Redneck Depiction Of Us Voters Is Facile And Insulting

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday November 3, 2008

The international media's obsession with showing McCain/Palin supporters or undecided voters as rednecked white trash is offensive, and I'm surprised the Herald would publish a story that perpetuates this stereotype ("Rednecks reload and set sights on Palin for 2012", November 1-2).

I am a soon-to-be dual American/Australian citizen and a registered voter in Nevada. I have cast my vote for Barack Obama. I was involved in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns in a large media company committed to engaging young people with the political process.

I was constantly impressed with the passion and dedication many Americans commit to putting their candidate in the White House.

In this election, the media has a fixation with the so-called and self-described redneck contingent behind the McCain/Palin ticket. Numerous examples are only a Google search away and come from outlets as varied as Al Jazeera and local news telecasts.

American-bashing seems to be sport for many journalists, and mostly I dismiss it as an offshoot of the Bush presidency. But your story hit home for me, as Williamsport is 25 kilometres from my parents' Pennsylvania hometown of Hughesville, in the self-proclaimed "hunters' paradise" of Lycoming County. Your report presented only one side of the story.

Perhaps the most offensive element is the Alice Walker-like attempt at phonetic representation of your subject's accents. It is shameful and has no place in a publication as esteemed as the Herald.

These people may have a slightly different accent from other Americans, but they are as apple pie as they come. Don't do them the injustice of making them look like idiots. What's next - will you be quoting Obama similarly, with something like Oprah Winfrey's lines as Sophia in The Color Purple: "But I'll kill him dead 'fo I let him beat me"?

You rode the "look how stupid people in America are" train and made fools of women such as Glenda Hock, who, like it or not, has every right to vote, express her views, go to a Palin rally, and even gut her moose with a nail file if she so chooses.

I have no idea whether my Hughesville family members are voting Obama or McCain, but that doesn't matter. What I do know is they are kind people who put family first, struggle to make ends meet, take pride in their community and strive to make their children better people.

I encourage you to look outside the stereotypes and present a true picture of the country's fabric. It's easy to play to the stereotype but it is insulting to those who know better.

Todd Phillips Zetland