Who Is White Trash?
Do you use the term “white trash?” It’s a safe bet that you probably do. A lot of people do. But what does the term refer to and where does it come from?
For many people, the term “White Trash” connotes images of poor whites – fake blondes, drunk, racist, fat white people – trailer park types. People you might see on Jerry Springer or the Dr. Phil show like “Honey Boo Boo” and her mom, Kid Rock (though he grew up upper middle class), Eminem, the “Cash Me Ousside” girl, and others you might find featured on the “People of Walmart” website.
Webster’s Dictionary defines the term simply as: “a member of an inferior or underprivileged white social group.” There is one additional note; ” “usually disparaging and offensive.” Unfortunately, this particular definition belies the rich historiography of the term.
Historically, “white trash” was a term used to refer to whites who didn’t adhere to social conventions and live within the boundaries of their assigned societal roles. They were among other things “radical Republicans,” “petty criminals,” “race mixers,” and so on. They were designated “trash” as part of an effort to distinguish them as a separate white race or “stock” from the “good old boys,” who were ultimately more successful when it came to cloaking their deviant behavior.
The important takeaway here is that a key aspect of the definition was lost over time – people who were white trash were understood to be racially contaminated (not race pure). Now, however, the idea that someone is inferior due to “miscegenation” has failed to maintain a fashionable edge (maybe some alt-righters would dispute). Not to despair, the expression was quickly replaced by insinuations of genetic inferiority due to simple inbreeding.
The White Trash Canon
“White trash” hasn’t lost its power as it continues to be used by whites who want to make distinctions and/or separate themselves from groups of white people who, while phenotypically white, are not considered members of “proper” middle and upper-class tribes of white people.
The good news is that scholars and other authors have been employing white trash epistemology to reinvigorate working-class studies. Take a look at Dorothy Allison’s Bastard out of Carolina. The whites depicted in her narration are frequently called by racist epithets. As the author demonstrates, to be called “white trash” signified that although you may be white, you are still racially othered (Allison).
Other scholars publishing work on white underclass social identities include Arlie Hochschild (2016), Nancy Isenberg (2016), and J. D. Vance (2016). To this list, we might also add Michael Kimmel’s Angry White Men. This body of work explores white identity from a range of perspectives and serves as a platform from which we might examine social currents that have helped to set the current political stage, as this pertains to what political writers have referred to as “Trumpism.” In the case of the latter, this is a somewhat startling development, given the numerous contradictions implied by the idea that a wealthy, debauched, lifetime New Yorker is now considered the standard bearer for poor white Americans.
Most of these writers point to a collective aggrieved social identity; one that is often steeped in pain, suffering, financial hardship, and loss of pride in work, as people have become angry and disaffected over time. Many of these people see themselves as the victims of government, financial institutions, coastal elites, professors, and the “progressive” media.
Got Milk?
Vance, in particular, has become the anointed working class soothsayer of late. But he is not without his critic. Elizabeth Catte takes issues with Vance’s depictions of Appalachia as a uniquely tragic place chock full of toxic resentment and poor life choices, which she argues represents an oversimplification of what is a considerably more nuanced story.
Vance’s depicts an imaginary Appalachia that doesn’t exist, except perhaps in the minds of many Americans, who see the region and its people representing a monolithic social identity; one that is perpetually backward looking and not diverse in its viewpoints. According to Catte:
“This impulse to create imaginary Appalachias snowballed during Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, for instance, when images of lurid white poverty were intended to shock middle-class audiences. For white people uncomfortable with images of the civil rights struggles and the realities of black life, these images offered a more recognizable world of suffering, and their creators often claimed they were a necessary catalyst for social change.”
Catte continues her critique of Vance and offers this very important distinction that sheds light on our current politics:
“In Hillbilly Elegy, white Appalachians take on the qualities of an oppressed minority much in the same way that conservative individuals view African Americans: as people who have suffered hardships but ultimately are only holding themselves back. This construction allows conservative intellectuals to talk around stale stereotypes of African Americans and other nonwhite individuals while holding up the exaggerated degradations of a white group thought to defy evidence of white privilege.”
This sets up what she identifies as a problematic colorblind world view of white Appalachians, where their lifestyles and choices are shown to mirror patterns of living/behavior that have afflicted other groups (like blacks and Native Americans), who also suffer from “family disintegration, addiction, and various social pathologies,” as well as the “crippling delusion that they cannot improve their lot by their own effort” (Catte).
Vance sees Appalachian whites as an essentially separate and distinct ethnic identity (produced through isolation-induced selective breeding). Such a vision treads a path that leads to the toxic science of eugenics, which in Vance’s work manages to always lurk beneath the surface.
The rhetorical move to situate Appalachians this way places Vance is in the company of a group of intellectuals who are eager to cite an example of whiteness that might be used to both prove and disprove beliefs about race.
Catte points out that modern conservatives are quick to discount the links between structural racism and inequality. When they ask “Why can’t poor black people get ahead?” she says they almost always ignore problems in connection with structural inequality caused by racism, because these explanations cannot explain the failures of poor white people (poor white people, poor as they may be, still retain the racial structural privilege of not being black/POC).
To overcome this problem, conservatives focus/argue that most personal failure can be explained by lapses in personal accountability (not that pesky social structure), where the evidence in their view upholds the conclusion that all people, regardless of color/ethnicity, will achieve poor outcomes when they make bad personal decisions (Catte).
In other words, what they are saying is that poor white people, particularly those who are perpetually unemployed/underemployed and who suffer from drug addictions, are proof that poverty is colorblind; that racism cannot explain poverty because poverty is the result when bad people make bad choices. In short, if your life is crappy life it’s your own fault. Their solution: “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Move to another town, etc.
Take a moment now and think about the anger (expressed or unexpressed) that simmers when white people realize that while far from privileged, they somehow managed to waste their whiteness (for more on this issue, read the critical race work of Tim Wise or try the comedy of Dave Chappelle). Often, this necessitates a public performance, where effort is made to demonstrate that “although we may be poor, we are not like “those people.”
Are Appalachians Different?
There’s an old story that goes something like this: in the old days (18th c.), Appalachia was settled (sorry Native Americans) by people who shared a common Scots-Irish heritage [see the books American Nations (2012) and Born Fighting (2004)]. These were the white people who weren’t pilgrims. As a group, it is said they were “attracted to the eastern mountains because mountains were in their blood….or some other romantic nonsense. The mountains, in turn, provided powerful insulation against the forces of the modern world and allowed the Scots-Irish to retain “old world” characteristics such as a clannish or tribal family structure, peculiar forms of speech, and the general traits of an “honor” or “warrior” culture that included a propensity for violence. Over time, this shared heritage became the presumed basis for certain ethnocultural deficiencies due to over and interbreeding” (Catte). Naturally, this explains why they’re violent and love to drink.
Yet as Catte points out, the work of Appalachian historian Wilma Dunaway provides a corrective to the myth that she refers to as the “ethnic homogeneity thesis.” Alternatively, her work argues for the existence of archaeological evidence and other primary sources that eighteenth-century Appalachia was comprised of an amalgam of different European ethnic groups and other groups that reflected African and indigenous descent. Archaeologist Audrey Horning wrote in her work on migration, “The southern upland region attracted settlers not only from the British borderlands . . . but from all over North American colonial regions as well as from France, the Palatinate and West Africa, while later drawing from eastern and southern Europe” (Catte).
“Scots-Irish heritage in Appalachia is real,” says Catte, “but Vance exaggerates its influence in the region for a specific purpose” (Catte).
As John Thomason observed in the New Inquiry, “Even as Vance wags his finger at the vices of his fellow hillbillies, he cannot help but insist on the innocence of their whiteness.” By setting up the counter-narrative, as Vance does, that Appalachians reflect innate characteristics that mark them as a distinct group of people – physically and culturally – we are more or less tricked into thinking that these people embarked on a counterintuitive and destructive path that resulted in the election of Donald Trump, all for reasons derived from eugenics – certainly not due to tribal beliefs that embrace racist ideologies.
Vance’s views, according to both Thomason and Catte, are not merely off-base, they’re troubling for reasons that they advance a narrative steeped in soft bigotry; one that is eminently “more palatable” to audiences savvy enough to avoid talk that veers to far in the direction of explicit white nationalism” (Catte).
What this effectively does is it tiptoes around the problem of racism, deftly avoiding alienating individuals of all races. But it is a good deal more sinister, given how it is “propped up by the belief that the white individuals in question represent a disadvantaged race unto themselves” (Catte).
Appalachian teenagers
Trash Talk (article by Connie Shultz)
Connie Shultz, a popular columnist and journalism professor at Kent State University in Ohio, writes about how easy and socially acceptable it has become to “trash talk” the working class. In her column she writes:
Bear with me, please, as I start this column with a brief story about my two grandmothers who lived in trailer homes. They lived in Ashtabula County, which is tucked into the northeast corner of Ohio, an hour east of Cleveland. If ever you’ve traveled a good distance along U.S. 90, you likely passed our county’s handful of exits on your way to somewhere else.For all of my childhood, this was home, and I was seldom happier than when I had time alone with my maternal great-grandmother, Ada, who raised my mother from the age of 8. In the late ’60s, after her husband died, Ada sold her house and 20 acres to move into a trailer home a couple of miles down the road. It was closer to her church, her second home.
I spent weeks at a time in the summers with her, freed from the responsibilities of the oldest child always on duty. She taught me how to cook, garden and quilt. Every Sunday after church, rain or shine, we walked to the cemetery to tend my great-grandfather’s grave and say a prayer of gratitude for the time we’d had with him. We had our evening rituals, too. She believed a steaming cup of tea at sunset was a great way to settle the mind for the big thoughts that show up only under the night sky.
My maternal grandmother, Vivian, lost custody of my mother when she was 8 and spent the rest of her life trying to make it up to her and taking care of my uncle, who had a mental disability. His name was Francis, and she never spent a day away from him until he died from complications of diabetes in his late 50s. Grandma Vivian was the first person I knew to buy an aluminum Christmas tree. What a sight for my siblings and me. My mother stood behind us and whispered orders to close our mouths and stop acting like we’d just seen a ghost. This was the grandma with the trunk full of antique dresses and hats for us to play with whenever we visited. When my mother wasn’t around, Grandma often served me a cup of coffee loaded with milk and sugar — a grown-up reward for “being so responsible.” When her house in Ashtabula County became too run down to be safe, my grandmother closed it up and lived in a trailer on the back lot until Alzheimer’s robbed her of the ability to take care of herself.
Grandma Vivian’s trailer in Ashtabula, Ohio
I wanted you to know a little bit about my grandmothers so that you might better understand my outrage over a Cleveland Plain Dealer writer’s reaction to Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump for president:
“Thanks to Trump, the entire Palin clan is now back in the spotlight they so crave. Come July, Republican National Convention organizers should house the whole dysfunctional family at a trailer park in Ashtabula.”
This is surely not the first time a pundit has cast the Palins as “trailer park folks” — which is code, of course, for “white trash.” We are hearing these phrases more frequently as pundits try to make sense of Donald Trump’s soaring poll numbers.
In her book “Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America,” sociologist Diana Kendall describes how in 2008 then-“Late Show” host David Letterman “maintained a night-after-night monolog about Sarah Palin and why she is white trash.” He was joined, she writes, by “print media, television and Web blogs … full of descriptions of Sarah Palin’s trailer park lifestyle” (Shultz)
Much closer to home, since Donald Trump’s charade of a candidacy caught fire, I have heard many fellow liberals freely toss around the terms “white trash” and “trailer trash.” These are people who would never dream of telling a racist joke, but they think nothing of ridiculing those of lesser economic means.
Every group has its “other.” For too many white intellectuals, it’s the working class. Neither of my grandmothers had much money, ever, but they contributed so much to the lives of the people they loved. They were both storytellers who helped me understand the long-ago sacrifices of people I would never know but who live on in the blue of my eyes and the ambitions of my heart. They are why I’ve devoted a number of columns and stories over the years to people who live in trailer parks.
