Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Aug. 24, 1995, edition 1 / Page 11
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Redneck! Sanitizing the White "N" Word Populai culture in America is a real dizzying thing. Our lan guage and tin ebb and {low and ; changes of woid usage can con found and eorlfuse those who : ;3fkc me might - 1 1 o i he the !jHharpest knife in the drawer." . Words ami phrase usage, ^Scluding the distinction i>etween ^3?at which is sacred 01 profane or I'-^J&t which is politically correct or ^Jjdt, is like the weather in \C: if -b%pu dun't like it, wa/t five min and it will changed ? *rS ?cfe* T die ascondaihsfr of the *? "*->6*d white -and blue Jefcf Itjxwo? thy, who knows how to ?nake tin best out of bid words. Koxwor ? thy, smart like a .fox, has ^lood what used to an ethnic slur on its ugh head, mad" it (hie* and turned ii into a cash cow. Vox worthy. a smuy Atlanta suburban* to, is no redneck. His double platinum ( I), h i/ Be a if....' was. iust Amviles, tlferc are 200 million fie,dneck*.\* Everything has a puce;. I choose 10 be happy that inv beleaguered "black folk in white Most were, to me, as P.W.T. America s White N's. Before we know it, PBS will air an hour long documentary titled Cracker Culture in America ! Only in America. We'll sanitize it, with out even knowing we did it. Is the "NM word not far behind Rednecksl Suy tjuned. Only in America! (Dr. William H. Turner is a freelance columnists for the Chronicle^. LIFT EVERY VOICE By Dr WILLIAM H. TURNER thre? years ago, tejectvd by the ?. uulruial gatekeepers in Holly ., w;ood for being, too Southern. , Now he has si - best-selling books , and a sitcom scheduled for debut ? .00 ,\BC ik \t iii'MHh ' i'ou can .Jx- a Kcdiict.k. -Only mi Anieuea! Well, maybe not you! , ? Ib me, this phtnoui is ver* . elp.se lo my AppaLi huu? heritage. In the Eastern Kentucky hill . cpuntry, we always knew that .there wasn't much dtOeruice in the Hftw'tys > f the Rubbas and the stereotypes of us Sambos! .^According to ABC execs. sl.in" (the ClampettOhe Dukes ot Hazard, and the l ice Haw clan) will become, by Fox worthy's genius, hip and en vogue. On*ui Klendenen, a white Hoy I hunted and fished with in the Mi's, can come out ol the closet and proudly proclaim the authen ticity ami legitimacy of his roots. I can see it now; tne all-white basketball team in Red Foxx, Kentucky ? now the Redskins ( not politically correct)? can now c j 1 1 themselves the Red Foxx Rednecks . and be smug about it. ?OKfttrc.in take pleasure in the fact that his Daddy walked with him to school each day and not be ashamed that they were in the fifth grade together. Say it loud! He's a Redneck and he's Proud! Iruth be told, the stereotype ot the "Southern RAineck" has to do with "Southeril Hillbillies," and that favored term of my Grandmother. "Crackers." It has 10 do with clannishness. a procliv ity to violence, love of hillbilly music, moonshine and NASCAR, and low standards of sexual morality, household cleanliness,, and personal' hvg i e ne . Onarfs" Mom was once heard to say, "take fhar<lishtowel and wipe that child's nose, y'all know I can't stand no filth!" When Foxworthy's Rednecks is debuted next month, there is something that ABC will not let on to the rest of America. Some of the writers of the sitcom are ex-Cheers types. " You might be a redneck if you know something about cthnically distinct food preferences; language, and music. Urban chic has nothing to do with white West Virginia working class culture, where good old boys and girls? true patiots ? drink beer the same way "broth ers in the inner city" of Detroit do. and manipulate people