In the beginning, the word "redneck" was not offensive at all, it was a description of the sunburnt necks of farmers who worked hard under the hot sun in the Southern U.S. Writers like Lewis Grizzard took pride in the word "redneck" as a metaphor for the hard, honest living that embodied the lives of past relatives, as well as those who still continue to work in such conditions. Unfortunately, various "comedians" and pop culture have transformed the word into a stereotype of slow-witted, gun-toting, racist Southerners. Despite the negative connotations it has today, I still would not put it on the same lever as a racial slur.