I've always hung on to a few "rednecks" as friends--no offense to any self-professed card-carriers out there. I've always recognized the difference between "redneck" and "racist." In fact, "redneck" is one of those linguistic oddities that I despise. My neck is red as anyone's after a few hours in the sun. Owe it all to my wonderful permatan and wrinkle-free genetic constitution.
In fourth grade there was a girl named Amanda whom I was friends with (she happened to mysteriously disappear after fifth grade...CPS?). She was a scraggly thing. She didn't wear clean keds sneakers or red camel tee shirts like the rest of us whose parents stalked the local Belk for the cutest matching Red Camel outfits for their kids.
She was the one kid in class who everybody would direct their snickering to when those hair lice checks were performed. People would take special interest to see if her socks matched on any given day, or if her hair had been washed.
But she was my friend.
She was the first to be friendly to me in class and nobody likes to be nice to the kid in school who was gone for two years only to return from New York having skipped a grade.
Unfortunately, I fell victim to a disease called "snobbery" once I was accepted by the cool kids in class. They didn't think I should associate with Amanda anymore, and I truly regret the fact that I abided by that edict. I hope she hasn't put me on some hit list like that stark raving looney dude from Billy Madison.
Stigmas suck. I should know--I've always been considered the white-chick black-chick. Why? I could state a few reasons, but it's pointless to get into. What's the point of questioning anyone's racial constitution, anyway? I could draw you a pie chart pointing out everything that I am, but what's the point? It's not going to help you determine how I'm supposed to behave, and it certainly won't tell you who my friends should be.
I like keeping a diverse circle of friends because difference is interesting. But so are those quirks that make us all the same.
Amanda, I'm sorry. I hope you have a better life and are still as openminded as you were in the 4th grade.
Posted by Tiffany at November 25, 2003 10:35 AM