All right, I have to take a stand.
I said, "Look, they have rednecks in Livermore. All towns should have
rednecks."
This was an observation affirming the "value" of the redneck. Why, some of
my best friends are rednecks.
I also try my best to mingle with the "redneck" culture. I chose to study
theatre at Cal State University, Bakersfield, a community comprised
predominately of rednecks. I treated them the same as I would anyone else.
Some of them were even my close friends. I even shared the locker room with
some of them.
How I enjoyed the people and their ways! On one particularly warm evening, I
was invited to a special festival held at a lovely establishment in the
former Costco, called "the Rockin' Rodeo." If you can imagine, this house of
worship had to be four football fields large. There I was invited to partake
in their traditional dances and rituals. I will never forget watching the
natives dance in a "line." They practiced some very complicated footwork to
a very beautiful and poetic song, something about friends in low places,
think I'll drive myself down to the Oasis, or something like that. Just
touching.
As I did study theatre at this fine educational institution, I was very
impressed with some of the natives' adaptation of the standard American
dialect. Many of these fine people's ancestries began in the ancient land of
Oklahoma, and many have maintained their traditional manners of dress and
speech. Of course, a few of my fellow students had problems with the concept
of "one syllable words." For example, the word fork was very difficult
master. Many pronounced it as, "fowark."
So, as you can see, my words were not meant as barbs, as you incorrectly
assumed, but as words intended to encourage a celebration of our
differences!
Later,
Katie
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