Name:   h_hob - Subject:   Observations defining frequent posters here. Date:   1/6/2013 2:43:40 PM

True Southerners know the difference between a redneck, hillbilly, a good old boy, southern gentleman and lady. Apparently many Yankees don’t seem to recognize these differences and what they represent.  They tend to not be familiar with the socio economic infrastructure of Dixie.  To clarify, they are very distinctly different from each other.

In general, here's how it goes:

Redneck:  Rednecks are often rude and crude, Southerners are sometimes prone to violence, have a proclivity (but not always) for NASCAR, CERTAIN TYPES of Country music, and beer drinking.  They can live in trailers, but not always.  They are often mistaken for white trash but there's a difference...Rednecks are usually hard working and have jobs, white trash tends to be lazy, and Rednecks are most likely blue collar.  Not all rednecks are racists, but many are, it’s also an individual thing. They're not all loud and brassy, but many can be.  So ironically, the southern redneck has more in common with the typical Yankee than he realizes.  There are northern rednecks too, but that’s another topic.

Hillbilly:  Hillbillies are Southern mountain folk, they are not Rednecks. They don’t live in the swamps or the bayous or the southern lowlands. They come from the hollers or the hills. They can be a bit rough around the edges. Unlike, Rednecks, however, Hillbillies are usually good natured, honest, friendly, fun loving, and just all around sweet people. They tend to be very forthright and individualistic, mainly from their Scotch-Irish heritage. They just tend to lack education but make up for it with their charming folksy ways.

Good Old Boy:  Good Old Boys (with the emphasis on the word "good" and not "old" as the Yankees mistakenly have done) are the average white male southerner. Middle class, usually, college educated, the good old boy is simply an all around fun loving southern boy. Likes to tell a good joke, but tends to watch his mouth around the ladies. Likes to go fishin' and huntin' (sic) and can do all the outdoors stuff,  but could hold his own in an ivy league setting as well. The Good Old Boy term is most likely from an expression someone would utter after he has helped a neighbor or done something charitable. "Well, he’s a real Good Old Boy" someone might say.

The Southern Gentleman:  The Southern Gentleman models himself after the landed gentry when the 3rd sons came over from Old England and started their plantations in the southern colonies of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.  The Southern Gentleman never complains, is never boastful, and never raises his hand to a woman.  He is very chivalrous, will often do things like pull out chair for ladies, hold doors open, volunteer at church, etc.  He is well dressed and is always humble. The Southern Gentlemen was the first metro-sexual, if ever there was one.  Robert E. Lee is the quintessential role model for this breed of Gentleman.  A Southern Gentleman can become a good old boy if he rolls up his sleeves and fixes a flat tire for someone on the road.

Southern Belle:  The Southern Belle is often associated with Scarlett O'Hara from “Gone with the Wind.”  Modern day southern belles tend to do extremely well in social graces and the finer things in life.  They often appear in beauty pageants and Miss Americas, Love to be the center of attention.  They are always smiling (but the more they smile, the more there's pure poison behind it!) Love to flirt and play up their charms. Tend to go to schools like Mary Baldwin, Collins, and Sweet Briar. They ALWAYS like to get their way, usually with the flit of an eye lash or a curt smile.



Southern Lady:  The Southern Lady is the most respected in all southern womanhood. Unlike Southern Belles, southern ladies are strong and independent women who don’t tend to pout when they don’t get their way.  The Southern lady is well educated, well read, and can be usually found as a dulcet at the local art museums or gift shops. They tend to be heavily perfumed, extremely well dressed, and all men stand at attention when they enter the room.  The Southern lady is the most gracious, kind and courteous of all, often extolling the virtues of true Christian values, generally never taking credit for their many charities and donations to worthy causes, but tend to pout when they don’t get their way.

There is one more category that isn’t race or gender specific, I can’t put it out here or I would be banned for life.  However, since I made my views specific, feel free to speculate what category you fit in my opinion.