the same way. laughing all the way to their "pick-em up" trucks or their "rides.M This requiem for rednecks, what Newsweek called Bubba pnfooza , USA, describes the best of true White Americana. Junior Johnson's progeny. Those whom author Roy Blount dubed the same as "mensch." Yiddish for a person of integrity and honor. That being so. 1 grew up , with ? and some of my best friends ? are rednecks. These are the salt-of-the-earth white men with whom my father exited the bowels of the earth every day ? black like he ? the very ones whom he was referring to when he'd tell me, "Say what you will about some white folks , but Rusty's Daddy is a good old boy!" Some of these good folks, however, are preyed-upon by the likes of Pat Bucanan. or repre sented by LAPD officer Furhman One Step Beyond: A Reasonable Goal ? ' Well, vacation tunc is over! It fully accomplish'*! its yoal wheji ' 51 m what ! needed most rest. Sleeping until 1 awak ened naturally, and then being rontentedlv urn onec rHra with : .tvereo dishes * hat would, (,t ? h,' e1 * rwnalh ond U.? i way ? ?moth*. Ji .1. w.iviVi 'up? U' ii'UM'UfrjN and the !u v\ nv?M ?' i .1 4?* i f<?:nt j .**? *c* * at the i?ou?i. v Oliver iuiion. read um the same ? book for tl?e entire week: peace for the soul ?and the bod v. Stillness and rest >*de<iuate1y prepate one 10 ?0 on I am ??*!i?wed. 1 anticipate* au eventful f ill. Me.re thoughts of the chill thai will soon ?vadc ant) of erange-hued leaves' inv igorate. My moiner nukes hi-r much-anticipated annual visit. School start.. < always etciune): I am :? student lor the 1 1 r t in tw in tni nty-fiw >ears. '(Oh v c.> . I sat in .t L*la.ss last tali, and I irvaan .giiaduati v>oi^ in Jaiman Neither niehttime da ssfs on a wintrx campus noi summer school v:n a serv??*di:srned one ? in simulate the autumnal thrill that 1- sbmenovA ?i, com plete, without Kiddy-cool tivshineri,)- I enjoy .positive emotions, such ?e? inc.* that jnei ur a^e me to' keep up the g'ood work foi that is how 1 % itrvs inv present life I can accom plish so muc 11 when my attitude is rv.ht ? ..wbee I envtsu n (..<.?< ! and {Hjoplc .is u.kiJ und positive beings - ? and wikmi I am ph).sicail\ refreshed. Don't misunderstand: I do realize .that our world contains much that l^jicpa .live, had, usrly, haiefu! - -sinful. it you wrll .But life (human lite especially) should he jcvetcd bcause it i> ls!c. Lite is i?ood. I sense the need to prepare myself enio lionally and spiritually for what 1 hojx* will he an intense adventure ? 1 one in which it is my desire to exp^rirnee, momentarily, the life of a niack sfivc. Just for a moment, for the ilii of time it. takes for an educated nu*?i?;?l> nnagc 10 reach its maiurity. I wish to ??i" l!' M slviv c. And then... 1 hope I wilt know something i hat 1 do not yet know. And 1 want my vicar ions experience to make a difference in the way I live my life. I hope* I will sec, or sort of sew what it means' For growth 1o occur and progress to be made, one must always be will to step beyond one's present position. We must stretch ourselves: our beliefs and out1 actions. Change and growth must occur if there is to be progress in any area of our lives ? intellectual, emotional, physical, or spiritual. But 1 believe a willingness to step beyond one's current stance is especially important to the progress of race relations. Progress in this area will eventually require both Black and White Americans to change t? ? have a groat -grand mother who was a slave. Honesty is impor tant !? rne. I feel it is important to be as honest us possible at all times As human beings sonu times we don't j rasp the truth. ONE STEP BEYOND By HELEN LOSSE Hut as far as we do, 1 believe it is impojt mt to speak it. In this column ! rrv to express w hat I ieel is the truth. Yei 1 am 'aware that 1 do not have all the facts nor am 1 capable of assimi lating all of 'he facts that 1 do possess. Sometimes" I 'ear that I will get carried away ind t'aa' n.