"The Liberal Rednecks--a three-man stand-up comedy group doing scathing political satire--celebrate all that's good about the South while leading the Redneck Revolution and standing proudly blue in a sea of red. Smart, hilarious, and incisive, the Liberal Rednecks confront outdated traditions and intolerant attitudes, tackling everything people think they know about the South--the good, the bad, the glorious, and the shameful--in a laugh-out-loud funny and lively manifesto for the rise of a New South. Home to some of the best music, athletes, soldiers, whiskey, waffles, and weather the country has to offer, the South has also been bathing in backward bathroom bills and other bigoted legislation that Trae Crowder has targeted in his Liberal Redneck videos, which have gone viral with over 50 million views. Perfect for fans of Stuff White People Like and I Am America (And So Can You), The Liberal Redneck Manifesto skewers political and religious hypocrisies in witty stories and hilarious graphics--such as the Ten Commandments of the New South--and much more! While celebrating the South as one of the richest sources of American culture, this entertaining book issues a wake-up call and a reminder that the South's problems and dreams aren't that far off from the rest of America's"--
I'm a HUGE fan of Trae Crowder - otherwise known as the Liberal Redneck. I grew up in a town, though not in the South, that has much the same mindset. Very small, very conservative, logging/fishing kinda place. So while he is very much from the South, there were many things he spoke of that I could relate to. Not all, but enough. So I was curious about the book and what might be in it. Frankly - I loved it. Every single so-called redneck (along with every so-called liberal) should have a copy of this pressed into their hands come Christmas. Or birthday. Or Friday. Whichever comes first.
Honestly, I was somewhat surprised by the book. I guess I expected more of the humor and less of the learning, though both were intertwined in such a way as to keep the learning from getting heavy-handed. The book covers such topics as "pillbillies", rap music (seriously), and things that "hit" (there are a lot of 'em). It also covers guns, poverty, and grandmothers. See? Something for everyone!
The biggest take-away for me, however, was a better understanding of why so much of the south tends to vote against their own interests. Don't get me wrong - it's still frustrating as hell. Probably always will be. But the three comedians-turned-authors make very clear the historical and present-day factors that contribute. They make no bones about the fact that they want their southern brethren to read this book, and maybe do some thinking about their own prejudices - and they are also very honest about those liberals in other places who spend a lot of time looking down their noses at those in the south.
Really, this should be a must-read for everyone, regardless of race, religion, color, creed, political views, or location. Because at the end of the day, they are right. We are more alike than we are different, and we could ALL use a hell of a lot more understanding, some give-and-take, and maybe some drinkin' to tie it all together.
