The term "redneck" is a derogatory term that is chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States. The term has a sordid history that blends class, perseverance, race, and prejudice. The meaning of the term has shifted over time, and it has stood for different things in different parts of the country at different times. Here are some of the meanings of the term "redneck" over the years:

• Poor, Southern whites
• A name "applied by the better class of people to the poorer [white] inhabitants of the rural districts"
• A word used "to denigrate [white] farmers within their party who supported populist reforms"
• White Presbyterians living in North Carolina (specific rednecks!)

Today, the term "redneck" is often associated with a stereotype of a particular kind of poor white Southerner that dates back to before the Civil War. The stereotypes associated with the term include:

• Racism
• Hot-headedness
• Violence
• Uncouthness
• Loudness
• Meanness
• Undereducation

It is important to note that not all people who identify as rednecks fit this stereotype, and many people who do not identify as rednecks do fit this stereotype. Some people who identify as rednecks see it as an expression of pride, while others find the term offensive.