Just this week, I was remembering Marjie Scuvotti, a 24-year-old mother of four. I interviewed her in 2002, on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She talked to me in her home in a trailer park as she painted her 6-year-old son Issac’s face red, white and blue for a parade celebrating first responders. “You’re my American-flag boy,” Marjie whispered in his ear. She couldn’t have been a prouder mother.
Regardless of which partisan lens we look through, we will see some voters who confound us. Mocking them will never bring us closer to understanding them, but it will surely reveal us, and we will not benefit from the exposure (Shultz).
Where Do White Trash Live? How Can You Measure Them? (by Nick James, posting for entertainment purposes)
According to one journalist, Nick James, the top 10 trashiest cities and towns in America are located here:
- Portsmouth, Ohio
- Fall River, Massachusetts
- Sedalia, Missouri
- Pensacola, Florida
- Morristown, Tennessee
- Elkhart, Indiana
- Asheboro, North Carolina
- Rockford, Illinois
- Canton, Ohio
- Jackson, Michigan
Measurement Tools:
Using publicly available government data in addition to Google Maps, the author formulated the following white trash measurement metrics:
- Cities where there are lots of white people
- Cities where residents are poorer than average
- Cities where a high number of residents are high school dropouts
- High drug use
- Higher than average Payday Loan Outlets and bargain stores
- Violent cities (measured in aggravated assaults)
- Cities with high numbers of residents on welfare
“Meth-heads” were also cited as a variable, though no information was provided in regards to how it was operationalized and counted for estimation purposes.
Data:
The author used the U.S. Government Census for most of the data. Drug use and violence measures were taken from publicly available FBI data and public Google Maps data that chart the location of Cash Advance Outlets and bargain stores.
Limitations:
The author acknowledges limiting analysis to non-census designated places (CDPs) with over 20,000 people to produce a ranking, which was used to create a “white trash index.”
White Trash Loser
Comedian Louis C.K. calls attention to the same issue, as he makes it clear in this routine that making fun of “trailer trash” is one of the last acceptable forms of bigotry people are permitted to get away with in contemporary American society. Looking down on the poor is not only socially acceptable; many people find it to be downright funny. This particular illustration shows us how people are condemned on the basis of both race AND class. He invokes the term “white trash loser” to summon the image of a person that many of us might relate to and few among us would ever defend [language and “blue humor” disclaimer].
The Psychology of “Punching Down” the Class Ladder
The term “punching down” refers to a psycho-social dynamic that we might apply to the classic “bootstrapper.” Bootstrappers like to think of themselves as having been dealt a difficult hand (often this is true, but it’s beside the point) which they overcame because they’re not “losers.”
As they like to tell the story, when confronted with personal difficulties and challenges, like poverty and addiction, they heroically, by means of their own grit, managed to work their way out of their difficulties. In other words, they “bootstrapped” themselves up to success through sheer force of will and hard work. Upon having attained their hard-won success (with or without outside help) they feel empowered to declare that everyone, regardless of the obstacles they might be facing, should be able to overcome their problems the same way.
While seductive, this kind of thinking is misguided and toxic. In my experience, having grown up around a lot of these kind of people, bootstrappers are often among the first to savage judgment upon others who may be poor and struggling. They lash out, which is to say they “punch down” on their former social peers with whom they once shared common problems and low social status.
Punching down, however, says more about the person doing the punching than it does the people they designate a target of their judgment – the welfare queens, criminals, immigrants, drug-addicts, or those who lack education. Their actions here speak to what is, in reality, a very deep-seated fear that many bootstrappers harbor – that someone will discover the “secret” of their less than privileged/low birth past. To avoid discovery then, they work hard to maintain the veneer of success that they ALONE built.
Trailers & “trash”
The fact of the matter is that many people experience one or more social problems personally. That is to say, they may experience unemployment, be poor, be in poor health, drink too much alcohol, commit crime, and have a lot of family disfunction. When we see or hear about people like this, it’s easy to attribute their problems to their single failure; the fault is theirs alone. Same goes for others who share this fate.
Redemption Narratives
One way the bootstrapper overcompensates for lingering low self-esteem, the result of having poor parents or an unfortunate zip code, is to declare for anyone who may be willing to listen how they used to be a “poor person,” but due to their overwhelming dedication, drive, and work ethic, and innate “spunk,” they overcame these difficulties and are now a great success (i.e. good person). They become obsessed with shouting out to the world “I used to be a poor person and was part of a low-status group, but I confronted that adversity with hard work. Look at me now. I’m great. Please see me as worthy.”
Not surprisingly, they are often plagued by intrusive thoughts and fears that if they stop working, even for a minute, they might fall back to the low place from where they ascended to success. By falling into failure, they will cease to be the successful/good person that they worked hard to become.
American Dream, American Nightmare
Part of buying into the American Dream and its cult of individualism means one must always remain vigilant and castigate those who didn’t invest/buy a “dream ticket.” Apparently, accepting this “con” is a hell of a lot easier than acknowledging the complex interplay of social structural problems and individual choices.
Glossing over these nuances, the dreamers prefer instead to feast on a buffet of mythic dream ideology – a toxic belief system that blames lack of success on failed individual choices.
Dreamers, as such, are easily aroused to upset whenever anyone (like their professor) attempts to unmask the system of exploitation from which they perceive they narrowly escaped. In the end, they get to be the “hero” of their own life story.
Sources
“Here We Go Again: Trash Talking the Working Class,” by Connie Shultz
“The Mythical Whiteness of Trump Country,” adapted from Elizabeth Catte, What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte, Belt Press, 2018.
For more reading on Appalachia, social stratification, and working-class social identities, check out:
Otis Trotter’s Keeping Heart (2015), a memoir about growing up poor, sick, and black in Appalachian Ohio.
Rick Bragg’s All Over but the Shoutin’ (1991).
Arlie Hochschild, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (2016)
Nancy Isenberg, White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (2016)
J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy (2016)
Discussion Questions
Have you ever found yourself laughing at or using the term “white trash?”
Do you find that you sometimes either use the term or at least judge poor people (as a result of perhaps having at one point in time been one yourself)?
Do you ever think, “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances?” In other words, if they accepted “personal responsibility” for failure they might be more successful?
If you are familiar with the work of C.Wright Mills, how might we use it to look more critically at “personal responsibility” narratives? For, these may not be the best way to explain poverty and failure. What does Mills say about learning how to cultivate a “sociological imagination” to better understand the social world?
C. Wright Mills’ concept of the “sociological imagination” encourages us to look beyond individual circumstances to understand how larger social forces shape our lives. When it comes to poverty and failure, this means considering how systemic inequality, economic policies, and social structures contribute to these outcomes. Instead of solely focusing on personal responsibility, which overlooks these broader factors, we can use the sociological imagination to critically examine how society influences individual experiences. This can lead to a more nuanced understanding of poverty and failure and inform more effective strategies for addressing these issues. Rather than going off what we may just look into.
Reflecting on my experiences and perspective I’ve often confronted the complexities of racial and social dynamics. I grew up in a loving stable, supportive two-parent household. Both parents are college graduates and work professional jobs. Unfortunately despite my upbringing, maintaining good grades and a strong work ethic, I’ve noticed that some white people with fewer resources or in worse living conditions – still perceive themselves as superior solely due to racial differences. This mindset is not only ignorant but also pathetic, reducing them, in essence, to what is often derogatorily termed as “white trash.”
However, I’ve realized that the term “white trash,” which I have admittedly found amusing at times, is part of a broader narrative that transcends race. It’s not exclusive to any one group. Whether it’s “White trash,” “Black trash,” “Asian trash,” or “Hispanic trash,” the underlying issue is the same. It’s about behavior that is rude, inconsiderate, and lacking in basic decency. It’s crucial to clarify that my feelings are not directed at individuals simply because they are poor. Poverty is a circumstance, often beyond a person’s control, and it doesn’t inherently make someone ‘trash.’ My judgment is reserved for those who exhibit racist, bigoted, and hateful behaviors. In my eyes, it’s these attitudes and actions that define someone as ‘trash.’ Being poor doesn’t make you less of a person, but being rude, racist, and inconsiderate certainly does. This distinction is important for understanding social attitudes and for fostering a more empathetic and just society.
Personally I have never used the term and I don’t think I ever will. Being poor is the result of both personal choices and a structural society. I feel like people who are poor are people who have given up on their dreams and lack a long-term kind of vision. It is not very unusual to see poor people spending the little money they have on alcohol or something that will provide them instant gratification. Growing up I was always taught that individual success depends on individual hard work. Hence my parents always pushed me to do good at school because they believed that education was the key to a decent and successful life. It wasn’t until I was old enough to understand the welfare system that I realized that there is a structural system that keeps people from achieving their dreams. Whether it is voluntary or not, it is hard for some people to “bootstrap” themselves and get out of the system. Because, let’s be honest, why would you say no to a system that gives you a hand out that provides you more than what a minimum wage job offers. Going back to the education attainment theme, people are working hard but there is something holding them back; and that something is lack of educational opportunities. The “American Dream” cannot be achieved through sheer power of will. There is the need for a more inclusive society that provides opportunities that people willing to bootstrap will take advantage of.
Sometimes you can make all of the right choices and decisions in life and still find yourself at the bottom of a bad situation. I do agree however that it is important to take responsibility and be accountable for your actions and their consequences. If you’re not accountable you cannot help yourself. Instead, rather just finding ways to place the blame onto others. This will get you nowhere if you want to be successful. Business employers look for that sort of thing when attempting to hire new employees or when they are going to give someone a promotion. Always placing blame on others will only set you back in life, even if you think it will make you look bad.
At the end of the day, the rich control and dominate the economic world. In some sort of way or another the poor/ working class is essentially slaves to the rich elites working long hours for very little pay just to barely be able to survive. They live paycheck to paycheck while the rich make millions off of the backs of others.
I don’t think I’ve ever called anyone white trash, but I certainly have heard it before. My dad occasionally uses the word to describe my brother, given his lack of success in life. Whenever he does that, I just feel horrible. My brother and wider family have a lot of problems, and that sort of name-calling is just another reason why it’s like this. I’ve certainly never laughed at it. I like to think I would never laugh at something that obviously makes fun of poor people.
I’ve personally not come from a poor family, so I don’t really know what they have to deal with. Because of that, I try not to be judgmental, as their lives and worldview could be completely different to mine. I think I’m pretty lucky, because, if I were in a poorer household, I seriously doubt I’d be very successful at all. I don’t think personal responsibility can very reliably bridge the gap formed by your parents’ bank accounts.
When looking at things in my perspective, I have heard the term “white trash” very frequently. I have mostly correlated it with white people who have shown excessive qualities of being drunk or racist. I don’t ever find myself judging those who are poor as I have been my whole life and am still trying not to be. I don’t essentially believe that if poor people were to make better choices, that they could overcome their difficult circumstances, or it at least has to depend on their background. In some cases, someone may just grow up in a poor family or neighborhood and not have the ability to get opportunities handed to them, especially if they have family issues. However, if a person is poor due to their decision to constantly use drugs or alcohol, that is a different situation, as if they chose a different lifestyle and cleaned themselves up and tried to apply for a job, they may have a chance. I think that it would take a lot for certain people to accept their own wrong, however I believe it could help them be more successful.
