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marginalizing of the poor white as “trash,” something to be discarded,
can be seen as a strategic move to preserve race and class privilege.
Redneck jokes as they have proliferated over the years are not
significant in what new knowledge they have created. Rather, they are
remarkable for the degree that they have drawn upon a well of discursive
knowledge that allows us to laugh at rednecks because they are so
knowable. The effect is really just a repetition of a comparatively small
number of redneck stereotypes.
Rednecks are criminals; hence “If your father’s cell number has
nothing to do with a telephone . . . you might be a Redneck”
(Foxworthy). Similarly, “If you have a favorite judge . . . If you’ve
flipped the bird while wearing handcuffs...you might be a Redneck”
(Foxworthy). Crime here is not viewed as an offshoot of poverty, but
rather bom from an inclination present in a particular class of person.
Rednecks abuse alcohol. Hence, “If loading the dishwasher means
getting your wife dmnk . . . if you’re a lite beer drinker, because you start
drinking when it gets light . . . If you’ve ever opened a beer while
making love . . . or if Jack Daniels makes your list of most admired
people . . . you might be a Redneck” (Foxworthy).
In addition, rednecks have a marked tendency to violate
boundaries of inside/outside, interior/exterior. Hence, “if you bring your
dog to work with you . . . if you have to go outside to get something out
of the ‘fridge . . . if you’ve ever used a weed-eater indoors . . . if going to
the bathroom at night involves shoes and a flashlight. . . if you see no
need to stop at a rest stop ‘cause you have an empty milk jug . . . if
you’ve ever raked leaves in your kitchen . . . or if your wife has ever
said, ‘Come move this transmission so I can take a bath’ . . . you might
be a Redneck” (Foxworthy). Rednecks are incestuous. Hence, “If your
family tree does not fork . . . if your brother-in-law is also your uncle . . .
if you have to scratch your sister’s name out of the message: ‘for a good
time call . . .’ because you feel guilty about putting it there . . . if your
gene pool doesn’t have a deep end...you might be a Redneck”
(Foxworthy).
The rednecks of Foxworthy’s jokes, being also poor - white
trash, grotesque aberrations to be cast off, are closely linked to bodily
abjection. Hence, “If you prepare for a bubble bath by eating beans . . . If
your divorce papers mention flatulence . . . you think the Food Pyramid
is your mother-in-law’s nickname . . . the only thing fresh in your kitchen
is the mouse droppings . . . there has ever been crime-scene tape on
your bathroom door . . . everyone in the house learns something from the
potty training videotape . . . you come home from the garbage dump with
more than you went with . . . or your mother says, ‘Ya’ll come in here