Conor Knighton on TV's obsession with rednecks

(CBS News) A certain TV trend is riling our contributor Conor Knighton:

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy had that famous routine about how to tell if you're a "redneck."

"If you've ever taken a beer to a job interview, you might be a redneck. If you can burp and say your name at the same time ..."

Well, these days, there's an easier way to tell:

If a cable television network is profiting by showing how backwards you and your family are, you might be a redneck.

For some reason, cable channels have become obsessed with "rednecks" - typically, lower-middle-class white Southerners.

The last few years have brought us "Redneck Rehab," "My Big Redneck Wedding," "Rocket City Rednecks," "Hillbilly Handfishin'," "Swamp People," "Redneck Island," "Duck Dynasty," "Bayou Billionaires," "Moonshiners," "Lady Hoggers" ... the list goes on and on.

This summer's breakout hit, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," featured a family in rural Georgia. TLC filmed them bobbing for pigs feet at the Redneck Games and passing gas on camera. The family members, who speaks English, are subtitled. And while they're always the butt of the joke, they seem to embrace the attention, even coining catch phrases ("You better REDNECK-ognize!").

It's hard not to see these shows as trafficking in a bit of "redneck-sploitation."

As someone who grew up south of the Mason Dixon line, it all makes me a little uncomfortable.

On one hand, I do know people like the stars of "Hillbilly Handfishin'," and I do think it's interesting to see them represented on TV.

But most of the people I know aren't ANYTHING like that, and I worry that the recent explosion of these types of shows perpetuates outdated stereotypes.

And I'm not the only one.

My home state of West Virginia denied a tax credit to MTV's upcoming series "Buck Wild," fearing that the show would portray West Virginians in a stereotypical, "derogatory manner."

I understand their concern. Based on cable's other offerings, they may have "redneck-ognized" a trend.

[endmiddelclassblight]

Hi Connor I've not heard of you, except for rummor, since I found out about Infomania and its immidate termination.
So!..How can you tell if you have evolved. Well if you have switched base pairs during conception then you are a hybrid, and that makes you evolved. Although that makes you non viable and with no real family or consistent sexual orientation, But hey thats the price of evolution.
So Connor how is my favorite Viable Simian Pundit. Show em' how its done will ya. Thanks for giving it what its worth. Darie.
P.S. Screw the red neck(s) ...? what is a Hill Billy I mean I know when I see one but what the hell is it ( where did it come from).

[kgc0704]

Worst of all, for the people they depict, these stereotypes glorify and encourage their irresponsible behavior by implying it is normal for people living in those areas. Its crazy, self-centered and backwards behavior, and we shouldn't glorify it.

[AOCGUY]

As a proud southerner I really take exception to this stereotype. I have lived and travelled all over this country and the south neither has a monopoly nor even a majority on stupidity. (BTW I have lived in California and you can keep it).

Ironically, last night this Univ of So. CA educated - retired USAF Officer - DOD Contractor Executive - Golf Course Community Resident and his wife, after working in the yard, sat with his wife last night in his garden burning slash and feeding our chickens. Ahhh, life is good.

[patriot196]

It doesn't stop with these "reality" shows, as the mini-series "Hatfields and McCoys", had very high ratings, and an encore showing, not to mention the show about that "turtle-man". I agree with many of the comments in that, there is alot of ignorance in the South, but not as much as these shows promote. I have family spread everywhere...in California, New York, Tennessee, and Europe. I have been to Californi and New york, and lived in Europe once as a student, but I now live in Tennessee, and I must say there are people with class in the "South", just as there are in other places, but the ratio of "Southern Class" vs. "Southern Redneck" is alot closer than in other parts of the U.S., and these "reality" shows do present a general stereotype of southerners.......and not in a good way, as the majority are not like that. I for one would not be proud, if I were one of those people, to show my ill-manners, and ignorance, on T.V.....money or not, but I do believe there is alot of "coaching" done by the producers and directors of these shows to "help" the stereotyping.

[pbaird2]

Ignorance and bigotry are not isolated in the South. I have found these attributes in great abundance along the East Coast and Midwest. So many who are reared in small towns/villages and never venture out into the rest of the world tend to hold onto stereotypical behavior and ideologies. Sad that the media captializes on this small-mindedness for entertainment value. With the migration of people across the country there really is no regional difference as was the case twenty+ years ago.

[pedalit]

"For some reason, cable channels have become obsessed with "rednecks" - typically, lower-middle-class white Southerners."

speaking from life experience, "lower-middle-class" is kissing up

[pedalit]

it's all fun n games until you live next door to them in real life.

ugh.

[barefootdesigns]

lance, that's a really hard one. I moved from Tampa to San Francisco in the '60s and then moved back to Tampa five years later. Florida felt like another planet! Whenever you go from California to somewhere else, you might drop back a couple decades. Yet, I choose to live in New England. Go figure.

[barefootdesigns]

Having grown up in Georgia, I have lost patience over the years with the knee-jerk portrayals of southerners as ignorant, bigoted, dirty, lazy, etc. Frankly, as stated in this article, there are some good ol' boys in the south, of course, but a lot in the north as well, where I now live. They differ little in the content of their brains, which isn't saying much. However, most of my southern friends and family are fair, decent people with good brains and good educations. Where ignorance and poverty are rampant, due to poor education, low wages, and lack of opportunity, you do find a lot of people who fit that stereotype. Most of this could be solved by providing better conditions for learning and progressing. It worked in the industrialized north.

[lancethegoose]

I agree with almost all of what you say. But I have moved from California to Lousiana, and it is not easy adjusting to such a great degree of ignorance.