This is a good resource on the subject and history of white slavery. I had no idea. The author sites many references from his own research- like how Britain sent their convicts to America as well as Australia! We never hear about that in our history classes!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Jim Goad’s The Redneck Manifesto, although published in 1997, still has as much relevance today as then – largely because the redneck question is unsettled. Full of wit, wisecracking, and humor, the book casts light on a very serious and dark subject in American history – the white under-class – which encompasses a motley repertoire of rustic distinctions: white trash, hillbillies, hicks, crackers, rednecks, southern sharecroppers and mill workers, trailer trash, etc., all of whom stem from a legacy of indentured servitude. Although indentured servitude represents the economic and social heritage of a large percentage of Americans, it is a term for class origin that is scarcely mentioned in history books. Goad’s Redneck Manifesto puts the redneck icon in historical and contemporary perspective, and makes a compelling argument that white trash has become America’s scapegoat. A malicious diatribe against political correctness, both conservative and liberal brands are exposed as self-serving hypocricy. Goad admits to hating both conservatives and liberals and makes no apologies for bashing both. His inciting prose bites sardonically and sarcastically as he exposes their self-serving posturing. Scarcely any publication, with the possible exception of Nancy Isenberg’s newly-released White Trash, treats the subject of indentured servitude as cogently and concisely as Goad’s Redneck Manifesto. A real jewel in the rough, the book should become a classic and Goad a redneck icon, even a hero to modern-day white trash. Unfortunately, most Americans read few books these days, so even the few avid readers among the redneck ranks are unlikely to pick it up and discover its relevancy. Middle class professionals and liberals cannot relate to it. Only the arcane within niche academia are likely to recognize its contribution. The book is irreverent and iconoclastic. If you are a privileged conservative-elitist or a pampered, meritocratic liberal, be prepared to be offended. America’s class history was never as pure and innocent as the revisionists would have us believe. Jefferson’s idealized yeoman farmer was contradicted by the southern sharecropper or tenant farmer oppressed under a feudalistic style of servitude. Goad has a unique style of writing and has been called the poster boy for the transgressive school of writing. He utilizes wit and a style of prose described as “machine gun delivery,” which reads in a fast paced manner. Here is a typical example of his prose. It is in no way exceptional: “The serf was bound to the turf. The peasant was a piss ant. A peon was somebody to pee on. Life for the peasant was unpleasant. The serf was poor and uncouth, having no manners and no manors. The serf was white. He was also trash. And I’m sure that after hoeing the field all summer, his neck was red. He was toothless, dirty, and smelly, too. And he was fundamentally voiceless. And universally thought to have deserved his status.” I am still waiting for the next Jim Goad book. I did a little internet research on Jim Goad and found him to quite an enigmatic figure. An internet video of an interview with him and his wife Debbie really blew me away. Jim Goad doesn’t look or talk like a redneck. Unlike a Jim Bageant of Deer Hunting with Jesus and Rainbow Pie distinction, who has the look and feel of a genuine redneck, Goad seems more like an artist or movie star. Indeed, his earthy redneck work is quite artistic in its own way, and I also discovered that he has worked as an actor and musician. On the surface, he seems more counter culture that reactionary redneck; but it seems he has the authentic credentials to qualify. The most salient part of the book is the historical documentation of white trash and the institution of indentured servitude. Goad makes it clear that most ancestors of modern white Americans with roots going back to the 1700s and earlier did not come to the shores looking for freedom, but were forcibly brought over in chains. The great majority of whites who came to America in colonial times, arrived in servile conditions – most in the category of either convicts or kidnapped orphans. Po’ white trash has the deepest roots of any immigrant group – working the plantations in big numbers before the first shipments of African slaves. Most native born southerners have a legacy of serfdom in Europe and indentured servitude in America. Most rank and file soldiers in the Confederacy were crackers rather than cavaliers, slave holders didn’t have to fight, white trash did that for them. Indentured servitude is just another word for slavery. Roughly 85% of white slaves/servants died within the first 12 months after arrival. Hundreds of thousands of British children were nabbed, placed in chains, and put on coffin ships headed for America. Goad’s research uncovers the stark reality that the number of unwilling white immigrants brought to America far exceeded the total number of imported black slaves (400,000). IndenturedRead full review
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Jim Goad is the evil Macolm Gladwell. Or maybe he's the streamlined, punk rock version of Charles Murray. A provocative, diligently researched social commentary that never fails to be darkly comic and compelling. Get your copy before its banned!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I have read this book before and being from the south not only did I like it I agreed with it. With the exception of one chapter "Play hard pray hard" the author stopped using facts and common sense and started using stereotypes. Other than that I would highly recommend this book.
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