Question

In one paragraph explain the difference between redneck racism and polite racism, and explain why focusing on redneck racism is problematic.

Answer 1

Redneck is a derogatory term chiefly but not exclusively applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States. Its usage is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Texas, Georgia, and Florida), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks),and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality

The term characterized farmers having a red neck caused by sunburn from hours working in the fields. A citation from 1893 provides a definition as "poorer inhabitants of the rural districts men who work in the field, as a matter of course, generally have their skin stained red and burnt by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks". Hats were usually worn and they protected that wearer's head from the sun, but also provided psychological shade from closer scrutiny. The back of the neck however was more exposed to the sun and allowed closer scrutiny about the person's background in the sa

“Color becomes something that has to be explained or explained away… A tan explains color as domesticated color. A tanned woman would be a woman who acquires her color in the way other Australians do: her color is not a stain on her being; her color is not foreign; her color is even an expression of national character, of what we do in our leisure time.”

"Polite racism works to create presumed whiteness. It is deemed more polite to assume you are white. Qualify: it is more polite to assume you are white unless you look black. Racial ambiguity becomes treated as promissory: presumed whiteness assumes the desirability of distance from blackness.” Polite racism is related to the idea of “colorblindness.

Color-blind discourse and blaming minorities for their problems can both be characterized as means of achieving plausible deniability. Furthermore, to make the claim that they are not racist believable, whites need to define what racism is, in addition to what it is not. scholars have posited, groups such as “hicks” or rednecks serve as a readily available target for blame for racism Charles Payne, in his work describing the possibilities for urban education, uses the concept of “Redneck-as-Patsy” to describe theories of inequality that focus exclusively on “lower status Haves,” and “encourage a Good Person–Bad Person conception” of inequality. Yet while previous work has suggested that this may be a means for some whites to avoid the label of racist, no work has explicitly examined how individuals frame racism in this manner. Within the southern context, however, this tool for defining and denying racism is potentially more accessible.

While redneck whites share the “symbolic capital of whiteness”, they are often stigmatized in American society and occupy a low status They frequently are found in lower academic tracks at school, particularly vocational classes and blue-collar and low-wage jobs in the labor force Consequently, they are often in direct competition with nonwhites, particularly blacks The resulting stigma, combined with pre -existing racism toward blacks, creates a situation in which poor whites may attempt to exert power and superiority by reemphasizing their cultural identities as rural, white, and male . As a result, they are often more aware of race and racial identity than are middle-class whitesThis may be especially so in the South, and black–white racial conflict in southern schools may be more likely as a result.