Bill called himself a 'standard redneck'. FYI Media

[underpants]

"The other guy's base is what I grew up in," the former president said during a campaign stop in Fort Meyers, Fla. "You know, I'm basically your standard redneck."

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/12/bill-clinton-trumps-standard-redneck-base-is-what-grew-up-in.amp.html?client=safari


At the Fox link there's a picture of Bill.
See link below for background
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028224286

[NobodyHere]

1. Ugh

Not really really a good thing to say Bill.

[MADem]

4. Nonsense--it is a diffuser. That is how he is using the term.

If you travel in the south at all, it's not a "dirty" word and it is highly descriptive. It means a working class white person from the south. It does NOT mean "racist" in and of itself. If paired with "asshole" then it can certainly suggest that, but there are times when the word can and IS used in a positive -- or at least neutral -- fashion.

Frankly, I trust an old redneck from the south to understand when, where and how to use the term.

[tblue37]

6. The term comes from the way a white farmer would get a red neck from working out in the sun all day.

His head and body were covered by his hat and clothes, but his neck was exposed. Over time, even as it turned to a tan, that neck skin would retain its reddish shade. Since he worked long hours in the sun every day for years, that reddish skin tone became permanent.

Thus the term "redneck" could be viewed as identifying a mark of the farmers' hard work and perseverance.

It has, obviously, been used as a slur by those who like to look down on some people, but it is not necessarily seen by those who claim it for themselves as a negative identifier.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

2. Yeah, I mean what standard redneck *isn't*

a Rhodes Scholar?!

[MADem]

5. He's talking about his ROOTS, not his branches. nt