory comments would be fired and run out of town...and rightfully so, but the double standard is sickening."

Moore's Paradox: "Personally, I agree with (Commissioner Jimmie) Stephens's reason for the decision" to decline the trip. "But, when did 'redneck' become a racist term?"

Steelshield: "It's not cool to say racist stuff whether you're white or black."

The reason I am asking about this is because a person I respect implied that the term was one of terms that was fine for people who are members of the group to say but was offensive when said by people outside the group. I can appreciate this concept because I am black and there are obviously some terms that black people feel that way about. But for this term in particular, I think it is not just a matter of race. I think it might even be offensive for whites to say it, if they aren't members of the group.

I have maintained that I think its up to the group, ethnicity, etc that the term, symbol etc has been used to degrade, oppress, dehumanize etc, to decide whether the thing is offensive. I would like to hear others thoughts.

EDIT: For the sake of clarity. I will specify that I am asking about the use of the term in the US as opposed to how it might be used in other countries. I say this because both myself and the person who I discussed the term with both live in the US. Also the incident discussed in the article takes place in the US. So again, for the sake of clarity, I am primarily (only) interested in the term as used/applied in the US. The term may have other, and perhaps widely different uses and applications in other countries, but bringing those into the discussion may distract from the point of the thread. I naievely assumed that this would be obvious, and so I apologize for not stating this initially.

 

[schlaufuchs]

Yes.

It is a term explicitly designed to judge a person on the basis of class and income level.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I have maintained that I think its up to the group, ethnicity, etc that the term, symbol etc has been used to degrade, oppress, dehumanize etc, to decide whether the thing is offensive. I would like to hear others thoughts.

I think if you're fairly confident about the bolded part being true, then you don't need anyone else's help to determine if it might be offensive or not.

 

[Disgustipated]

Definitely not as offensive as the N word, nothing is offensive as that. Being the privileged class, whites have it easy. But if we are supposed to believe Redskin is offensive, then so is redneck. That said, if some one calls me a redneck, it doesn't bother me one bit. Neither does honkey or cracker. Like I said above, whites have it easy. We can let names slide off of us, because we know we have it easy in this world.

 

[JollyRoger]

Stinky fatties is the more politically correct terminology being farmed out in this parts.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Yes.

It is a term explicitly designed to judge a person on the basis of class and income level.

Only people rarely use it that way, at least these days.

And that definition doesn't seem to apply at all to this particular occasion. That is unless you think 3 Republicans on a county commission are poor white farmers who are out in the sun too much without adequate skin protection on their necks.

Stinky fatties is the more politically correct terminology being farmed out in this parts.

Or just stick with the tried and true authoritarian ultaconservatives.

And the notion of a black man actually offending white Alabamians is just too hilarious for words. Good thing they can no longer lynch him for being "uppity".

EDIT: Here is a much more even-handed account of what occurred. It is the only other source of this outlandish behavior on the internet beside AL.com.

Jefferson County assistant tax assessor Andrew Bennett called the majority of the County Commission "a bunch of rednecks" Wednesday for not approving his request for travel.

Bennett, who lost his run for re-election this month, wanted to go to a tax assessor's conference in Orange Beach this month, a trip that's estimated to cost more than $2,100. He says one reason some commissioners are against him is because he fought to keep open Cooper Green as a hospital.

"They are prejudice. If you don't do what they say do, and being a black male, then they are against you," Bennett told ABC 33/40.

Commissioner Joe Knight and Commission President David Carrington say they didn't hear Bennett call them "rednecks," though, those in attendance at the meeting heard the comment. Bennett later confirmed he made the remark.

"I didn't hear it but we've been [called] rednecks, confederates, and everything else. I'm sorry he feels that way," Knight says.

Commission President David Carrington says the decision was strictly a legislative one. Bennett's trip would have been paid for by state funds. But Carrington says the commission is cutting back on unnecessary travel.

Bennett said after the meeting he has news for the commission:

"I will continue to fight for the people whether I'm in office or not."

So at least one one of the commissioners wasn't even offended by the remark, which only a few in the audience even heard.

It is also difficult to believe that it would actually cost $2100 to attend a conference in the state only 250 miles from Birmingham.

 

[BvBPL]

Obviously it was offensive. The term was coined as a perk pejorative and used in an insulting manner.

Equally obviously, redneck is not on par with the n word. Otherwise we would not be using the word redneck.

