Rednecks....love 'em or pity them?

True story: I heard an ad on the radio today for Restland Funeral Home. The deceased's wife told of how accommodating Restland was, playing country and western music for her late husband's service "since he was a redneck and would have loved it."

Now I'm wondering....why would you want to admit you or anyone you loved were a redneck? Redneck is defined as "....a historically derogatory slang term similar to 'hillbilly' and 'white trash'. In recent decades the term has expanded to mean bigoted, loutish, and opposed to modern ways."

Does anyone aspire to be a redneck, or is it something you pull yourself up by your bootstraps to overcome? I'm thinking the latter. Even if I were "bigoted, loutish, and opposed to modern ways", I don't think I'd publicly brag about it.