TIL the term Redneck likely originated from the sunburned red neck of those working in fields.
TIL the term Redneck likely originated from the sunburned red neck of those working in fields.
The term originally characterized farmers that had a red neck, caused by sunburn from long hours working in the fields. A citation from 1893 provides a definition as "poorer inhabitants of the rural districts ... men who work in the field, as a matter of course, generally have their skin stained red and burnt by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks".[12] Hats were usually worn and they protected that wearer's head from the sun, but also provided psychological protection by shading the face from close scrutiny.[13] The back of the neck however was more exposed to the sun and allowed closer scrutiny about the person's background in the same way callused working hands could not be easily covered.
By 1900, "rednecks" was in common use to designate the political factions inside the Democratic Party comprising poor white farmers in the South.[14] The same group was also often called the "wool hat boys" (for they opposed the rich men, who wore expensive silk hats). A newspaper notice in Mississippi in August 1891 called on rednecks to rally at the polls at the upcoming primary election:[15]
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That doesn't make sense, you get sun burn like that if you go from no sun exposure to lots of sun exposure. People working in the fields would not have been constantly sun burned unless they were albino.
Tell me you've never worked on a farm without telling me that you've never worked on a farm.
The thumbnail photo is extreme, yes. But white farm workers still get sunburns.
Grew up surrounded by pink farmers, can confirm
Modern farming isn't really comparable to folks working the land 100+ years ago. My point is that farmers 100 years ago weren't stupid, they would have protected themselves when necessary and would have earned an impressive base tan.
I don’t think it’s a particularly far fetched idea to imagine that people spending their days outside before the invention of sunscreen would develop more sunburns than the general population regardless, even if only once or twice a year on unexpectedly long or sunny days…
It doesn't seem far fetched which is what makes this urban myth appealing. But this red neck theory makes loads of assumptions, like these farmers didn't know how to protect themselves from the sun, these farmers were groomed in a way to reveal their necks, etc. In reality, they would have had solid base tans, worn hats, and probably kept their neck and ears covered with hair.
I am British by decent and lived on a boat for a year. First few months I was burned a few times but after a short while I was fine. Even when I was in places like the Bahamas. That was the same for all the other white folks, only the tourists were sunburned.
Yep. Irish descent here. Burn once in the spring, it turns into a tan and then I'm fine till next spring. (Obviously I'm not the glow in the dark type)
Most white people are not able to get a proper strong tan. And even when they do it compares to SPF 5, which is not nearly enough to protect you from working in the field for the entire day.
So, yeah, you'll have a tanned neck, but also it will be red very, very often.
Farmers also wore hats and covered their necks. My point is that if you saw a red neck 100 years ago it would more likely belong to someone who works indoors, is groomed to expose their neck, and spent the day outside as opposed to a farmer. A farmer would know better, they're not stupid. This is just one of those explanations that sounds logical until you dig a tiny bit.
...child of ulster scot farmers, here: yes, we tan a bit, but working outside leaves our necks perpetually red nonetheless, even with long collars and hats...
...it's called a farmer tan for good reason...