There are millions of people who live in poverty and millions more that are born into poverty every year. For most poor people, it is not entirely their choice. There are many things that can potentially hinder someone’s future success. An example being where one lives, if you are living in an underprivileged area chances are you are not getting access to the same education that people in wealthier neighborhoods do. Is that the child’s choice? They grow up and end up with no social status or any connections and are faced with similar hardships they have endured their whole life. It is very hard living in today’s society when sometimes the only opportunity you have is to make $8.00 an hour. To make a decent income you most likely need a degree, and degrees cost money. How do you manage to go to college and work to pay off those bills and eventually loans? Seems like an endless cycle of poorness to me. It is so sad and feels almost rigged. Most people who are considered poor are working very hard and for long hours in vital jobs that need to continue to function to keep the rest of the community flowing. We can not assume that if people made better choices they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances. You do not know or understand the circumstances that led them to where they are or to what they have. I have seen many poor people get treated a certain way based on their situation and or appearance, and I try my hardest not to ever judge others and I believe that they are trying too.
Growing up, I have definitely heard the term “white trash” being thrown around in conversation or even used as a joke. As a child, I may have found myself giggling or laughing along with others when this derogatory term was used. However, as I have grown older and become more aware of the harmful implications of such language, my perspective on this phrase has shifted. The term “white trash” is a derogatory and offensive label that is often used to stereotype and dehumanize individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are white. It implies that they are lazy, uneducated, and immoral simply because of their social class or economic status. This type of language perpetuates harmful stereotypes and classist attitudes that contribute to societal divides and discrimination. As I have become more informed about the systemic inequalities and biases that exist in our society, I have come to understand the damaging impact of using terms like “white trash” to demean and belittle others. It is important to recognize that people’s circumstances and backgrounds are not indicative of their worth as individuals. No one should be judged or ridiculed based on factors that are beyond their control, such as their race or social class. Using derogatory terms like “white trash” not only perpetuates harmful stereotypes, but it also contributes to a culture of divisiveness and prejudice. It is important to be mindful of the language we use and the impact it can have on others. Instead of resorting to hurtful labels and stereotypes, we should strive to treat everyone with respect and empathy, regardless of their background or social status.
In conclusion, I have come to realize that using the term “white trash” is not only hurtful and offensive, but it also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and reinforces classist attitudes. It is important to be mindful of the language we use and to treat others with dignity and respect. Let us strive to create a more inclusive and compassionate society where all individuals are valued and respected, regardless of their socioeconomic background or race.
Being honest, I definitely have found myself using the term “white trash”, however, after reading this article I now know that no one I’ve heard it from, including myself, has used the term correctly. When my classmates or I said it, we were usually referring to a popular girl with straight blonde hair who brought starbucks to school every day. It’s interesting to see that the meaning of this term, at least around where I grew up, has been manipulated so much that people are now using it as the complete opposite. Instead of using it against poor people, it’s now being used more against people who can afford things such as expensive makeup, branded clothing, or the latest trendy object. There was even a dessert called “white trash” that took chex or trail mix and covered it with white chocolate.
As for judging poor people, I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t had the proper exposure, but I never really thought too deeply into why they’re poor or why they don’t “overcome their difficult life circumstances.” To me, it was always just that they had a smaller house or tailor home or wore the same clothes a lot. I believe my lack of exposure plays a big part in why my first thoughts as to why poor people are poor happened when I was being taught about it in middle school history. And at that point, I had been taught the reasons as to why it’s so much more difficult than “accepting responsibility” and working hard.
White trash is a slur that I knew, but I never realized it was more psychological than that. not to mention a slur that I didn’t consider to be harsh or excessive before. Although I haven’t used the term “white trash” to refer to someone in particular. However, the term’s presentation of racial class served as an additional example. It seems unusual to me that there could be even a small group of white individuals who are left out of the traditional, well-mannered white society that is thought to enjoy white privilege. The majority of states where the term “white trash” is used are primarily southern but also somewhat eastern. This article’s explanation of the phrase as referring to non-racist or non-evil people intrigued me even more. It had more to do with the preconceptions that surround the term. People who are told that, despite their race, they ought to be thriving in life find it challenging when they wind up on the lower end of the American Dream spectrum. The fact that they don’t have what they believed was promised could help to explain why they would despise other people so much.
The term white trash has had an interesting history compared to other discrimination and bigotry terms in the United States. It is mostly used by people of the white racial type to discriminate and condescend those of lower socioeconomic class but same racial type. Personally, I have heard of others using the term online but I never have since it is not part of my vernacular. The times I have heard it being used to describe someone, the person they were describing were not in the best moment of their life. Either they were homeless, on drugs, or overall did not appear sanitary. Often, the term is used by middle class/upper class whites to talk about their peers who were less fortunate. It makes sense that most of the “white trash” comes from the Appalachian region due its high poverty rates and low income.
Poor people are often a result of a combination of choice, opportunities, and luck. Some “poor” people I have met are genuinely a result of their choices, although many of them made those choices because of a lack of understanding of the complete outcome of those choices. Some of these people are genuinely a result of falling on hard times in which they grew up in a bad or unfortunate life where they lacked access to opportunities that were available to people with better status. I think people “become” poor as a result of a combination of these although it is hard to say which one is a bigger influence. It is very hard to generalize a statement like this where everyone is different and comes from different backgrounds, thought processes, and life experiences.
I think it is important to accept “personal responsibility” as it makes it easier for one to look back and reflect to improve their future decisions. At the same time, I feel people place too much blame on the “personal responsibility” narrative because sometimes things do happen unexpectedly but the odds of which could be changed by a personal action. For example, one is more likely to suffer health complications as a result of obesity, but suffering those complications doesn’t mean they deserve their suffering even if they increased their risk of getting those complications. At the same time, the individual bears some responsibility for consuming the food they have in their lifestyle that increases their risk of health complications, but it is still out of control sometimes what health complications they will suffer from if any.
During my life so far I haven’t thought too much about white trash, but I have met people who fit the description of white trash. But for me the term white trash hasn’t been too present in my life. I have found myself laughing at white trash but not really the term itself but the people. For example,the people that you would see at Walmart. I also have used the term white trash before when I was referring to someone who I thought was a racist scumbag. I have also felt that at one point I did use the term “white trash” to judge less fortunate people. I do feel like a bad person for doing this because now that I’m in college I understand more about poverty and how much money and status affect us and our economy. But even if poor people made better choices I think that it still won’t affect most of their outcomes. I believe that if these people made better decisions I think the lack of money and status will cause them not to make it too far. But there could also be outliers who make better choices and end up being successful.
I have never used the term “white trash,” but one time I was scrolling through Tik Tok, and this woman was showing her trailer, mind you her trailer was nice. I scrolled through the comments and some of them were calling her “white trash.” Some people still have this perception that if you live in a trailer park than you are “white trash” or poor. Honestly, before she revealed her trailer, I thought it was not going to be as nice as it was. This just proves you should never judge a book by its cover.
I have never thought “if poor people made better life choices, they could overcome their difficult life choices”. This thought has never occurred in my mind because ever since I took a sociology course last year, I realized that there is more than one cause to social, economic, and racial problems. I honestly think some of the systems in our country purposely make people have disadvantages.
I, personally, have never found myself using the word “white trash”. As someone whose first language is not English and someone who did not grow up in the United States, I never even heard the term and or even knew what it meant most of my life. I did not grow up around many white people, so I did not have many stereotypes towards them. The only one that I had growing up was the fact that white people were always glamorized and seemed better than us for some reason. I grew up with the feeling that being white, or light skinned was better. So, there was still some deep-rooted racism and prejudices even when leaving in a country where most people were black.
Most people where I was from were not rich and most of the population of my country were poor people. I was always brought to acknowledge that I was lucky and that I had to give back whenever I could. I was saw poor people who were in need and who did have many opportunities in life. I was always thought that poor people just had an unfortunate life and that it was our duty to help them whenever we could.
I have not used the term “white trash”, however, I have heard my friends use it occasionally. My close friend in high school had divorced parents and has always lived with her mom in Pittsburgh. Her dad and stepfamily lived on a farm in rural West Virginia. Her dad was a former police officer who had to leave his job due to mental illness, and as a result, he turned all his attention towards politics. My friend and her dad would often have arguments because of political differences and overall differences in values. She referred to her dad and stepmom as “white trash” because of their living situation.
When it comes to judging poor people, I have done so before, but I believe this comes from my own life experiences. Being a first-generation immigrant, my family was very poor for most of my childhood and we relied on government assistance. I think the judgement came from seeing my parents work hard to better our circumstances even when they had very few resources and no support system, which led me to believe that it is that simple for everybody. I now understand that poverty is a deep-rooted issue for many people and can be incredibly hard to escape. Working hard, for many people, does not ensure success, as the class has discussed when talking about the attainability of the American dream. While it is easy to say that making good choices leads to a good life, getting our of a certain life situation for many people can be nearly impossible, and it is important to recognize that.
Personally, I have never used the term “white trash” and no one around me has ever really used it either; I’ve mainly heard it from tv shows or movies. I may have not used the term but I have found myself judging poor people- especially rednecks. I remember hearing the term rednecks on tv when I was younger and it being used as a way to degrade white people in (mainly) the south. They usually were overweight and lived in the middle of nowhere in a trailer or a small house and had a country accent and got red easily. I used to think to myself, “why would anyone want to live like that, especially in the middle of nowhere, it looks terrible.” But then I realized that most of them didn’t choose that lifestyle, that’s just the way that they grew up and they didn’t have a lot of opportunities to change or better their living conditions. No one wants to be poor, no one wants to be in poverty or even below the poverty line. Society caters to the rich and makes sure that they stay on top. People that are at the bottom usually don’t get a chance to change their living conditions. But I do find it interesting that it was rich white people who started the term to degrade poor white people, it really does show how desperate they are to distance themselves from “trash” and how they want to show that they’re better just because they have more money.
Truthfully there have been times where I have laughed at jokes involving the term white trash and I never even thought about why it is that they are in those situations, and that most poor people are in those situations because they did not have many other options and they are trying their best to get out of it. Before learning more about this in class I did not realize the true meaning behind the term white trash and how much one person could be effected by it.
At this point in my life I have been able to understand that not everybody has the ability to be wealthy or have everything they want and that many people are just trying to make ends meet for their families. I have been able to experience this many times with my friends and neighbors at a young age which helped me understand that everybody has different situations that they don’t always have control over.
I think that it all comes down to different people’s situations for various reasons, whether or not if they made better choices if things would be different. For some people the best decision they could make could be someone else worst possible outcome, yet also someone’s worst decision could be someone else best results. Some people have to make decisions that helps them make ends meet and doing whatever is necessary, whereas some people have the opportunity to vie in a better place but simply do not care enough to make the correct decisions to get them there. So in my opinion it depends on the situations that people are in.
Do I believe that if poor people made better choices then they wouldn’t still be poor, no. No one wants to be poor and if it was as easy as doing a few specific things then there would be next to no one poor. The “bad” choices people say they make might feel like the only choice they have to the poor person. One of the most common remarks I’ve heard is “why don’t you just go get a job”. The reality is it’s not as easy as turning in a job application and you get a job. Oftentimes the poor people are already at a disadvantage because they are being judged from the start during an interview. Once someone falls down financially it’s very hard to recover. I think the issue is there’s not enough assistance to help poor and homeless people start over again, or start somewhere. If there was some assistance and people could start to earn money and not have to worry about what they are going to eat tonight, then they will be able to start thinking about their future.
I do believe that if poor people accepted personal responsibility and made better decisions, they could possibly create a better situation for themselves and their families. However, I do understand that there are many factors that heavily affect the circumstances of poor people that you really need to look deep into. I have been poor in my life and I have lived in environments surrounded by poor people and I know that decisions also heavily affect whether someone can become more successful. With everything stacked against us, it is your mindset that matters the most. What you do with your time, how you spend your money, or what you prioritize matters. When you see large statistics of the amount of poor people in an area, it’s easy to blame the government and there flaws which is completely warranted. However, when we continue to due that we ignore what some poor people are doing lives and if they are actively trying to get themselves and their families out of there situation. In this day there are many opportunities and avenues for people in underserved communities to move towards upward mobility. For example, in my area there were programs that helped find people jobs and get them the help they need to become more productive and self sufficient in their lives. I believe it’s time for some poor people to look deep in themselves and find possible solutions when the odds maybe stacked up against them.
