What do you think?

[psychocat]

red·neck (rdnk)
n. Offensive Slang
1. Used as a disparaging term for a member of the white rural laboring class, especially in the southern United States.
2. A white person regarded as having a provincial, conservative, often bigoted attitude.

It would seem to be the case that the very word is seen as offensive regardless of it's context.
It would also seem to be an apt way of describing some of the supporters I have seen on the TV.

[daihashi]

Gotcha.:thumbsup: Some supporters in the McCain arena seem to reek of ignorance and I found it somewhat offensive. In my opinion.
Did I go too far again? I'm good at that.:stoned:

Word.. and you would be correct. I do feel there is some ignorance to go around for all.. I hope I get some in my christmas stocking this year :hippy:

[daihashi]

It would seem to be the case that the very word is seen as offensive regardless of it's context.
It would also seem to be an apt way of describing some of the supporters I have seen on the TV.

I'd rather just call them flat out ignorant... Some of these people could originate from the north for all I know :hippy:

I'm just glad McCain puts these people down whenever he comes across them. It has to be a big PITA to campaign and get these random people who think they're helping you when they really do not reflect your beliefs at all. Oh the sweet sweet life of a politician, lol

[maladroit]

mccain doesn't put them down everytime he comes across them...sometimes he smirks to encourage them...i think he finally started objecting to the angry retards because they were making him look like an angry retard, or worse, an accomplice to criminal acts


Secret Service looking into Obama threat at Palin rally in Pennsylvania
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 | 6:02 PM ET
Canadian Press: Eileen Sullivan, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - The Secret Service is looking into a second allegation that a participant at a Republican political rally shouted "kill him," referring to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The Scranton Times-Tribune reported that someone in the crowd shouted "kill him" after the mention of Obama's name during a rally Tuesday for Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in Scranton, Pa.

Last week, The Washington Post reported a similar incident during a Palin rally in Clearwater, Fla. The Secret Service investigated that allegation and found no indication that "kill him" was ever said, or if it was said, that the remark was directed at Obama.

Listening to tapes of that rally, the Secret Service heard "tell him" or "tell them," but agents never heard "kill him," Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

In both the Clearwater and the Scranton instances, the Service only learned of the alleged threats through media reports.

"We would ask that anyone overhearing threatening language bring it to the attention of the Secret Service or other law enforcement at the event immediately," Zahren said.

The Secret Service cannot prevent or police poor behaviour at public events, Zahren said, but the agency draws the line at threatening language.

"We do not have the luxury of discounting such language as simply bad taste or bad behaviour without further investigation," he said.

So far, the Secret Service has not found anyone else who heard "kill him" Tuesday except for the Times-Tribune reporter.

Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at Republican rallies.

The anti-Obama taunts and jeers are noticeably louder when McCain appears with Palin, a big draw for Republican conservatives. She accused Obama last week of "palling around with terrorists" because of his past, loose association with a 1960s radical.
© The Canadian Press, 2008

[dragonrider]

The thing about the term "redneck" is that it contains the concept of "ingnorant" right in the definition, but some people still love to apply the term to themselves. It doesn't just mean "rural white person." It means "ignorant, bigotted, rural white person." Most of the people who proudly call themselves "rednecks" really do fit the definiton well, all the way down to being ignorant and bigotted. I have nothing against rural white people and have lived in small rural towns of mostly white people, but I can't stand people of any race or culture who are PROUDLY IGNORANT. There seem to be a lot of people in this world who take pride in being anti-intellectual, and that bugs me.

I think Bush was sort of that way. He graduated from Yale and Harvard, but he seems fairly anti-intellectual to me. And Sarah Palin seems that way to me too. Both of them seem like they try to make up for the lack of thoughtful curiosity and analysis by being overly decisive. Like they think that if they show resolve, it makes up for the fact that they don't really know what they are doing. It's really not enough.

And I also think that when politicians talk about "common sense solutions," they are usually grossly oversimplifying something complex. A lot of our issues are complicated and complex, and they require more than just "common sense." Of course, the government does often seem to lack common sense, but that doesn't change the fact that they often try to dumb down the complex issues for "the masses."

[maladroit]

"There seem to be a lot of people in this world who take pride in being anti-intellectual"

- people admire intelligence, but they loathe superiority/elitism/*insert jingoism here*

[pinkyslayer]

"There seem to be a lot of people in this world who take pride in being anti-intellectual"

- people admire intelligence, but they loathe superiority/elitism/*insert jingoism here*

People only admire intelligence that AGREES with them. If someone with an opposing viewpoint speaks intelligently, it's elitism.