红脖子: Originally used in reference to poor, white farmers, Redneck is historically a derogatory slang term to refer to working class Southerners in the United States.[1] It is similar in meaning to "cracker" (especially regarding Georgia and Florida), "hillbilly" (especially regarding Appalachia)[2] and "white trash".[3][4] The most common American usage, referring to the poor rural white Southerner, is probably derived from individuals having a red neck caused by working outdoors in the sun. 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 burned red by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks".[5] In recent decades the term expanded its meaning to mean bigoted, loutish, and opposed to modern ways, and has often been used to attack Southern conservatives and segregationists. At the same time, many members of the U.S. Southern community have set out to reclaim the word, using it as a self-identifier, and the term has also been claimed by individuals outside of the United States.引用第5楼游客于2011-01-12 13:39发表的 :red neck一词原指80年前西弗吉尼亚州的一群矿工,为了反对矿主在当地开矿,与执法机构进行了一场枪战,最后失败告终,矿工领头者在联邦法庭上被宣告无罪释放。 当时这群矿工为了分清敌我,每人在脖子上扎了根红布围巾,所以当时报章上开始称他们为red neck, 并无贬低侮辱之意,就如 yankee, gringo等词一样。 |