Previously, I have not fully understood the true meaning of the term “white trash.” I only knew that it was more of a derogatory term to describe others. I have not heard it used a lot, and when I have, I didn’t find myself laughing at it because I do not believe it is right to judge others, and I haven’t used the term myself. I think judging people is inappropriate. I have never experienced life in someone else’s shoes so it is impossible for me to know every struggle they go through. That is why I don’t use terms such as “white trash” or judge people for any other reason, including living in poverty. Additionally, I have never thought anything along the lines of “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances” This is because not everything is within our control. Someone who is living in poverty may have made all of the best choices that they were able to. There are more factors to life than just the choices we make. We may be in a situation where the best choice we can make still isn’t the best choice overall. Life is incredibly complex with a multitude of factors that make up how we live our lives, and we should never judge someone else because they may have more factors in their life that act as barriers than someone else.
Have you ever found yourself laughing at or using the term “white trash?”
Oh I definitely have, especially because to me it felt like a way to “strike back” against racist people and hit them where it hurts. I think I really thought at one point that white people viewed it as a general offensive term rather than one that targeted a specific subsection. It wasn’t until later that I realized that the term was merely a way to further demean an already disadvantaged proportion of the white population. It is a classist insult, rather than a racist one. In fact it perpetuates racism, given that it subtly implies that white people are automatically somehow meant to be “not trash”
Do you find that you sometimes either use the term or at least judge poor people (as a result of perhaps having at one point in time been one yourself)?
I have definitely judged poor people but not since I was around the age of 13 because that is when I really started waking up to the world around me, and to add to that, I actually started having conversations with poor people as well as homeless people rather than treating them like they were invisible like I had been taught to do from a young age. It was an experience that really exposed to me how deceitful the usual discourse and stereotypes that are common about the poor is.
Do you ever think, “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances?” In other words, if they accepted “personal responsibility” for failure they might be more successful?
No, my viewpoint is that poor people are intentionally structurally prevented as a matter of design from ever becoming prosperous. The jobs most commonly worked by the poor are some of the most vital jobs needed for a functional modern society, and yet those same jobs are allowed to be portrayed as “trivial work” with the wages to match, leading to those whom are poor staying poor and those whom are rich becoming richer. The entire system in every country, is rigged against the poor and sets up the already rich for further wealth by exploiting the labor and hard work of the poor. Hence the better choices argument as I see it is nothing more than a sham perpetuated by the powerful that it meant to hide their exploitation.
Before reading this article, I had never really thought about the deeper meaning behind the term “white trash”. I have heard the term used before in conversation, in the work of comedian Dave Chappelle, and seen the stereotype presented in characters on television shows, such as Kenny from South Park. However, I have never used it. Prior to reading this article, I never thought that the meaning of the term was degrading towards white people who do not utilize their white power or privilege, let alone for it to be derogatory towards members of other races. This article has opened my eyes to the underlying meaning present that this term entails. Using this term to describe someone generalizes their shortcomings based on their appearance. As a society, we lack the empathy needed to try to relate and sympathize with those who come from other walks of life and who have endured struggles that we have not. It is not our place to judge others, rather we should reach out and offer a helping hand to those in need.
Do you ever think, “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances?” In other words, if they accepted “personal responsibility” for failure they might be more successful?
Something such as the notion of accepting personal responsibility for poverty does now simply “kickstart” people into success. However, there is much more than hard work needed to escape risk factors associated with poverty. For example, a job alone will not lift a person out of a certain situation if transportation is not in order. Those who suffer from poverty often times do not have a means of transportation. On top of this, public transportation varies in availability and costs money. Available job listings within walking distance may not be available as well. In combination with these smaller factors are much larger ones that may help determine one’s life position. In other words, not everyone is dealt the same cards to start out with. Those given less support and more risk factors at the start are left with all of those obstacles to tackle. Therefore, a multitude of factors stack up to prove that bootstrapping is not the sole solution. The lack of availability in terms of basic needs are prevalent, all while risk factors are piling up throughout one’s life.
Although I frequently hear the term “white trash,” I have never truly understood what it really means. I think I hear the phrase used frequently without anyone really knowing what it implies. As stated in the post, I do think individuals use this word to set themselves apart from groups of other white people who are not considered as proper middle- and upper-class people. This, in my opinion, is a tactic used to distance one white person from another white person. While many people who live in poverty are referred to as “white trash,” wealthier people are never labeled that. That makes no sense to me because why is it only associated with poor people? I do not think we have the right to judge those who are poor because we do not know their situation or what brought them there. Because of that, I have never found myself making judgements on someone for living in poverty. Since nobody actually knows the conditions and challenges faced by those who live in poverty, I do not even think it is appropriate for anyone to judge those who are in that situation.
The term “white trash” is defined as a member of an inferior or underprivileged white social group. Many put people who live in trailer parks, racist, drunk, and plus sized white people in this category. Personally, I have seen the “People of Walmart” website that makes fun of Walmart shoppers who wear revealing or what is seen to be socially unacceptable clothing. As someone who was aware of the term “white trash” before reading this website post, I never have found myself laughing at or using this term. I think it is inappropriate to judge others based off the way they look in public and make fun of their appearance or where they live. Even though not all poor people face alcohol or drug addiction, eliminating these things from their lives may help them progress down the right track. In conclusion, we do not know what others may be going through or what other situations they may be facing in their lives. It is disappointing to see how the term “white trash” has been normalized in society. The world would be a happier place if privileged people kept their nasty comments to theirselves and formed respect for all no matter their appearance or living conditions.
I personally never used or laughed at the term white trash. It never crossed my mind to make fun of someone that was poor no matter what their race. I also feel like some poor people are poor for specific reasons. They might not be able to pay bills, or something happened to their home and they couldn’t afford to fix it. Some people have kids as well to take care of, and sadly don’t have the money for them. Therefore you never know what that person is going through or how they got to where they are. So I never thought badly about poor people, or make fun of them. Sometimes people do have money but they have spending problems so they blow their money on unnecessary things. It also sometimes depends on where you live too. Some people were born poor, or from personal choices. Some women (single moms) get out of an abusive relationship, and have to pay for themselves while carrying a child. Then once it’s born, they have to try and find work to afford the child. There’s many reasons why someone is poor. You never know what that person is going through or had to give up. That’s why it’s never good to judge anyone.
I have definitely found myself laughing at the term white trash and using it in conversations. For me personally when I’ve caught myself using the term it is to describe almost what is stereotypical in the world today. Oftentimes when I’ve used the term it is when I’ve been talking to family and it was just basically us using it saying we are poor and a middle class family. I also see that this term is used to describe white people, maybe flying a Trump flag or physically standing for their beliefs. These people aren’t poor, but are described as white trash because of what they are doing. I personally have never found myself using the term to make fun of poor people, just because like I said above, usually I use the term to describe within the family or something. I feel as often that especially in school the kids who were labeled as “white trash” were singled out and that people definitely looked at them differently. Oftentimes, especially at my school, all you had to do was wear normal cowboy boots or something and you were considered white trash and country. If poor people simply made better choices, could they simply overcome their difficult life circumstances? This is not always the case because some people don’t have insurance and struggle with medical bills and all sorts of things, so sometimes this is not the case. Some people are currently working, but are just struggling with bills and may be a single parent.
This was a very interesting article to read. I have used the term white trash or have heard the white trash plenty times before. Also, yes to the next question I have maybe thought of poor people as white trash. I’ve never really thought about white trash and the term and what is represents. The next question about if I think poor people that’s their own fault. I totally disagree, as we have talked about before the birth lottery is a real thing. Being in a social class as soon as your born is so true. People automatically start at a better chance of having. Successful life, because of what family they are born into. Now that doesn’t mean that being poor couldn’t have been a poor personal choice. But that is not the case all the time. Personally the “white trash” label, I see when I go to a trailer park or maybe a biker bar something like that. This is something I have never really investigated this, but it is very interesting to look at. I definitely will not be using this term lightly or laughing at this term anymore now that I truly know what it can mean.
Poor white people, referred to as white trash, are still laughed at in American society. Interestingly, they are one of the few groups still made out as the butt of a joke. As a society, we do not show sympathy to poor-white Americans. Furthermore, we do not credit the struggles they were born into and have experienced. This includes me. I have been the culprit of judging others quickly. Additionally, I have not been understanding of their struggles. Frankly, I forget how fortunate I am for my family, friends, and possessions. I recognize others have not been as fortunate with the support they receive. Therefore, I laugh at the idea that if one simply “tried harder” they would not be experiencing the situation they are undergoing. This is because some simply lack the tools and resources to reshape their lives. Perhaps this can be explained by the structure of American culture. This culture does not recognize that white people can experience failure. This could be the starting place for change. While failing is not enjoyable, it can bring valuable lessons that pure knowledge cannot exhibit. Therefore, as a society, we should encourage each other to learn from our mistakes and lend a helping hand. I believe that with sufficient resources, such as better education and/or financial support; and with enough encouragement, one could easily turn themselves successful. Nonetheless, ridding the term white trash might help society advance and make American culture less divisive.
I have used the term “white trash” numerous times not truly understanding how it references categorizing different economic classes and white superiority. Usually, when someone uses the term, it is talking about the behavior or actions of a poor or working-class White person. Although I did not realize that before, it is a fact. I personally have never heard anyone call a rich White person “white trash”. It was interesting to further understand how the term could be used towards a person not upholding superiority by virtue of their class status. Calling someone “white trash” is to imply that they failed as a White person. The term reinforces the notion that some White people are outliers who have not lived up to expectations. Personally, I have used the term, but not for the intent of judging poor people. Those were never my intentions and now I am further aware how the term can be viewed in that way.
I have definitely found myself laughing at and using the term white trash. I feel many people my age have done this because if we hear those words coming out of somebody’s mouth then we will also use that word because we think it is ok. Also, being so young, we make stereotypes about the people we see being called ‘white trash’. I must say I have never used this term to judge poor people or those I think are living under me, I have used it as an insult to somebody I do not like or somebody that lives a lifestyle different then me to the point where I find it weird. I wish I had known the true meaning of this word as I would have picked a different word to use. I never saw it as the meaning of making fun of not using their white power or privilege and how those people should be better than other races. Yet, that is what ‘white trash’ truly means. I do disagree with the idea that if people had accountability for where they are then they would not be poor. People do not choose to be poor, why would anybody wish that upon themselves, but if you grow up poor, live in a bad neighborhood with a little chance of making it out, or even get kicked out of the house then this is not your fault.
This is one of those questions where it depends on certain factors. It depends on certain factors like how a persons mental health is, the lifestyle they have, and how their life is personally. Some people who are considered poor are only poor maybe due to falling into debt to pay for a family members medical bills, or even from fraud. Some people are also maybe poor from life choices and sacrifices. A lot of single mothers sometimes end up being ‘poor’ because of maybe having to choose not to go to school to raise their kids and being forced to work at minimum wage jobs. This could be due to not having the money and support of others to help raise their kid. Some women were even in domestic relationships or households that cause them to not be able to provide a better education. There’s so many things that are deeper than what they are.
I feel like there are times that if poor people made better choices, then they could overcome their difficult life circumstances. I’ve seen lots of poor people who use their little money that they have to buy alcohol or drugs. Instead, of wasting money on these things they could better spend it or save it to help improve their quality of life. While it may not completely help them it will still solve some of the issues they face. However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, people face large medical bills because they don’t have insurance to help pay for it. Also, an area that a person lives in can also make it harder for poor people. You should never look down on the poor as you never know what exactly that person is going through. It should never be acceptable. We should never be a bootstrapper, someone who likes to think of themselves as having been dealt a difficult hand. They were able to overcome it because they are not losers and like to brag about it. They think that obstacles can be all solved the same way. We need to respect everyone no matter what they go through.
