what's a brier?

[Wimsey1]

I was reading something about using the word redneck and there was a comment from someone named HAL who said something about not wanting to be called a brier.

I'm not familiar with this term other than in reference to a wild rose.

Any ideas? I got the impression that it was something I shouldn't be using in polite company.

[ellanovella]

Briar is a term used in the U.S. Midwest, especially Ohio, for Appalachian migrants from Kentucky and West Virginia. These migrants, seeking work in Midwestern industries, were generally considered unwelcome, therefore the analogy to a thorny weed.