Hm, rock-thrower is a new one.

And yes, it is, but it's also a label that a lot of people wear proudly. (See My Big Fat Redneck Wedding on CMT, i.e., Country Music Television.)

It's a matter of who's saying it and how.

My mom's side of the family is from Alabama and Tennessee, both in the "real" South. (As opposed to Florida, which isn't considered "real" South.) Some of them are awful rednecky, and I even tell people that I'm half-redneck. Mostly I just use Southern words and enjoy things like grits and pulled pork. :P