No, I never found myself laughing at or using the term “white trash” because I feel like it is not my place to laugh at or say it. I have a good understanding of what people that are called “white trash” look like and how they act from personal experiences in life. I’ve never been poor in my life, and I feel like no one should ever judge a poor person because everyone has different reasons for a certain situation and you never know what someone went through or what someone could be going through. If poor people simply made better choices in life I still don’t think it would help them overcome their difficult life circumstances because the situation for them being poor can be bigger than them just making horrible decisions in life, it could depend on how their life was growing up, what they went through mentally in life, what people they had in their life, and many more circumstances. Many times, it is not the individual’s fault that they are poor, and by accepting “personal responsibility” for their “failure,” they are accepting blame for a problem of the government and society as a whole.
Have you ever found yourself laughing at or using the term “white trash?”
I will admit, I find myself laughing at white trash all the time. Never would I have thought it had a deeper dark meaning. I guess that’s part of the problem. White trash humor is everywhere. Some of my favorite comedians and movies like Larry the Cable guy and Joe Dirt are based totally off of White trash humor. This doesn’t necessarily mean these are horrible people, I just think we need to be a bit more educated on the term. I went to an extremely white school. So white in fact that even amongst the white people there were separate groups that were so different it almost seemed like black and white. You had the popular kids who were into sports, typically well-off, you had your smart kids who were typically involved in theatre and band, also well off, and lastly you had your “rednecks.” These were the kids who came from the poorest houses and always seemed to cause the most trouble, or so it seemed. It was like they didn’t belong at the school, almost like they were labeled rebels just because of their personalities. This really didn’t sit well with me especially since a lot of these people were my friends and I knew they were nice people. I always thought it was peculiar how every school rule and policy seemed to single them out. The website describes this phenomenon perfectly. Poor white people aren’t “real” white people, as a real white person is well educated and always conducts themself in a picture perfect manner. This reminds me a lot of the holocaust actually. Germans were Germans, but of course there were what Hitler considered to be pure race Germans, and false Germans. Jewish people and blonde-haired blue-eyed Germans had the same skin color yet they were so very different in the eyes of many. When I compare the notion of White trash to this, it makes me never want to use the term.
It is always interesting to learn the history and, more specifically, the real meaning behind terms that have been around for a long time but are never really defined for you. After reading this article, I feel much more educated in the subject, even more so having read this after the module on “white trash.” It really puts the term into a new light. I feel the way it is used today not only supports the idea that the white race is of a higher standard than others, but also to show that this group of white people is not associated with those of the “white trash” variety. They are of a much higher standard of living. As a white person myself, I can understand why the term is offensive. As I said in my reflection paper on this same topic, I’ve used the term “white trash” a few times in my lifetime and now after reading extensively on the topic, I have been reformed and will not use the term again.
I have never personally used the term white trash but I have heard it being used before but I have heard it in movies and tv shows and during the time I did laugh. I do not use the term and I don’t look at poor white people as less then. I would think the term “white trash” would be used to more the ones that are racist or do not not present themselves very nice. I think more depending not completely depending but more so depending on your demographics (unfortunately) that if poor people did take their own personal responsibility for their failures and tried to work on themselves (mentally most of all) to get better, they would be more successful. I think it is really interesting that in the article it talks about In Hillbilly Elegy, white Appalachians make themselves feel the qualities of oppressed minorities similar to how conservatives view black people. But in that it allows that type of person to talk about black people and non-white people with outdated stereotypes while keeping a certain idea of the other white people who do not fit the “white image” they want. I also found it very interesting that the white people that would fit the image of this term are generally the first ones to look down on someone that is struggling or poor. And that when they do this it is more of a reflection on them than the ones they are looking down on. It is more of a deep rooted fear that people will find out about their not “perfect” past and bring it to light. So instead they choose to go in on the other individuals that have that struggle a little more obvious.
I personally have never used the term “white trash” but however I’ve heard it from movies or tv shows. And now looking back at what I watched they did show a “trailer park” or a low working class white person. But I’ve never understood how or what it really meant. Now I see how it was designed as a part to “distinguish them as a separate white race”. As the ‘other whites’ want to make note that there are another race of whites and they are not the good ones and they are considered as “another”. And some think these “others or white trash” of people are waisting their whiteness in a way as of they could live the “white life” and have it all. But I feel like there are other races who deal with this of their own. Each race has a separate class of race and will talk down on them because they are not where they are at. They believe it’s their fault for being in that situation or position and they should be able to get themselves out. They base it off of their choices made throughout their lives.
I personally have never found myself laughing at or using the term white trash, it has never even crossed my mind to make fun someone for being poor. I also do not think “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances?” because I feel like this is not true in all cases. Some people are poor for many reasons they cant help like medical bills or having to raise a child alone at a young age with no help. You never know what someone is going through and the last thing you should do is make fun of them for it. However there are some people that make very poor financial decisions. I have seen people close to me constantly spend money on things they do not need and worrying about paying their bills after that because they are not financial responsible. At the end of the day you should never judge anyone who is struggling with finances because they could be working very hard to get through it but just aren’t making enough money.
I cannot think of a time that I’ve used the term white trash, but there have been times where I laughed at memes regarding the term. I never really thought much into anything but the surface of what “white trash” meant and what people meant when they said it. I think a lot of people who use the term don’t know what it means either. To me, its not fair to accuse someone of being poor all because they aren’t working hard enough or for any other odd reason. Our systems today aren’t fair and there’s so many circumstances that make it hard for people to succeed.
This article presented some new concepts to my experiences. I never thought of white trash being further psychological than just a slur. Let alone a slur that I previously didn’t see as extreme or harsh. I’ve never specifically called someone white trash but I can’t deny having laughed at its expense and use. But the term was further exemplified when it presented an idea of racial class. To think that there would be even a group of white people excluded from the typical proper and well-kemp society of whites that is perceived to hold white privilege is strange to me. Most of the states where people referred to as white trash are somewhat eastern but mostly southern. It isn’t much of a surprise rather an interesting statistic. What made this article even more interesting to me is that it explained the term as people who aren’t specifically racist or evil. It was more of the stereotypes that accompanies the term. It seems difficult for people who are told they should be prospering in life because of their race yet hey find themselves on the short end of the American Dream stick. It could explain why they would hate as much as they do on others because they don’t have something they thought was promised.
I have never utilized the term myself, however, I have grown up around people who have used it on occasion. With that said, I used to be of the mindset that people’s problems in life were entirely of their own responsibility. For example, there were cases when I was younger in which my parents would often drive past homeless people on the way home, and I would sometimes attribute their homelessness to lack of effort or failures that were entirely their fault. Arguably, part of the reason why I believed in this framework was due to being socialized and conditioned into it. Within the United States, it is the social norm to think that hard work always equates to success, and those who “fail in life” are assumed to either not have worked hard enough or because they did something to bring them to the state that they are currently in. Over time though, I grew to realize that the ability for one to “succeed” or “fail” in life is not completely determined by the individual’s choice of action or amount of work ethic. While it is easy to think that way for many Americans, the reality is that this is an overly simplistic way of thinking and there is more nuance to the topic that is often overlooked. The choices one makes can indeed impact their future, however, other factors have an influence on one’s turnout (i.e., race, zip code, inequality, etc.) One silver lining to this is that more and more people are discovering the truth of this idea of the American Dream, in that they are beginning to understand the structural influences on society and the lives of people and are realizing that effort is a false metric for measuring success.
I feel like the term ‘white trash’ is a difficult word to discuss as many white people feel as though it is just a word to put down other white people who have different ideologies or social standing from them. I know that I have personally used the term ‘white trash’ when referring to Trump supporters or gross looking white people. I have never used or thought of the term as a way to belittle poor people as I understand that there are people who are born into poverty or are dealing with a sudden lack of income due in no way due to their person circumstances. I also feel like certain white people use the term in order to have a version of the ‘n-word’ that they can use without repercussions. Everybody seems to want to be able to have their own taboo word or phase that a select group of people, that they fall into, can say.
am someone who doesn’t use terms that I am unfamiliar with or involve myself in situations in which I am not uninformed. Growing up in a predominantly white elementary and middle school, I have heard the term “white trash” being used among my peers and laughed when it’s been used a few times. However, I never used the term since I was unfamiliar with its meaning or background. Plus, I thought of this term to be insulting and didn’t want to use it to offend anyone. To be honest, I have not always been in a stable living situation, so I typically don’t find myself judging poor people because I always vision myself in their position.
In some instances, I think poor people could experience better lives for themselves if they could overcome their difficult life circumstances and take responsibility rather than letting failure consume them. Most people think of poor people in this way and are unwilling to give support. However, we must recognize that not all of them are like this. Many were brought up in this poor environment, need help, or struggle to find the light in tough situations. Accepting personal responsibility is a factor but struggling to realize exactly what that is makes their situation more difficult.
I remember I would use the term “white trash” when i was younger, but since then I tend to avoid using that term just because to me when you say it really does come off as rude. Until now i never even really associated that saying with all the baggage that comes with it. I just remember being a kid and thinking associated that word with people who would show up to school and did not care about their appearance and i never really thought much about “well maybe that’s all they they had to wear that day” and i never thought of it in that light, and by using that term it could be very offensive to someone. I did not realize that this word was associated with white supremacy either. And now that i am educated on these things even though I do not use this word anymore, i can inform my friend and family who still may use, so that they can understand the meaning behind this saying and they stop using it as well.
I have never found myself laughing at or using the term “white trash”. I honestly never even knew that it was a thing or even a term used before reading this article. I have heard of white washed I’m not sure if it is the same thing as “white trash”. I do not use the tern “white trash” when describing poor people. I feel like we cannot judge people because honestly we do not know what they have gone through in their lives for them to be considered poor. I do not think that if people took “personal responsibility” for failure they might be more successful. In some cases of people being poor it is not their fault that they are poor. People honestly do not know if a person got laid off or if they simply just do not make enough money to buy a place to live at.
I think that the idea that poor people could overcome their difficult life circumstances if they had made better choices is a common misconception that could use some addressing. If you grow up into a family ravished by poverty, it makes getting out of it much much harder. If you grow up in a poor neighborhood or a poor area, it’s likely that most of the time that the public education system is not very good. Going to a school district that also doesn’t have a lot of funding produces a poor educational background that in the end makes it harder to have the prerequisites to enter into a trade school, university, or apprenticeship or any kind of higher paying career field. These people who are affected by poverty are in a cycle of being stuck into minimum wage jobs based on the fact that they grow up in poor neighborhoods through no fault of their own.
I do not believe that if poor people simply made better choices, they could overcome their difficult life circumstances. If they accepted “personal responsibility” for failure, they might be more successful. However, those better choices can be affected by poverty. Poverty can hurt an individual’s decisions about their life, finances and even school. For example, many individuals make poor financial decisions. They might believe they will never get out of the poverty level so they spend their money foolishly. They feel it is better to live in the present then worry about the future. Poverty makes individuals less willing to take risks and more prone to follow and cherish tradition. Poverty’s stress interferes with someone’s ability to make better choices. Because the short-term wants are so great and the long-term benefits are so improbable, the inevitability of poverty weighs so heavily on an individual that they forgo long-term planning. Many people living in poverty make decisions that are not always terrible, but are tailored to the limits of their life with their few resources.
I have used the white word trash, but in situations that someone was super drunk or high in public and causing problems with people for no reason. I never used the term to judge white people for being poor since not everyone is as lucky as other people when having money. When judging people for being poor, I never found myself judging since you never truly know what someone had to go through or if they had chances to be successful and or the same opportunities that you had growing up to learn responsibility and how to be successful. The data we looked at in class showed that even white females working full time would make more than African American females working full time. Also, Dr.Trappen talked about the study that showed a bunch of fake applications and how a white person with felonies got chosen over an African American with a four-year degree. So the sad truth is that even if you work hard and have responsibilities, you might still not succeed in the united states.