 

[bhavv]

So in the UK, is the word chav offensive?

Technically these are words that higher class white people use to degrade lower class white people. Its more to do with class prejudice than it is race.

 

[Tahuti]

White Dutchmen are called Tatas by persons of Surinamese descent. Although unlike Redneck, it has little connotations for class. I personally do not find it offensive by itself, although it can have offensive intentions.

 

[Borachio]

If a word is intended to offend then it's offensive, imo.

For example, I have rarely found being called suave, debonair, handsome and kind to be offensive to me, personally.

 

[Perfection]

No, it is simply a term describe neck color.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Of course it is meant to be offensive, just like , jerk, imbecile, Luddite, stupid, and mean. Some rednecks may be racist, but not all racists are rednecks.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I think if you're fairly confident about the bolded part being true, then you don't need anyone else's help to determine if it might be offensive or not.

I don't even know what to say to this Manfred...

Well I will say that I greatly appreciate you saying so clearly that you feel this way about it. Your take on it seems very sensible... at least to me.

 

[Triewd]

Personally I say no - but I don't live in America

 

[Valka D'Ur]

This is a short article posted in the news section of AL.com:

Is "r*****k" as offensive as the n word?



The reason I am asking about this is because a person I respect implied that the term was one of terms that was fine for people who are members of the group to say but was offensive when said by people outside the group. I can appreciate this concept because I am black and there are obviously some terms that black people feel that way about. But for this term in particular, I think it is not just a matter of race. I think it might even be offensive for whites to say it, if they aren't members of the group.

I have maintained that I think its up to the group, ethnicity, etc that the term, symbol etc has been used to degrade, oppress, dehumanize etc, to decide whether the thing is offensive. I would like to hear others thoughts.

I have used this term a few times, and on one occasion I was talking about my own mother (she had an appalling way of opening her mouth and letting her racist attitudes out).

Yes.

It is a term explicitly designed to judge a person on the basis of class and income level.

Not necessarily. Would you call a person a "redneck" if they lived in the middle of a large city and were poor?

If a word is intended to offend then it's offensive, imo.

For example, I have rarely found being called suave, debonair, handsome and kind to be offensive to me, personally.

Then there are a lot of other words that need banning. The words "young" and "old" have been used in offensive, mocking ways.

No, it is simply a term describe neck color.

In Alberta, this term is commonly associated with anyone working outside most of the day, whether they're farmers, rig workers, or anything else involving outdoor manual labor, usually in a rural setting. Working outside so much can lead to sunburn on the person's neck, if they don't wear a hat or something else with enough material to guard against sunburn.

There's more to it, of course, but I'm honestly having trouble finding the words right now. I've been called a redneck just for being Albertan.

 

[Zkribbler]

You might be a redneck if.... [thanks, Jeff Foxxworthy]

