A Comm for Historymemes

There's a deep and sick irony to it. Like seeing Confederate flags flying in West Virginia.

Yes and no.

See, the term redneck has two origins, and two meanings.

In this context, west Virginia still has WV rednecks, which comes from the union busting fights that this meme is talking about. See the red bandanna? That's the purported origin of the term in West Virginia, and there are still folks in west bygod that follow that way of thinking. They may or may not also be rednecks the way the other version of the term means, may or may not be conservative, and even when conservative, may or may not be Republican.

Now, the numbers of that old school activist redneck faction are dwindling.

And, there's reasons for that, but that's a separate discussion, and it's pretty damn rare for anyone that doesn't have roots in coal country to care. But it's a mistake to assume to know an entire state based on an outsider perspective.

"Modern" rednecks, that's usually meant as the rural/farming or physical labor origin of the term that's become more associated now with either all country people, or people that pretend to be country, sometimes with it being used for southerners in general by damn yankees and other carpetbaggers.

And there, you have a very accurate statement. The rural folks of West Virginia lean hard Republican, even when they aren't conservative, and there is a difference. Which goes back to why the WV rednecks are dwindling, since it's the same basic reason for non conservative Republicans in wv (and the southern Appalachians) dwindling. There is a contempt for the democrat party, if not individual democrats that's likely beyond repair at this point, even among otherwise moderate, centrist, or left leaning people in the region.

But, make no mistake, the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those men that fought the fight back then remember. There are still people there, and people that left, that are proud of that history, and use the term redneck for that kind of willingness to fight against the kind of oligarchy that they fought against then. Hell, great-great grandkids of those men are part of it still, and still passing down that heritage of fighting spirit against bigotry, against corporate domination and for community.

Can you tell I'm descended from those crazy bastards? Lol. My family on that side spread out up and down along the mountains, and eventually even farther, but we remember, and others do too.

Admittedly, there's some debate as to whether or not redneck as a term was used by them then, but kinda irrelevant tbh. And there's other historical questions left, but again, that's a different discussion.