I have thought that if poor people make better choices they may get out of their current situation. Although, I understand it is never that simple. A lot of people are poor because they grew up poor and do not know how to get out of poverty. Even if they did not grow up poor, anything could have happened to get them where they are. Being in this group and struggling can lead people to lose hope and make bad decisions such as alcoholism or drug abuse because they are so unhappy. Having others judge them and assume things does not help anyone. Even if they “accepted personal responsibility for failure” it will not bring them out of their current living conditions. They can work longer and harder, but still not be where they want or need to be. It is a constant cycle that many are stuck in. No one wants to live in poverty so is it not weird to assume that people are living this way to just to complain or take advantage of government aid?
I indeed have found myself laughing at the term, “white trash,” because we think of it as these people choose to have no morals and choose to dress in a trashy way. I have never seen the term, since reading this article, as a lower class term. I have never really used this term or have ever judged poor people. I personally think what goes around comes around. As well, in some cases many cannot help becoming poor since they were born into it and that’s all they know. I honestly do not think that if poor people took “personal responsibility” for failure they might be more successful. Many people, including kids, that are poor do not want to be. It is is really not their personal fault, in some cases, that they are poor. Many looking from the outside in do not truly understand what is going on in the poorer neighborhoods.
It’s interesting to see that even though the meaning of “white trash” has changed over the years. But, in the end it’s always been used to describe white people who have represented “inappropriate” ways of being a white American.
I don’t use the term “white trash” when describing such people. I think that we shouldn’t be very critical of their lifestyle. One of the main founding principles of the United States was that people could avoid criticism of their way of life.
In most cases, these “hillbillies” aren’t as odd as pop culture makes it out to be. They’re just your average, low income, white Americans.
This article to me is interesting. Anytime people have use or think of the term, “white trash” they usually think of trailer parks, greasy hair, someone who is unkept. To me I see the term “white trash” as the equivalent of calling a black person ‘ghetto.” I also have witnessed numerous people use this term when referring to a white person not realizing how privileged they are or when doing something inconsiderate or ignorant. It’s interesting how Webster’s dictionary explains the term completely differently as in the being “inferior” or “underprivileged”. The term “white trash” over the decades have been used to classify and box white individuals into specific categories based on their social class.
Personally, I never really thought that poor or homeless people are just lazy and unsuccessfully due to the fact I understand how things can happen spiral down so fast. It starts let’s say with the loss of the job and now this person cannot find work, has numerous children, cannot afford their mortgage and all just go downhill from there. It also has to do with the cards they are dealt with in life and the area in which they are from and the opportunities and resources provided for them to help get them get back on their feet
There are many things that an individual can experience that makes them act the way that they do. A lot of times I do not think that others take these things into consideration. I wouldn’t say that I have found myself using the term “white trash”, but I have looked at somebody before and wondered why they were acting the way that they were and what makes them think that it is okay. It is hard not to judge others when you don’t understand why they live their life that way, or why they have the personality that they do. I think that many of these people that do not have as much money could overcome it if they tried. I think that many times poor people have a set mentality that their life will be like that forever, which they then just accept it because they believe it is too hard to do otherwise.
Growing up I had learned all the different types of racial slurs and “white trash” was one of them. The article defines white trash as “a member of an inferior or underprivileged white social group” and/or poor whites, fake blondes, drunk, racist, fat white people – trailer park types. I guess you can say I define white trash similar to the article but my definition does not go into depth like that. I define white trash as “dirty” white people, but I never joked about it how white people joke around using the term “nigga”. I do not use the term “white trash” because it’s not a phrase in my vocabulary, and I also don’t judge poor/homeless people. Everyone has their different story on how they got to where they are now, and who am I to judge someone that doesn’t have anything? My grandma told me “Never make fun of someone’s situation because that could be you”, and it spoke volume to me because everyone always have so much to say about people that has less than them instead of helping them elevate. Also, what is a better choice for poor people? I can not determine whether or not if they made good or bad choices, because every good choice for one specific person can be a bad choice for another person. I don’t think these people can take “personal responsibility” for being in poverty and having less than others, because it is not their fault. The government and society never cared about poor people, because what can a poor person do to benefit the society? So no I do not think poor people should take “personal responsibility” for the “failure” the government and society created.
People are calling the working class “white trash” that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. I don’t get where they get white trash from when they are talking about the working class… maybe whenever there’s a trailer parks that’s old and all kind of trash around it then you can use the term “white trash”. So what do you call the rich white people ? Is that white trash? I believe white should not be a term or word connected with trash , if Rs trash its trash there should not be race involved !!
Yes, I have used the term”white trash,” due to the term being used commonly as an insult in different ways of media. Also, my friends used this term to joke around with each other. It was never meant to actually insult the individual, but to joke around as all. I personally have never used the term “white trash” to judge someone based on their economic status, but to joke around with friends. Difficult situations happen to everyone, but due to some people’s economic status or their family’s economic status can tell us how well they get out of that situation if they even get out of that situation. You might look at someone who is obviously too poor to afford their own food, and might think get a job, or stop nagging people for their hard earned money and get your own money, but maybe something happened in their past which made them like that, so my thought in this situaution is don’t judge people unless you know exactly what they went through to get there.
I have heard the term “white trash” used in school and around me growing up. I didn’t fully understand what it meant, but I have never laughed at peoples jokes about it. Thinking about it I never used the term “white trash” because I never found a reason to and I don’t feel right saying it. I have never judged the poor. Because I don’t know their life, I don’t know what happened to them and their struggles they had to go through. I don’t believe it is fair to say that “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances” because how do you know what is better choice to make in life? Life is filled with choices you have to make and we don’t know at the moment it will be good or bad. I think it is hard to tell someone to make a “better choice” and they won’t be poor anymore.
1. I found myself laughing at the term “White trash”
2. No i don’t judge people or use the term.
3. Yes think if poor people accepted personal responsibility for failure they would be more successful because I think its a state of mind thing.
4. Looking at your family for example a lot of my family didn’t go to college by me going to college I think I could make a difference and not be struggling like my family. Miles described it as being aware of the relationship between personal experiences and the wider society.
Honestly, I have used the term “white trash” in the past. I do not believe I have ever called someone by that to their face, but I have said it to my friends and/or family about someone. I do not and have not ever used the term, or any other terms commonly associated with poor people, to describe someone because they are poor. I have been poor in my life and just because I was poor did not make me “white trash,” at least to me it didn’t. I may have used the term because of the way someone is acting or because of how they dress or look. I have previously thought to myself that if poor people just simply made better choices, that they would not be poor anymore. Now, in some cases, this can possibly be someone’s solution to poverty, but for the vast majority of poor people, this is, simply put, not as simple as it may seem. In many instances it is not the individual’s fault for their misfortune of being stricken by poverty, and by accepting “personal responsibility” for their “failure,” they are taking responsibility for a fault of the government and society as a whole.
I personally have sometimes thought to myself, “why doesn’t this homeless person go get a job?” but now I realize its hard to judge a person like that when I have never been close to being in their shoes. One would never know what their past has been, wether they had an injury, are mentally ill, or any other life changing scenario. Some people are born into poverty and it is extremely difficult for them to escape it. I do believe that people should eventually go out and find a job. But finding a job may no be as easy as it seems. Some may not have the means or money to dress up for a job interview, or have figures in their life to teach them how to go about and do things to better themselves. Like Dr. Sandra Trappen said in class, One may not be able to just get up and move. This requires a lot of money and what if they fail and lose their job and have nobody to fall back on? After reading this post, I no longer think “get a job”, I now start to think about how lucky I truly am.
I will admit that i have used the term “white Trash” before and it wasn’t because i seen someone who was poor or fat. It was simply because i have seen Caucasian folks walking around drunk and high off of god knows what drugs and i just thought to myself like damn I wish i could do something to help that kid because i know something is going wrong in his or her life and its unfair for the child to grow up in that environment. I use the term not to be assaulting but when i see white people who already have an advantage in this world over any other race just not use their opportunity to be successful, it pisses me off because i could walk into a store and be followed but I’ve literally witnessed a white crackhead steal two iced teas, get caught but still not be followed so yes they are privileged but take the path of being potential white trash it leaves me disappointed. Yes i am half white but still i am not as privileged as 100% white folks.
I am afraid to say I have used the term “white trash”. As the term “white trash” is generally depicted in television and media usually being someone who is fat, living in a trailer, etc. I always used to place people in this category if they fit this perimeter, then I began to ask myself, can they help but be like this? Then I thought, no of course they cant help themselves, they were either born into it or just had something so terrible happen that they were unable to come back from. No one would want to live as poorly as they do. Putting them into the category or white trash does not do them justice, nor does saying that they “should have worked harder”. Hell…I’m sure a majority of them are working damn hard to support kids and help them get educations in order to save them from the life they are living right now. Most poor people cannot help it, don’t just say “try harder, that’s what I did”, because they didn’t have a fruitful upbringing as you may have.
I never judge a poor or homeless person because I do not fully understand what events occurred that lead them to poverty. I have never said “if they made better choices they could overcome their poverty on their own”. There are countless circumstances that could land someone in poverty or even become homeless. There are a lot of things that people living in poverty cannot control and they unfortunately are suffering because of whatever happened to them. However, I have seen people around me make very poor financial decisions. I have seen people close to me constantly spend money on things they do not need and worrying about paying their bills after that. Things such as cigarettes, alcohol, and other things seem to take priority even when they know for a fact that they have bills coming that month. Yes, there are some people that make very poor financial decisions that lead to struggles but there are also a lot of people that did not make poor financial decisions that still find themselves living in poverty. It is a very fine line between people that have carelessly spent their money, and even money they do not have at the time, and people that have found themselves living in poverty and being called “white trash”.
I grew up in a small town where you either left and thrived or stayed and faded away. Before reading this article I hadn’t really given much thought to all of the times I looked at members of my family, or friends and thought to myself “If they are so unhappy, why not change?” It wasn’t until last year when I was moving on my own that I finally understood. Saving money is hard when you make nine dollars an hour and have a list of bills to pay and groceries to buy. Getting a degree is tough when you’re working multiple jobs to support your family. It was hard for me growing up watching my family struggle for money, but what makes it worse is that up until High School I was angry with my parents for not working hard enough to support my siblings and myself. I thought, “If only my mom would get another job, I could get the school supplies I need.” or, “If my mom had bought my sports warmups instead of new shoes for herself, I would be like all of the other girls on my team.” I never once stopped and said to myself, “That is the first pair of new shoes my mom has purchased for herself in over two years.” Multiple times throughout my life I have looked down on others around me for not bettering their lives, but my thoughts have changed since getting older. I still find myself having little thoughts like that every now and again, but as I mature, the way I think does as well.
When asked if I have ever used or laughed at the term “white trash” I was disappointed to realize that I have. But the more I think about it, the situations where I laughed at or used the word “white trash” were when the people who are considered “white trash” are on TV or online for entertainment purpouses. I have never put much thought into this before, but reading this article has made me realize that TV shows like Honey boo boo and Dr. Phil are poking fun at the lower class for the entertainment of the middle and upper class. This is something that should be considered a serious problem, but it slips right under our noses because viewers are not thinking about what the term “white trash” really means and how these shows on TV that are made for our entertainment are really just objectifying lower class americans.
I do not think that if poor people just accept “personal responsibility” for failure they may become more successful because accepting failure is never the positive route out of a situation. There have been loads of people who grew up in not so great family and/or financial situations who have been able to overcome their past and do great things. Their road to success is indeed much harder than someone brought up in a middle or upper class family, but by not accepting their said “failure” they are able to reshape their lives for the better.
Have you ever found yourself laughing at or using the term “white trash?”
