A PSA, from me to you...

Let's be perfectly clear on something: there is a difference between a redneck and a good ol' boy. It's not gender, class, or culture specific, and geography isn't a factor, either. Like all identities, it can be a fluid thing; a good ol' boy may descend to redneckdom and a person at the other end of the spectrum may find the courage to transcend the redneck within. One may even sometimes masquerade as and perform the function of the other. At their base, though, they are two distinct species. And the primary difference is this: one doesn't know any better, and the other does.

As a concept I think it pretty much speaks for itself, but let me provide some concrete examples for those who might still be a little fuzzy on the subject.

Bo and Luke Duke: Redneck. I know what it says in the theme song, but these two couldn't get any closer to redneck without tripping over it and breaking their necks. They had good ol' boy tendencies, but they were rednecks, tried and true.

Johnny Cash: A good ol' boy. Despite all the gambling, shooting, cussin', time in jail, and addictions, the Man in Black was born knowing better and died having figured out how to achieve it.

Hunters:

• Those who eat what they kill: Usually good ol' boys, with a few redneck stragglers
• Those who hunt purely for sport: Rednecks. Especially the rich ones who hunt big or endangered game simply because they can afford to.

Any Card Carrying Member of the Good Ol' Boys Club: This is a hard one, because while its membership often consists of both, it is difficult -- and sometimes impossible -- to separate the wheat from the chaff. It also depends on whether or not The Good Ol' Boys Club is in the good graces of the general populace or if they've done another knuckleheaded thing to earn them an ass whippin'. I think this is a case of one masquerading as the other until they're all wearing the same mask, acting en masse according to which way the wind is blowing.

And now to the event that inspired this little missive:
The person who shot a hole in your mailbox? If you guessed Redneck, you'd be right. It was either a redneck or a good ol' boy in the presence of and outnumbered by rednecks (because things happen), then it becomes a crime committed under duress of redneck, and there's precedent for that going back since the beginning of time.

So, there you have it. Any questions?