[extropy-chat] Redneck Transhumanists

Damien Broderick thespike at satx.rr.com
Sat Jul 3 21:14:46 UTC 2004


At 01:44 PM 7/3/2004 -0700, Olga wrote:

>"The "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts
>on File, New York, 1997) has this to say about the term: "REDNECK. A poor,
>white, often rowdy southerner, usually one from a rural area. The word,
>which is sometimes derogatory, has its origins in the sunburned necks of
>farmers and outdoor laborers, and originally meant a poor farmer."

My understanding (from an ancient biochemistry course I took in the '60s) 
is that it derived from the visual symptoms of the niacin deficiency 
disorder pellagra, marked by photosensitive dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, 
and ultimately death. This disease was often found in poor farmers working 
wretched land.

Damien Broderick






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