Unfortunately I have used the term “white trash” to describe an area of trailer park homes where I grew up. I was accustomed to hearing it, and even hearing the people that would be deemed “white trash” call themselves that. As I grew up I learned the connotation and began to censor my use of the term. Now I admit with my friends, not in public though, we do use that term along with many other non-appropriate terms. I would never use the term directed at someone particularly. Yet, unfortunately a lot of people tend to understand the term more so than when you describe a mobile home area. For example, my girlfriend is from Brazil, and she wanted to purchase a mobile home instead of a condo. Well in Brazil mobile homes do not have the same negative connotation as they do here. She fought me several times in understanding that I did not want to live there. Now, my reasoning was more of a I don’t want another auto loan, and would rather have a mortgage. In addition I drive a rather high priced car and was concerned for its safety in that particular area. It was not until my mother used the term “white trash” and low income, that she actually understood, and then decided it was not somewhere she wanted to live. I will visit my friends that live in mobile homes and I do not judge them or the area, I judge the statistics and crime reports for the safety of my well being and my household. There are a lot of wonderful people that live in trailer park homes, and there are some really nice and spacious homes, but it just wasn’t something for me. I think the reason the term sticks is because it became a stereotype and stereotypes are untouchable in a sense, meaning it is hard to fight them and hard not to fall victim to believing or partaking in them.
My entire life I have been exposed to offensive language, racism and profiling. I attended a middle school that was primarily white, the place where I first heard the words “white trash”. Many of my peers came from stable backgrounds with parents who were raising their children the “right way”. There were students at my school that stood out from the crowd, the rebellious youth that many parents attempted to shield their own children from. These children were labeled by many as the “white trash” kids who came from broken families or families of low income. These children were associated with poor choices, lack of work ethic, lack of education and failure. The most overt example of ostracizing the so called “white trash” came in high school, where one of my teachers quite literally stated “there are no white trash students at this school”. I attended a Christian Brother’s academy in Warwick, Rhode Island, one of the towns that many Rhode Islanders claim is “stuck in the 80s”. Broken down cars are strewn throughout streets, homeless people wander just off the campus, and many drug busts have occurred at the nearby Picasso’s Pizza. Many teachers began calling the city of Warwick a white trash area, changing the perception of the outside world in an attempt to shield us from the area around us. The fact remains that I have grown up in a society that normalizes the words “white trash”. I did not truly understand the brevity of this malicious label until reading this article.
The term “white trash” has a negative connotation in today’s society. I have never personally made fun of a particular person or group of people by calling them “white trash” however, I have most definitely been around someone who has. The phrase has a comical effect in society that takes a group of people who are most likely economically challenged and compares them to garbage. This is absolutely despicable, but people do not normally think of this since society has normalized this expression. Judging others has become a common habit, whether it is just passing on the street or judging people we know. One of the factors we judge people based on is their socioeconomic status and the material items they possess. These items may be as large as homes and cars or simply if they got the new iPhone that just came out. These things do not define a person’s character or moral judgements however, we use these criteria to make opinions on people. Society tends to place blame and fault on people who are economically challenged making them responsible for the life they live. Society tends to ignore the fact that not everything needs someone to blame and sometimes life makes the situations unavoidable. Failure is the stepping stone to success so as long as people living in these conditions are actively working to try and get out of it, there should be no blame or responsibility.
The term white trash is used very commonly. I know that I have used this term before or laughed at someone that said it without thinking. I do not think that I thought about the negative impact that this term has on people who are directly related to the term “white trash” because I honestly never thought of it as serious or the people that it actually effects. I think that if people made better choices in life obviously they would be able to change their social situation but this is hard for everyone especially in the cycle of poverty when you have grown up living a certain way and you are not educated in the ways of saving money or using your money positive things that can change your economic situation. The people that this article talks about are people that have been living in generational poverty, so like everyone in life, they learn everything from their parents including poor financial advice. They live in an area where everyone has similar problems with money that they do and they are used to this way of life so they do not notice that they could make their lives better or they do not know how to change their situation. They know that they are poor but they do not have the higher level of education that they can use to change this and sometimes even though they know that they can make better decisions, this is often not easy when you have a limited amount of money. Sometimes they do not even realize that they are using their money in the wrong way and even if they do this is the way that they have always known so it becomes difficult to change what they have known for their whole life.
In this article the origins of white trash are analyzed. I thought it was interesting how being coined white trash automatically makes you racist. It almost as if it is assumed that not being white trash puts you above racism which in itself isn’t exactly true. It’s also interesting to see divisive patterns in a homogeneous group of people. Those who are white trash are refereed to as “racially contaminated”. This brings forth the idea of self-hate and the fight to separate oneself from the common stereotype. In contrast other racial groups have hard time separating themselves from the stereotypical image.Commonly portrayed in media are usually the negative image of people of color. Though sometimes the media does portray the image of typical white trash it does not really compare to the constant negativity surrounding different communities. There seems to be a rush to fit all Blacks,Latinos and Asians into one stereotypical grouping. In contrast Caucasians do a good job of separating themselves from the stereotype of white trash.
I have definitely heard the term white trash being used in various contexts, but most often with a negative stigma or connotation attached to it. It is not a secret that “white trash” is an insult, given to lower-class, uneducated, trailer-park people. It is hard not to judge someone when you refer to them as trashy, especially because I have never found myself in a similar situation. I am separate from this group of people and so I am not a victim of inferiority. I have developed a sense of sympathy for poor people who are trapped in these difficult situations. I have found that it is fairly easy to fall into bad circumstances, and much more challenging to overcome them. I think accepting personal responsibility is important, but there are many other factors that contribute to the inability to escape poverty. Success can come when an individual takes responsibility not for past decisions that led to the circumstance, but when he or she accepts responsibility to commit to changing future decisions. The manner in which a person confronts adversity has everything to do with the result.
This article hit really close to home for me, as much of my family would more than likely be considered “trailer trash”’ or “white trash” by a large portion of our nation. Although, I’d classify us more as “bootstrappers”. It was incredibly refreshing to see someone standup for a social class that really has no advocate. The fact that people look down so severely on the working class in our society is abhorrent and I am glad to this dynamic begin to change. I did, however, have one small issue with the article. That is that it states that “white trash” have this “deep-seated fear” of people finding out that they come from an impoverished and run down social class. I do understand why some may have this fear, as it may lead to ridicule. Yet, that is not what I was taught to believe and it is certainly not something I have experienced in life. My father always taught me to do the exact opposite. He told me to be proud of who we are and to make sure that everyone knew where we come from. Growing up, my father always called us “a bunch of hillbillies” and it was never meant in a derogatory manner. Instead, it was always rather prideful. He wasn’t ashamed to acknowledge where he had come from because it reminded him of just how far he had come with the whole world telling him he couldn’t. Even in my own personal experiences at Loyola for example, I have never once feared that someone may find out that I didn’t have much growing up for the simple fact that we both ended up in the same place, so why should it matter? This was a thoroughly insightful and refreshing article to read. I truly hope people in our society will begin to stop looking towards social class in order to make personal judgments about people they have never met, but if they don’t, I’ll still be alright.
“White trash” has been very prevalent in my life and the term has been thrown around easily for labeling certain groups of people in public. It’s easy to make fun of others because it makes yourself and or whoever is making the insults more superior. Similar to race, economic status should not define a group of people or an individual. People make fun of and poke at white trash folks because it’s more socially acceptable than making fun of a racial class. However, in my opinion not as server, it’s still uncalled for and unnecessary attacks people are placing onto this economically poorer class. The white working class, despite their domination in nearly everything, feels the need to beat down on their own race to boost their own egos and power. This shows how segregated the privileged white class are to the rest of the world.
The author also mentions how people who escape their embarrassing and poor past, “bootstrappers”, would “punch down” on those who they used to associate with. These bootstrappers, once out of this economic rut, don’t want to associate with these people in any way. I have a personal experience that involved me shifting from one economic status to another, higher one. When I lived in China for the first seven years of my life, I was raised solely by my single mother who worked as a nurse at a hospital. My mom worked hard to make sure she was able to provide everything I needed as child, plus more. The apartment we lived in was next to the hospital in which my mom worked in, which we had gotten for free, paid by the hospital. Since it was only my mother who worked, and me who wasn’t old enough to help out, my mom had to take on shifts whenever they were available at the hospital. My life in China could’ve been less fortunate, but when my mom remarried and we moved to the States, the contrast was very significant. I was given more opportunities that weren’t economically available when I lived in China. I’m not embarrassed by the life I lived in China, but because of that I’m more cautious with how I use money. Also, coming from a lower economic class to the middle class, I feel more appreciative of the things I have now rather than resentment towards my past in which I was “inferior” to my lifestyle now.
I found this article interesting because it really put an emphasis on the
“White trash” is a term that I was always familiar with growing up, especially in terms of what the article called “race mixers” and “petty criminals.” Although this is not a term normally used in my vocabulary, I never really saw this term as that hurtful or anything of that sort. I saw it as people joking around with one another or simply someone with low self-esteem trying to make themselves feel better in any way possible, by trash talking someone else. This has become so acceptable in our society that sometimes it just gets swept under the rug.
It was a little baffling to me that this term, in general, described people to be inferior because they were “racially contaminated.” Although this may be a dramatic takeaway, the first thing I thought of when I read that was Hitler’s obsession over the Aryan race and how all other people were inferior. Thinking of the Holocaust, along with other mass genocides, the slavery of African Americans, etc. really just baffles me as to how we, as a society, still can even have the slightest interpretation that one, single, “pure” race is superior to any other. Obviously, I am not comparing Hitler’s Holocaust to someone using the term “white trash,” but I think that some connections can be made there.
Preceding to this article, I have never questioned the term “white trash”, because it is so commonly exploited in our current society. Being from New Jersey, I am familiar with the phrase “Dirty Jersey,” and the show the “Jersey Shore”, which may or may not have contributed to this saying. Whether on television or across social medias, I believe that people have desensitized the term and rather than it being considered a derogatory term, it is used as the center of jokes. With this being the case, I have not truly come to realize the historical roots of the term and what it actually means. As the article mentions, historically, white trash refers to, “whites who were not adhering to their assigned racist societal roles.” This offensive term places people in a category deeming them as outsiders. This term degrades the living situation of these people and makes their economic status a running joke. This article has opened my eyes to this displeasing concept and how the use of this term is too frequently used in our society.
I found this article particularly interesting when in the beginning it defined the historical context of what white trash really means. I found this interesting because with this knowledge you can see how over time this term has been misused and taken on a different interpretation. For me I truly don’t use this term or hear it that often but only around times like Halloween. I can see how the “boots trappers” mentality could make sense to someone who has experienced poverty and come out of that, but still we no that one can not generalize their situation as the normal for every else’s. I think within race/class there is a sense on competition because of the values we put on these different identities. I also think it is very easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others that share these identities, and we see that across all different races.
Growing up my father always lectured us on how it is never acceptable to call another human being trash. He would always tell us that regardless of their socio-economic status or their behavior they are still human and they deserve respect. The media portrays people like Honey Boo Boo as the stereotypical “white trash”, but I feel as though the issue is more complex. Who are we to decide how other people live their lives? Just because people live in a trailer park and don’t have very much money doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all lazy and trashy. I also found the description of bootstrappers interesting because I feel like those types of people find success and then make it a point to separate or look down on the less fortunate because they don’t want to be reminded of their past. Overall I think that this is a very complex issue.
I never actually reflected on the term , ” white trash.” As a black individual, I always thought of it as internal issues within the white race. Similar to every race, there are internal conflicts that stem from self- hate for other individuals within a specific race. For example, their is colorism within the black community. Many black people praise and value the beauty of lighter tone black people rather than darker black skin tones. However, for the white race their internal race issue seems to be more social and class wealth. People that are classified as “white trash” seem to be to the individuals that are white who do not achieve the ” American Dream”. They don’t live at white picked fence nor have 2.5 children. To me it seems, that “white trash” are people that fit the stereotype of “black people in the ghetto”. The people that have government assistance and that have 6.5 kids, in which they can not financial care for. I believe that every race have internal self-hate due to the standards of society.