You ever cut your grass and found a car.
You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren't.
You think the stock market has a fence around it.
Your stereo speakers used to belong to the Drive-in Theater.
Your boat has not left the drive-way in 15 years.
You own a homemade fur coat.
Chiggers are included on your list of top 5 hygiene concerns.
You burn your yard rather than mow it.
Your wife has ever said, "Come move this transmission so I can take a bath."
You read the Auto Trader with a highlight pen.
The Salvation Army declines your mattress.
You've ever raked leaves in your kitchen.
Birds are attracted to your beard.
Your wife's job requires her to wear an orange vest.
You were shooting pool when any of your kids were born.
You have the local taxidermist's number on speed dial.
You've ever hit a deer with your car...deliberately.
Your school fight song was "Dueling Banjos".
You think a chain saw is a musical instrument.
You've ever given rat traps as gifts.
You clean your fingernails with a stick.
Your coffee table used to be a cable spool.
You keep a can of RAID on the kitchen table.
Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
Your mother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
Every socket in your house breaks a fire code.
You've totaled every car you've ever owned.
There are more than five McDonald's bags in your car.
The Home Shopping operator recognizes your voice.
There has ever been crime-scene tape on your bathroom door.
You've ever been kicked out of the zoo for heckling the monkeys.
The taillight covers of your car are made of red tape.
You think a subdivision is part of a math problem.
You've ever bathed with flea and tick soap.
You think "taking out the trash" means taking your in-laws to a movie.
You have every episode of Hee-Haw on tape.
You've ever been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
Your considered an expert on wormbeds.
Your kids take a siphon hose to "Show and Tell."
The dog catcher calls for a backup unit when visiting your house.
You've ever bought a used cap.
Your CB antenna is a danger to low-flying planes.
You pick your teeth from a catalog.
You've ever financed a tattoo.
You've ever stolen toilet paper.
You think a hot tub is a stolen bathroom fixture.
People hear your car a long time before they see it.
The gas pedal on your car is shaped like a bare foot.
You prefer car keys to Q-tips.
You take a fishing pole into Sea World.
You think a turtleneck is key ingredient for soup.
You've ever stood in line to have your picture taken with a freak of nature.
You think the French Riviera is foreign car.
You go to a stock car race and don't need a program.
You've ever filled your deer tag on the golf course.
you have ever used lard in bed.
you own more than 3 shirts with cut off sleeves.
you have ever spray-painted your girlfriends name on an overpass.
your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
someone asks to see your ID and you show them your belt buckle.
The primary color of your car is bondo.
directions to your house include "Turn off the paved road."
your dog and your wallet are both on a chain.
you owe the taxidermist more than your annual income.
you ever lost a tooth opening a beer bottle.
Jack Daniels makes you list of most admired people.
your wife's hairdo has ever been ruined by a ceiling fan.
you see no need to stop at a rest stop 'cause you have an empty milk jug.
you consider the fifth grade you senior year.
you have a rag for a gas cap.
the dog can't watch you eat without gagging.
you have a hefty bag where the window of your car should be.
you have ever bar-b-qued Spam on the grill.
your brother-in-law is also your uncle.
Redman Chewing Tobacco sends you a Christmas card.
you bought a VCR because wrestling comes on while you're at work.
your dad walks you to school because you're in the same grade.
you view the next family reunion as a chance to meet girls.
your wife has a beer belly and you find it attractive.
your front porch collapses and kills more than five dogs.
the main course at potluck dinners is roadkill.
you mow the front yard and find a car.
your other truck is made by John Deere.
you think suspenders are a type of shirt.
going to the bathroom at night involves shoes and a flashlight.
you keep a spit cup on the ironing board.
you ever got too drunk to fish.
More than one living relative is named after a southern civil war general.
Your front porch collapses and more than six dogs are killed.
You've ever used lard in bed.
Your home has more miles on it than your car.
You think that potted meat on a saltine is an hors d'ouerve.
There is a stuffed posum anywhere in your house.
You consider a six-pack and a bug-zapper high-quality entertainment.
Fewer than half of your cars run.
Your mother doesn't remove the Marlboro from her lips before telling the State Trooper to kiss her ass.
The primary color of your car is "bondo".
You honestly think that women are turned on by animal noises and seductive tongue gestures.
You stand under the misteletoe at christmas and wait for Granny and cousin Bobby-Sue Ellen to walk by.

 

[schlaufuchs]

Not necessarily. Would you call a person a "redneck" if they lived in the middle of a large city and were poor?

If I did I would be calling that person a poor uncultured white man. That's literally what that word means.

 

[Formaldehyde]

As I posted in a recent thread about this topic:

By 1975, say Chapman and Kipfer, the term had expanded in meaning beyond the poor Southerner to refer to "a bigoted and conventional person, a loutish ultra-conservative."[7]

That is also now what the word means. And in the South, I daresay that is what it now typically means outside of those who have chosen to embrace it by stating that what you claim is the only definition.

Again, I don't think there is any doubt what this particular black gentleman meant when he used the word under his breath. And he certainly meant it to be offensive.

 

[shadowplay]

I don't know whether it's true or not, but growing up I was told that "redneck" was originally a positive slang - it referred to the sunburns working class Irish and Scottish immigrants would get on the back of their necks from working outdoors all day.

What makes it problematic when used as an insult is that it's a racially tinged word. It's not on par with dropping an N-bomb, for historical reasons. Ideally, though, race-based insults should be shunned.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I don't even know what to say to this Manfred...

Well I will say that I greatly appreciate you saying so clearly that you feel this way about it. Your take on it seems very sensible... at least to me.

I'm not sure what you found so startling about what I said. To me it seems fairly self-evident that, if a term that has been/is used to degrade, oppress and dehumanise, then there seems little point in seeking clarification from others as to whether or not it is offensive. It would seem fairly clear-cut in such a case.