If there’s one thing that cracks me up about Southern football rivalries, it’s listening to one fan base insult another about its lack of breeding/culture/class.
So, yeah, it’s safe to say that I got a laugh out of this quote from a former Tennessee recruiting coordinator (h/t The Wiz of Odds).
“We like to think that our facilities are bigger and better than everybody else’s,” he said. “In reality, they’re not. They’re as good as everybody else’s. Alabama, Florida, LSU, Georgia – they’ve all got nice facilities.”
So what makes UT special?
“I’d like to think that Tennessee has got some class to it,” Higdon said. “We’re not a real red-neck group of people.”
The Tennessee Wine and Cheese Society ponders which wine to serve with brie en brioche.
I thought being a red-neck was like being pregnant: you can’t be a little bit of either.
Get The Picture 
I live in Tennessee now, has Higdon ever been to Tennessee?
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Burning mattresses = high class.
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That is too good to be true.
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“We’re not rednecks. Hillbillies? Now that’s a different story.”
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Rumor is that to celebrate no rednecks within their combat zone, the Bar Knoxville lounge decides on no-cover for all, free drinks for the ladies and an Orchestra next Thursday night…
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I love the classy vs. classless battles that always rage at AJC, Dawgvent, etc.
As if “AllDawgsGo2Heaven1996” spends his evenings reading Keats and listening to Tschakovsky or “GatorFlava” is a member of the Piedmont Driving Club and underwrites IPO’s for Goldman Sachs.
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This is the most striking example of a lack of self-awareness since the time I looked at myself in the mirror and convinced myself I had abs.
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Touche’
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That picture is still comedy gold. I think THAT should be in the lexicon. Everyone has seen it, and immediately laughs a bit when it’s shown.
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It’s already there. Click on the link in the definition of “Lulu and Junior”.
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Ah, the redneck generalization again. I heard the other day the term “redneck” originated from workers in the coal mines of WV when they were just starting up. I always thought it was from the “farmers’ tan” of folks in rural areas. Doesn’t really matter, it has been applied to so many groups, both Northern and Southern whites, that we no longer know who is being insulted. More often than not it seems to be economically related.
It is hard to not get caught up in the guilt of applying generalities to groups of all kinds. My most difficult one is feeling anyone with a NY/NJ, or Boston accent being less intelligent than those with a cultured Southern accent, or a non-accent like the Midwest. I know it is grossly unfair but my life experiences prove me to be right more often than not. The trick is to not make any major decisions based on that until I know they fit the general rule and are not the exception. I have to remind myself that accents are more related to birth location and family background. But who doesn’t make snap judgments off how people talk, dress, or look?
It really is silly to call out entire fanbases as being inferior simply because of the team they cheer for, or colors they wear. Even Florida has some impressive fans. But in a pinch, you sometimes have to play the odds.
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You are partly right. The term redneck emerged in the late 1800’s to refer to the poor white southern farmer. The term was used widely in the press and in cultural reference without malice.
However, the derogatory use of redneck originated from a coal miner labor uprising in the early 1900’s. They tied red bandannas around their necks as a secret way to tell the union supporters from non. The coal mining owners began to refer to the “damn rednecks” publicly to cast them in a negative way.
However the term originated, the common understood meaning to be that of an ignorant, tacky, trashy, inbred, hillbilly, no class, toothless, banjo playing mo’fo’s, does seem to apply to the denizens of Neyland Stadium in the fall.
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Thanks, that is the story I heard about the coal miners. I also get that about my golfer’s tan, and some of that is meant with malice as well.
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Personally, I prefer a crispy, spicy Gewürztraminer with either of those cheeses.
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