The Agrarian Ideal in American Culture

Over the decade's American opinion of agricultural communities has undergone a significant shift. Perception of the previously valued farming lifestyle has been diluted by the media and an unjustified superiority complex held by many urban dwellers. Examples of this transition can be seen throughout pop culture from it's prevalence in country music to its appearance in stand-up comedy routines. Farming has shifted from being a highly respected profession to being a punch line of jokes made by many comedians. Two such comedians who belittle agricultural lifestyles are Jeff Foxworthy and Daniel Lawrence Whitney more commonly known as Larry The Cable Guy. Both popular comedian's routines capitalize on jokes about the "Redneck" lifestyle. Foxworthy has based a large part of his career off of a joke series titled "You Might be a Redneck". In these jokes "Redneck" is synonymous for, uneducated, uncivilized and backward. These unfair depictions of millions of Americans contrast sharply with both the views of Jefferson and Slatin, who believe farming is not only an honorable profession but an essential one. This transition is reflective of a shift in the public perception of agricultural which came with the urbanization of America over the decades. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STypFtRdnc8