\ '\ords and ideas wHl greatly excecJ my ability to make use of them. .Yet making u>e of ideas is my goal. What good aie facts if they do not alter the way we live ? the way we peiccivc others and our treat ment of and relationship to them? their attitudes and their actions toward each other. 1 have set a personal goal this fall: I hope learn, experience, and integrate into my life something that will enable me to exceed my present position. 1 hope to go forw ard ? to go one step beyond my cuirent stance. I said truth was important to me. In truth, I can only learn ? leam so that I can use ? a little at a time. One step beyond: I believe this is a reason able goal. ( Helen Losse is a student at Wake For est University ). /? Now it's easier to save for something big. little by little. With Wachovio's Systematic Saver CD, you can save for furniture or any thing else you want to furnish for the future Automatically Depe'nding 6n your individual goal, a set amount is deducted each month automatically from your checking account, even if you bank somewhere else. Then it's invested into a Wachovia one-year CD. You can save as Irttle as $50 a month and earn a very competitive return. Especially compared to other sav ings accounts. To start saving little by little, stop b/ your nearest Wachovia branch, or call 1-800WACHCMA (1-800 -922-4684) 24 hours a day 7days a w?eek TpCIIOVlA A nnual Percwage > lAf*rj on +e Systematic Save- CD u sufyec' to change or the firs/ business day of eoch nth Tt>e rote osngred wi" be 'be Pandora 'a<e ft'ced cv VVoc*>cv>a or minimum deposif oneyea- CDs in ehec' o" t*^e "os' bus">esi duv of the prev ous rton'n As o> IjK 31 'be APY s 530V A opening deposit of $ I > eauired abng c $ 50 monthly additional decv*..' A p eoolK wifl be imposed h* eotfy wifhcvowo^ and fees :of.:>d 'educe eo'mngs on tK* amount W'acnova Bcnk s a member f&C ? 1QQ5 \At?cKcv>o Corporation _iliwr m iiai ? 7 > ' O'" V A, ? VVS USPS Ob 79 to f-. f-; i :oe'?y W?rr>tor>-'>dlerr:. N C i.' 1C2 i?/t Wiitston Salem Chronicle is m t) listen f'n 'v Thursday bv thp W.nsrcn-S.iltm it: t'iibi *hma Cc I- >c. ?. ,frj$ H iiLStort Stitem ( hronicle *?i.s light-! (.?? f'lhOs' KT? jnd iSiiiJLity hpttntony# .'11 J ? Th*.' Chronic ??* is ? urotid >t ? At. ' 'T ? ' oer: 1 !'?' ' I TO- ? ' . i ? hf ' Vs ? '? ? ? A-., ' < National fcdrffMisi.m H*:vrt*si - v AW-tH**1'-*? . .i +M T 'A'wJ ijlt N ? iMV i . ' . o''" 910-72^-8624 ? Fax 910-723 9173 D. NEWS STAFF ? jF&OMt Rt.haRD ?.V; ? Shannon H ^on 723-8428 CIRCULATION ftAYUtf* ? ChUC'K Foster 722-8824 (ClU 10 Star! or stop ct&ivey c :&rjcr> <i oehvjr/ uroclftm) SALES SI AFF , ' ? <; ? \ ; . * ' ; BUSINESS uFFICI ' > ?'i ^VOoN'. /22-8024 PRODUCTION Kat^y I ef ? E?<c Grooms JaM'TA GRiFHN ? LORENE HUDSON To subscribe. . . 722-8624 CalJ for new subscription information or any questions about your current subscription. Subscription Rate* Single Cooy 75 cents In County ? rrr, Out of County/State UZ 9b 30 77 /C'48 ic m *?. 35 ?? Jb 4b 15 24 ? ?h: i <m p? ' ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Winston-Salem Chronicle HOME DELIVERY SUBSCRIPTION ORDER" ? YES, Please send me the Winston-Salem Chronicle ? 2 Year- $40.95 ? ? 1 Year - $30.72 ? ? 6 mos. - $20.48 Name ? 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Aug. 24, 1995, edition 1
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