On rednecking 2 Apr 2010 A comedian known for his scatological and iconoclastic humour calls Australians “basically English rednecks”, offending three ethnic and regional groups in one go. I watched this and laughed. It was very funny. But a prime minister, who is so uptight only dogs can hear when he farts, takes umbrage, and makes a stupid comment directly insulting, in a very unfunny way, Alabama. Now the Alabaman governor has shown how he, too, has the sense of humour of a frustrated nun [did I offend anyone? Tough.]. I’m sure there are better things to do than take offense at a comedic performance. Simpsons, anyone? Besides, Australians are rednecks. Ask any gay Australian, or aboriginal Australian, or Asian resident here. Or ask anyone who might show the slightest intellectual disposition. Once, when I was dating a lovely Malaysian Chinese girl, we were approached on the street and abused and threatened because I was “white” and she was not. Granted, that’s the 1980s, but things have not changed all that much. I think Williams (who has been here more than once and knows the country) was being polite. Australian stuff Humor Politics Pop culture Social evolution
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Given that British yob culture has now reached a level that makes red necks look civilised I’m more than somewhat confused by Mr Williams’ comparison 😉
Ancient Britons will remember ‘yob’ is an abbreviation of ‘yobbo’. They will also, if they are as old as me, remember a childrens science-fiction puppet show on TV called Space Patrol. In that, the start-up sequence for the spaceship included the commands “Gamma rays on! Yobba rays on!” I’ve wondered ever since if the British yob culture was a product of excessive exposure to yobba radiation.
Coincidence! My husband was talking about the same thing last night and I told him there was at least one Australian who is anti-racist (and told him what you told me about the Gold Coast). And those guys who used to be Midnight Oil. Then he told me a joke. Stop me if you’ve heard this: A guy is going through Australian customs and the official asks him, “What do you do for a living?” “I’m a comedian.” “Do you have a criminal record?” “Do you still need one to get in?”
Well, it’s fine with me, but only as long as you allow ALL stereotypical insults. Otherwise, why should only lower-class, rural white folk suffer? Admit it, the word has other connotations besides racist. “when I was dating a lovely Malaysian Chinese girl” And the Chinese are NEVER racist. Right. “Do you still need one to get in?” It’s a cute joke, but based on the cruel reality that most of those criminals were minors, and most of their crimes insignificant or nonexistent.
Ironically, the reason that chinese girls was in Australia was because the Bumiputra laws of Malaysia prohibited Chinese from studying in Malaysia at the time. I think they may still do that. And so what if some or many Chinese are racist. How does that change the issues? And “redneck” means racist in modern parlance. So far as I know it doesn’t have to mean lower class rural white folk, at least not in Australia. The joke was made by Peter Cook at the time of the Beyond the Fringe tour, in, I think, 1968.
This is starting to look more and more like a “divided by a common language” incident. When I saw Williams on Letterman’s show, the image that I got from “English rednecks” was the “rural white folk” one – with the added connotations that got tacked onto it when Jeff Foxworthy’s “you might be a redneck if…”* comedy routine hit the collective consciousness. *…you’ve ever shot a mouse in your own house. …you own a home that is mobile and five cars that ain’t. …you’ve ever had to climb a water tower with a gallon of paint to defend your sister’s honor. …you’ve ever been too drunk to fish.
So you could call a Chinese racist a redneck? I’m not buying it. “And so what if some or many Chinese are racist. How does that change the issues?” The point is most who freely use “redneck” with all its stereotypical connotations, or make jokes about Australian criminals, refuse to use other “offensive” terms. If someone objects to “redneck” they “have no sense of humor”, but if you were to object to an offensive term in a joke I suspect you would change your tune.
If someone objects to redneck, so be it. The original user is, hopefully, mature enough to find substitute words in any particular conversation and learn from the experience. Almost everyone holds stereotypical views about “other” populations, even if they use polite language to describe them. Some of those groups are, indeed, vile. Do you say “Only White Anglo Saxon Loving National Socialists” or Nazi scum? Note: I am not defending the use of racist language.
You all do know, I guess, that when Williams made the dig about “English rednecks” he was laughing at our accent? It was all about what we sound like. Williams seems to think our accent is some kind of misbegotten offspring of an English Lord and an American, uh, “good old boy”. Williams had a lot of fun proposing that rephrasing in his interview with Hamish and Andy; but if you look at the original Letterman show its quite clear that this is exactly right. He was commenting on what we sound like. All of which makes the subsequent war of words even more a comedy of the absurd.
If people want to make light of poor British children being hanged or transported for minor or non-existent crimes, well go for it. But don’t get your knickers in a twist just because Imus makes a crack about “nappy-headed ho’s” when he’s discussing black women basketball players. It’s a joke. Otherwise you’re a flaming hypocrite.
ps. Imus is a popular American “shock jock” radio personality who lost his job over the above remark.