Redneck is a derogatory slang term used in reference to poor,
uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States. It is
similar in meaning to cracker, hillbilly, and white trash. In recent decades,
the term has expanded its meaning to refer to bigoted, loutish reactionaries
who are opposed to modern ways, and has often been used to attack white
Southern conservatives. The term is used broadly to degrade working class and
rural whites that are perceived by urban progressives to be insufficiently
liberal. At the same time, some Southern whites have reclaimed the word, using
it with pride and defiance as a self-identifier.
