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Posts Tagged ‘Redneck’

Jeff Foxworthy, of You Might Be A Redneck fame, relates a funny story about redneck humor. Upon arriving in New York City to further his career, he was told that he was funny – but he was repeatedly advised to drop the accent. The big audiences, they told him, wouldn’t like him with an accent.

Not only did he turn them down, he turned out to be right. Foxworthy, accent and all, is one of the funniest redneck humorists out there – and is currently the most successful funny man in the country. His albums have sold millions, his shows regularly sell out, he’s had two network television shows, movies, DVDs, and even a Sirius radio network dedicated to his trademark “blue collar humor”.

There are some significant differences between redneck humor and what you’d have to call New York humor, as there should be; both types of humor owe a lot to the cultures from which they came.

Redneck humor tends to poke fun at itself; New York humor tends to make fun of other people, often in an emotionally painful way.

Redneck humor relies as much on that slow, methodical delivery of the punchline as on the punchline itself. Other types of humor generally focus on the punchline or on shocking people.

Redneck humor tends to be gentle and, ultimately, loving. It pokes fun at cousin Curtis, who’s known to be kinda slow but still loved by the family. New York humor doesn’t have a lot of love for anybody. Many times, it doesn’t even like anybody else.

Redneck humor does not put on airs. It knows it’s redneck and is comfortable with that. In contrast, a lot of Saturday Night Live humor seems forced, faked, and contrived. It originates from pain instead of from love.  Read more...