Actually, I believe the term "wetback" was coined in Texas and refers to newly arrived Latino illegal immigrants. The "wet" part of the racial slur derives from the fact that fording the Rio Grande river is a common way to sneak across the border.

It is HIGHLY OFFENSIVE. Anyone who is learning English and reading this thread should know that it is VERY RUDE to refer to someone in this way, and in the U.S., you may be sued for addressing someone with the word.

The word "redneck" is interesting because it was originally used to mock poor white laborers in the rural South. Now the usage has evolved to refer to (usually) white people who seem ignorant, conservative, or narrow-minded. In other words, it no longer refers necessarily to class or location, but to ideology*, though it is STILL AN INSULT.


*Though someone will certainly disagree, I personally characterize that ideology as the 4 C's: Conservative-Christian-Capitalist/Consumer. *coughs* Dubya *coughs*