Why do you think so many 'rednecks' and 'hillbillies' like GW?

[Dark]

I don't know very many, so I would like some of my more rural DU companions to give me their insights. I honestly cannot understand why they would support a party which wants to ship their jobs overseas, lower the minimum wage (which is what most of them make) and pollute the environment where they live would ever support Dubya.

Why do you think there is such a fanatical support among the many rednecks and hillbillies in America?

[Az]

1. Any group that sees itself as seperate

Any group that does not see itself as part of the society will look for someone to stand up against the progressive tendencies of liberals. The left dismantles presumptions that are the basis of such groups.

[maggrwaggr]

2. cuz those Iraqis attacked us, and he went after 'em. And he hates fags.

That about covers it for these morans.

[Frances]

3. Because they perceive him as being for "whites"

By the way, how many minorities have you seen on TV grieving for Reagan?

[leftofthedial]

4. ignorance

jingoism

and a healthy dose of racism, gullibility, low self esteem, and self-perceived victimhood

[Cleita]

8. You said it best, thanks.

I live in the country myself. Some of the more introspective among them are starting to think about things.

[unfrigginreal]

5. Bigots of a feather flock together

[blurp]

18. Now don't YOU be a bigot

Rural people of the south aren't all racists.

Suggesting that they are is it's own form of bigotry.

[Dark]

19. I think he's suggesting that all Bush loving rednecks and hillbillies are

racists, not all southern folk. I can't agree with that, but I can say that, from what I have heard rednecks say and seen them do, the majority do seem somewhat racist.

[Democat]

6. Because they are told to

That's enough.

[Kenergy]

7. Because...

Birds of a feather flock together

[Dark]

9. Welcome to DU, Kenergy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi:

[newyawker99]

29. Hi Kenergy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Bridget Burke]

10. If you don't know many rednecks & hillbillies....

How do you know they like GW?

Speaking of "prejudice".....

[Dark]

12. I know many who live out in the country. They aren't what you'd

call hillbillies or rednecks (they're more along the lines of fundamentalists) but they talk about all the conversations they've had with people out there who I know ARE rednecks who love Dubya.

I'm not predjudiced, I'm simply well informed.

[jdsmith]

36. Why did you use hate terms in your header

if you deny that they are the proper terms now? If your problem is with peoples' ignorance and place of residence, then you need to make that clear, not foment strident debate among folks who might very well have agreed with you had your words been better chosen.

What is "PC" about that, by the way? What's "PC" about understanding that there are words that people use to hurt other people and that decency requires that you avoid them.

Try rewriting your question with equally loaded racist or ethnic slurs in place of "rednecks" and "hillbillies" and with "JK" in place of "GW."

[ibegurpard]

11. He (and right-wing Republicans) allow people to feel good about

indulging their selfishness and greed. No "mommy" telling them it's bad. The thing is that they DO know it's bad and that's why they will NEVER abandon him...to do so would be to acknowledge to themselves that their attitudes are WRONG and that is a VERY difficult thing to do.

[Rowdyboy]

13. Because the Democratic party, which once was their voice,

has deserted them. Instead of concentrating on issues that matter to lower/middle class workers, things like minimum wage and health care benefits, taking care of the weak and elderly, things that made a difference in their lives, the party now is geared in a different direction. .

Now, the party that should be their economic foundation, favors issues they despise: flag burning, GLBT rights/marriage, late term abortion, and keeping religion out of the classroom. We're fixated on supporting unpopular social and political issues while the true Democratic base suffers.

They (the base) can't afford to take care of their parents or provide decent day care for their children and we (the "real" Democrats") waste our energy fighting over the difference in gay marriage versus civil unions. It's silliness, pure and simple.

How relevant are we? Apparently, not very...

I, personally, support flag burning, support GLBT rights/marriage, support late term abortions, and support keeping religion out of the classroom (STRONGLY). But I am not an "average American". I'm a god-damned yellow dog Democrat. My opinion doesn't matter. Unfortunately, theirs does.

[QC]

14. Because so many liberals casually dismiss them as "rednecks"

and "hillbillies" while the Right pretends to respect them. (The operative word here is pretends.)

In other words, you might want to examine your own prejudices--which are very common ones in liberal circles--for some insight into this question.

[Dark]

17. I'm not predjudiced, QC. I know that many rednecks and hillbillies are

supporters of GW. What I am trying to examine is why.

[QC]

20. Sure, you're not prejudiced.

You just casually refer to people with pejorative terms based on their class status, but you're not prejudiced.

Whatever.

[Dark]

21. And what should I call them?

'individuals whose lower incomes frequently require that they reside in rural areas in dilapidated shelters lacking many modern accomodations and who can be considered fairly rusticated.' Hmmm? What would you call them? Give me something more PC and I'll use it.

And its not based on their class status, its based on their being stupid enough to vote against their own interests.

But, like I said, give me a better moniker and I'll use it.

[Rowdyboy]

22. Perhaps you might revisit your preconceived prejudices?

Its just a thought, but maybe you might consider how you refer to people who are of a different socio-economic background than yourself. Maybe, just maybe, they might be able to teach you something.

Check out #13. You might learn something in spite of youself.

[Dark]

24. Pre-concieved predjudices?

I don't have pre-concieved predjudices. I simply am stating that many of the poor, white, nascar-luvin', gawd-fearin', minimum-wage-earning men and women who live in a dilapidated shack who I have met or, rather, who my family members have met are conservatives. I don't

I am simply asking as to why these people, who fit into democratic camps far more congruosly than republican camps, tend to opt for the elephant in elections.

[Sterling]

32. Many of these people have plenty of money

Trust me. I grew up and still call Oklahoma home although I live on the coast now. Most people there do well but many of those same people are racists Bushbots. In fact its the rich people who own the papers and media in places like that that have influenced the masses to support such divisive leaders and policys. The accent has a lot to do with it and the jesus pandering helps too.

