Not the most politically-correct topic, I readily admit, and I rarely (if ever?) use these terms myself. But all my life I’ve hear these terms thrown around more-or-less interchangeably, though I sense there may be subtle differences depending on whether the user is referring to vocal characteristics (accent), visual cues, state of residence, or mannerisms. Just wondering if anyone could offer some insight on this.
Hillibilles actually come from the backwoods. Rednecks can be city people and actually very educated by hold on to their backwoods roots. Not sure what a briar is. I am from West Virginia by the way and don’t fit into these catagories.
I thought a briar was a pipe.
Never heard of the use of briar to refer to a person. There was a Patrick Swayze movie where Liam Neeson played his brother and was named Briar. “Next of Kin” was the movie and they were supposedly from Kentucky. The main setting was Chicago.
Briar for a sticker or for the wood used for pipes I have heard of. But not as a synonym for the other terms.
Whether it’s a general distinction, I think of hillbilly as more rural and even more from the backwoods, where a redneck can be pretty much from anywhere.
I think of hillbillies as being good-natured but possibly simple or backward folks. Rednecks are usually stupid and probably racist. Briar is a term I’ve never heard (other than the briar patch, obviously.)
In other words: hillbilly is not necessarily a derogatory term, but redneck most definitely is. To my thinking, anyways.
I’ve never heard of briars.
I’d say that redneck carries the implication of willfull ignorance combined with a certain latent hostility while hillbilly carries more the implication of a lack of schooling and sophistication with overtones of “rustic simplicity” (and, occasionally, with inbreeding).
In my experience, both are insulting stereotypes, but those are the distinctions between what they imply.
I agree with all the posts.
Why do I have a feeling that this is going to end up on Threadspotters?
“Briar” is short for “briar-hopper”, i.e. one who traverses briar patches.
I haven’t heard it used in 30 years, but I still remember it.
IIRC, hilbilly = briar, referring to socio-economic and educational levels - “hillbilly” and “briar-hopper” are reserved for low-caste southern whites who are generally pleasant, but dumb and speak funny.
“Redneck” is a political designation for the George-Wallace-for-President set, regardless of education, income, etc.
While “briar” seems to only have appeared as a perjorative about lower-class(mainly Southern) folk since the 1930’s, there is compelling evidence that it referred to people who smoked briar-root pipes in the 19th century US. This is in my opinion only. Cites available.
Hill-Billie appears in print about 1900. No doubt it was in use much before this.
Redneck is probably the older term, going back into the 1800’s for sure in print.
I only posted the historical info in case this makes it to threadspotting. That, and I’m compulsive.
I am wondering if “briar” is a regional term. I still hear it used quite often around this part of Ohio. While it is somewhat synonymous with “hillbilly,” I sense it is used to refer to a person’s (southern) accent.
Never heard “Briar” in PA or GA.
When my fiancee lived in Macon, her roommate was dating some guy from middle GA. he was a redneck, he called himself one. Great guy, but he sounded remarkably like Boomhower from King of the Hill.
Hillbillies are people that rednecks look at and say “Jeez, look at that redneck”. Said guy from above also referred to them as “Swamp Critters”.
But you’ve all heard of Briar Tuck in Robin Hood, right?
His name was not Briar Tuck. Remember how he enjoyed eating? He was obviously Fryer Tuck.
Hillbilly seems to have a nicer/ more innocent connotation IMO. A hillbilly can be a good friend, kinda like a Bumpkin. Naive, unwise to the ways of city folk, but generally good nautred and with a strong back and a loud laugh.
Redneck on the other hand seems to have the connotation of less desirable traits. I associate more drunkenness, missing teeth, “woman, get muh gun” living in a trailer in a semi-rural setting, beer gut, mullet, listenin’ to lynard skynnard, drivin’ a primered camaro with custom rims, so on an so forth.
Case example: The dukes of Hazzard.
Bo, Luke, Uncle Jessie- hillbillies
Roscoe, cooter - rednecks
Daisy- hottie.
David Alan Coe - Guilty of frist degree redneckery .
Other examples:
Hillbillies:
The Beverly Hillbillies (duh!)
Bill Clinton
Anna Nicole Smith
Cletus the slack-jawed yokel
Rednecks
MLBs John Rocker
Those guys in the Dodge “HEMI” commercial
Strom Thurmond
Okay, but what’s the difference between a bubba, a good ol’ boy, and a redneck? And how is a redneck different from–ok, to use a controversial term here–white trash? Yeah, I grew up in the south but nobody ever explained these things to me.
Redneck = white trash, can live anywhere.
Hillbilly = mountain folk, not necessarily southern.
Never heard of a Briar, but I assume it refers to someone from the “sticks”.
Yep, another southerner reporting in and I’ve always known it as Hillbillies are defined by location, Rednecks by attitude and actions. A Hillbilly is not necessarily a Redneck and vice versa.
Also, I can’t stand Rednecks. But some Hillbillies are just good old folk.
Never heard of a Briar. Perhaps it’d been better to ask the diff between a Redneck, Hillbilly, and Good Ol’ Boy.
Good ol boys, of course, never mean no harm, beat all you ever saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.
Actually good ol boys and rednecks are opposites. Rednecks are assholes, while good ol boys will loan you their pickups when you’re moving.