Its just not the porr people that are to blame.

[unfrigginreal]

25. Still straddling that lofty perch, eh?

As if you don't know folks that are proud to call themselves rednecks and/or hillbillies. And, as if you don't know that a good number of them are as bigoted as you can get. It's hard to imagine anyone that's living in the South that wouldn't be aware of such things.

[QC]

23. Hmmm, here's an idea....

How about "rural working-class whites"? Or we could leave off the rural part, since urban and suburban working-class whites also tend to vote Republican. Admittedly these aren't very catchy, but they beat the hell out of lumping millions of people, many of them good Democrats, into one ugly category.

And if you're really interested in getting an answer to the question you ask, instead of ending up with yet another "I sure do hate rednecks" thread, how about asking something like, "Why do so many working people vote Republican even though it is not in their economic interest?" That's an important question. But setting up a thread like this guarantees that you won't get much of a discussion: we rednecks will be offended and the redneck-haters will see another opportunity to spew their usual mindless broad-brush hooey. (See some of the responses above for some fine examples.)

And its not based on their class status, its based on their being stupid enough to vote against their own interests.

I'm sure that's how you mean it, but as someone who is descended from a long line of "rednecks," "hillbillies," and "shitkickers," I can assure you that's the smug middle-class types who have called people like my family those names for all these many years did not quiz them first on their political and social views. They were poor and country, so they were rednecks: end of story.

Anyway, you've already gotten an excellent answer to your question in Rowdyboy's response: it's cultural and economic. I know that's not as much fun as just declaiming "Well, it's because they're ignorant, inbred, and violently bigoted, unlike us enlightened, chic, and noble people at DU," but it's the truth of the matter.

[Dark]

27. Actually, the reason I differentiated is because

I believed that the urban and suburban working class DID vote democratic. My brother and his family, as well as several of my friend's families all vote democrat. The only working class who I didn't hear voting for the donkey was the RURAL working class. These are the only ones who I've heard vote AGAINST their issues.

Well, it's because they're ignorant, inbred, and violently bigoted, unlike us enlightened, chic, and noble people at DU,"

If I had believed that, then I wouldn't have bothered to start a thread.

And the reason I didn't ask as to why they 'vote Republican even though it is not in their economic interest?' is because, for many of them, it can be in their interest to vote republican. Construction jobs are often assigned to states by republicans. Bush, however, is not and has never been for their interests.

What I wanted to know is why they like BUSH, not necessarily why they usually vote Republican.

[jdsmith]

34. "Hillbilly," like "Okie," is a classist term

Not all hillbillies are stupid, btw.

Try "the working poor of Appalachia."

[datasuspect]

35. dr. hibbard said

"yeah and hillbillies would like to be called sons of the soil, but it ain't going to happen."

[Kipepeo]

15. Southern Strategy

I've thought about his a lot. I was raised Republican. I come from the finest redneck and hillbilly heritage. My family is southern baptist, conservative. My home town (and state for that matter) is Dubya-loving through and through.

The Repubs get them on what they call the 'moral' issues, when really it's the prejudice/fear/hatred/divisiveness issues. It doesn't matter what Dubya does to the economy as long as he can play on your racism or sexism or homophobia enough and convince you that he won't let "THEM" (whoever "THEM" is for you) get everything/take anything from you.

[Skittles]

16. AH THANK BOOSH IS DEWIN' A GUDE JAHB

:puke:

[anchorsaweigh7903]

26. It's because

There's 3 things rednecks and hillbillies love (trust me I grew up around them). It's 1.Guns 2.Bigotry and 3.War....All of which give them huge thrills, and the current administration is pushing all of them. Plus, the democrat party still works for the people @ the grass roots level, but it's the hight up officials that give the libs a bad name in small town USA. I'm a Liberal in the military (oh my)and lots of the military is made up of rednecks...soooo there you have the foundation of a yellow dog conservative.

[Dark]

28. Welcome to DU anchorsaweigh7903!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi:

And thanks for replying to my message.

[newyawker99]

30. Hi anchorsaweigh7903!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[stavka]

31. They don't like brown people

[datasuspect]

33. i dunno

i live in a semi-rural area in east texas about 100 miles east of houston.

when i go to the local beer joint (which has news programming on one of the tv sets) i always manage to engage at least some people in conversation about *.

i'll start it out by saying something like: "i can't believe that lying sonofabitch is saying that shit . . . " or something like that.

i am surprised by the amount of people who agree with me.

bear in mind, this was an area that what severely impacted by the oil bust in the 80s and jobs are really scarce. i have john q. public telling me about how they USED TO have a good refinery job, how they USED TO own a house, and how they RIGHT NOW cannot find work paying more than 8 - 9 USD/hour.

it's weird, because some of the old timers will wax nostalgic about the era between after wwII up until the late 70s.

they tell me how the area had more services (bus, passenger train, interurban), how they downtown had many businesses, and how exciting it was when boats full of sailors would dock nearby and spend their money in the numerous restaurants, hotels, bars, and whorehouses.

all that went away after reagan got elected they told me. when they downsized refineries. when they closed the ports. when the downtown areas in port arthur and beaumont became ghost towns.

coincidence?

[GumboYaYa]

37. Why is it okay to use derogatory terms for groups who disagree

with us? Redneck and hillbilly carry the same negative connotations as many words that we rail against here on DU. Why is it okay to use language to describe groups who differ from us that we would object to if the tables were turned?

Please tell me what is a "redneck" and what is a "hillbilly." I have a redneck because I garden a whole bunch. I also grew up in the South. Am I one of "them"?

Divisive language is uncalled for regardless of the target.