I found the author’s definition of “bootstrappers” to be very interesting although I did not completely agree with their perspective. In my own life I know many family members and friends that would initially qualify as “white trash.” They come from backgrounds of poverty and personal obstacles, yet through opportunity and drive they have reached educational and financial levels that would qualify them to be above “white trash.” From personal experience I agree that these individuals do feel that they feel empowered to declare that everyone should be able to overcome disadvantage. I feel that this is a human characteristic, the mindset of believing “If I can do it, you can do it too.” Although this is not a realistic mindset, I have seen it reflected in the ideologies of the bootstrappers I know. I do not agree with the author when they say that these individuals also “punch down” their former social peers who are struggling. From personal perspective I have seen that bootstrappers tend to aid those in their former positions because they understand the struggle on a personal level. They were granted opportunities that promoted their success, therefore they are willing to pass it forward and help others in the same way. While I do not have empirical data to support this, these are observations I have made in my own lifetime. Perhaps I am blessed because the bootstrappers who have a positive outlook on their “white trash” background surround me, but I believe it is important to recognize that these types of individuals exist in this social class.
I’ve used the term “white trash” before, but I wouldn’t identify it as part of my vocabulary. I personally don’t think it carries that much weight, or is that hurtful, because most people use it when referring to a certain mindset or kind of behavior. That being said, I think its a funny term when used correctly in a joke, but what isn’t? A good joke can make anything funny, and I believe that anything is fair game as long as it is done in relatively good taste, and ends up being funny. This word’s usage, however, is not something that I believe people should waste their time over. Regardless, people in lower income brackets still have it hard, even if they don’t have to fight against racial inequality or other types of bias, and they do have to live the reality of poverty. I personally feel like the term refers more to people that behave a certain way, and that if they are poor on top of it, then there is also some sort of behavioral issue. Wealth and poverty do not dictate how one ought to act, and ignorance/low class behavior don’t really have excuses other than lack of education or care.
Reading this article reminded me a lot of the language kids from my high school used to use. Especially prevalent during talk about sports teams, my classmates would make fun of other schools for being “trashy” or the students from other schools for being “white trash”. Admittedly the talk didn’t really phase me at the time, I suppose that because it was so frequently used it became “normal” and I was ignorant to how demeaning it truly was. But looking back on it, and especially after reading this article, I’m shocked and confused at how condescending language weirdly became associated with school pride. The point from this article that resonated the most with me is how “making fun of ‘trailer trash’ is one of the last acceptable forms of bigotry people are permitted to get away with in contemporary American society.” This is sad but true- and as seen in the case of kids from my high school, people take these sorts of jokes to the extreme. I think that people who make such jokes regarding the poor need to stop to realize what their words actually mean, because since it has become such an acceptable part of everyday banter, most are immune to the demeaning nature of their jokes.
I grew up in a rural area. My family and I freely called the sons of my neighbors across the field “white trash”. These boys lived in a small home with their father until his death. They were angry troublemakers who smashed our mailbox on several occasions, despite them having a totally separate driveway and a lack of any real animosity toward them. These boys were different from my best friend, who lived in a trailer home and was very obviously part of the working class. She worked hard and bothered to respect other people. To my family, “white trash” is not a term for the working class or people who live in trailer parks. “White trash” is a title given to white people who act like the world owes them everything. Someone could be worth billions of dollars, but if they acted scummy and their skin was white, then they were “white trash”. I realize that my view of “white trash” is not like that of most Americans, and I have since stopped using the words to define anyone.
All that being said, I also do not believe in the American Dream. I know success and failure in life is largely out of the control of individuals and in the hands of larger corporations and institutions. People cannot help if they get let go because a business can no longer afford to pay a third of its employees. People can’t help if their parents couldn’t afford to send them to college, and thus are required to get minimum wage jobs because higher paying jobs want people with bachelor’s degrees. Maybe that’s just the perspective of a millennial who believes the American Dream was murdered by the baby boomers, but the American Dream is just a dream, and reality is much harsher. Life is not equal or present fair changes.
I don’t think I have ever thought that the vast majority of people who are poor are poor because of their failure to accept personal responsibility for their actions. Like many, I think a person’s environment plays a significant role in the cultivation of their character. Although many of those who are poor were born into their situation, there are many who are poor due to their own decisions. Gaining insight into someone’s mind who is usually labeled as “white trash” was interesting. In the text, the author says, “Such a person may thus be easily aroused to upset whenever anyone attempts to unmask the system of exploitation from which they perceive they narrowly escaped. In the end, they get to be the “hero” of a narrative that they alone contrived.”
When looking at how the idea of white trash has been used in today’s society, it was confusing to understand why we would propel the cash me ousside girl to fame, while also being critical of the way she lives her life. It seems like many today are fine with people like this being celebrated in our youth culture, but still question why people like this live the way they do.
Before reading this article, I have never reflected and really thought about the term “white trash” and what it really means. I was unaware that it has a historical background and the term now has a different meaning. It is interesting to see the evolution of some words and how they change over time.
I think that when the word was starting to evolve in the meaning we know it to be today, an imagined stereotype became associated with the word. This could be a reason why people view it in a negative light and feel that they can laugh about it.
I do not think anyone has the right to judge other people based on their current situation. If you know nothing about their situation and how they got there how can you judge someone when you know nothing about their life? Even though judging people is such a common thing in everyone’s everyday lives, we must be aware of it and attempt to limit the amount of judgments we make and reflect on our thoughts.
I found the way in which Mills portrayed the phrase “white trash” to be spot on with what comes to the minds of many when hearing these words. I, myself, have never used the term to describe anyone in any situation but I find it interesting that people do use this term frequently. Something that came to my mind when first reading the article was that I have seen people actually dress up or “be” white trash as a costume for halloween.This phrase basically generalizes all poor white people to act in the same manner and definitely separates out those white people who fit the standard stereotype of what a white person should be like with those who deviate from this way of life . I also disagree with people who say as long as you work hard and make better life decisions that all your problems disappear. It is mind blowing to me that some people can completely ignore race, gender and socioeconomic status when considering levels of success in this country. I feel this ties in with the idea of “white privilege” where some people do not realize certain privileges that have just been born with. If life was as simple as working hard there would be a lot more rich people in the world and less poor people as our society presents itself with many poor people who work very hard.
Whenever I have heard the term “white trash” it has always had a negative connotation. I never knew the term had a historical meaning. I always thought “white trash” was a way people judged other poor people. The article makes a great a point on how people of this generation view the term “white trash.” Individuals who are labeled “white trash” are seen as sharing the same color skin, but are still considered inferior to those white people who see themselves as the higher middle and upper-class. Trash-talking has become a widely acceptable norm in our society, especially in regards to “trailer trash.” Looking down on and making fun of poor people has increased in popularity and continues to be seen as good comedy. The thing people have to remember is that these individuals that are labeled “white trash” are still human beings and poking fun at them is just rude. I found it interesting when the article talked about “bootstrappers.” This was fascinating to me because it blows my mind to see how people that once lived in low-status conditions and found/fought their way out still tend to look at poor people with judgement and disdain even though they were once in their shoes. It is sad to see that these “bootstrappers” have this aggressive longing to be accepted by society and to gain this acceptance they feel it is necessary to completely cut off their ties to their poor past and look down upon people they once stood by.
Where I grew up “white trash” was simply a trashy white girl, but after reading this article and finding out what it actually meant historically I was very shocked. I would considered the “cash me ousside” girl to be complete white trash, the way she presents herself and just in general the way she carries herself is white trash. I feel the way we perceive “white trash” from social media and online is completely different than what it really is and it can also change from where you are located in the world. For example people from New Jersey might have a different definition of “white trash” than people from somewhere like Missouri. Now while my original perspective of “white trash” is not the exact definition of what it really means, I have never really found myself calling someone “white trash” or “trailer trash” because in my area that is not a widely used term nor is it an area with trailer parks or anything like that.
This article was very interesting to me for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I never actually considered the meaning behind the term “white trash”. As a society, we have accepted that this term is deemed acceptable, while most other terms corresponding to race and social class would be seen as culturally inappropriate. Also, the piece about how the white trash group of people are separated from the rest of the race because they may be phenotypically white, however they don’t act like “the proper white person” stuck out to me. The phrase the author used was that they “weren’t adhering to their assigned racist societal roles.”
It is also interesting how a culture of people has evolved over time, as once corresponding to being the laboring working class, and now their poverty has caused them to lose respect of an entire nation. The lack of respect for these people is actually a truly saddening concept because the despair of these people living in unideal situations has become a running joke. After reading this article, I will definitely be more aware of it’s implications.
When the term “white trash” comes across to my mind, I have always thought about my town. Some people in my town at home would call each other this term either to joke around or to insult people on purpose. Especially in school. The majority people I went to school with from grade school to high school were white people. The family class was all over the place, your family was either wealthy, in the middle, and almost poor. Honestly, I have always thought “white trash” meant that a white person would dress inappropriately, or even had trouble with their education because they are too self-involved with their money. I never really thought it meant to represent or describe the poor. In school or walking around in town, I never would use that term or even say it because my family never taught us to say it or use that word in context. I would never say it in general because I saw how it offended some people in high school and I would hate to hurt someone’s feelings because of just being funny. It’s not funny.
New trends on social media today like the “Cash Me Outside, How Bout Dah” does not even make me laugh. I guess it’s because sometimes it’s hard to make myself laugh about things posted on social media; or it’s probably because I don’t think it’s funny at all. I could never see myself judge someone who is poor because I have never been in their shoes before.
Knowing that poor people are probably trying to make an improvement to their income situation, is not always the resolution. That person could be struggling every day and have gone through plenty hardships in life. They could be trying but sometimes trying to a certain extent is not enough. Sometimes it’s not a poor person’s fault for being poor, they could have had a bump in during their life and struggled to recover. The rich or in fact anyone cannot blame poor people for those type of similar incidents. It’s not like the poor chose to be poor. That’s like saying the poor chose to be called “white trash”. (Which I hope that is not true). Some people who judge the poor are just too ignorant to understand simple logic that there are only a few people out there in life that can control only some much of a certain circumstance with what they can do with so little they have.
As a society people use the term “white trash” when describing or poking fun of the hash lifestyle poor white Americans are plagued with. For someone to speak for another person and simple tell them to take responsibility for there actions is a very grim response to give when people do not know the full story or background of those who they are judging. The virtue of situation awareness and understanding plays a big role in how other view and treat people. Oftentimes people are too quick to judge and end up discriminating others by saying ignorant and offensive statements. The stereotypes and verbal discrimination divide the country a great deal with no real reason behind it. To classify a group of people just because of their economic status does not help society in any way. A perfect example of someone who defied the stereotype is Connie’s Grandmother. She was someone who despite her limits was able to provide for her family as best as possible. People like her should not be associated with the negative stereotype.
I used to watch family guy all of the time when I was younger and I feel guilty saying that I have laughed at the “white trash” jokes. After reading this article and watching the short video clip by Louis C K, I would probably not laugh at those jokes anymore only because I feel that it’s really not okay to diminish someone by referring to them as “white trash”.
It was very interesting to read about how the term “white trash” came to be. In the article, it said that white trash was originally referring “to whites who were not adhering to their assigned racist societal roles”. They could be the “radical republicans, petty criminals, race mixers,” etc. They were considered to be people of different racial types.
I think there are many reasons that these people are poor. I do not think, “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances”. They may have a disability, they may not be eligible to work at certain jobs that pay their rent, and they may have more than one child to pay for. If they made some better choices, it wouldn’t really help them in the long run, it might save them more money but we could even argue, what if these people are making the best choices for their families already. What else can they do if they have these other problems at hand, sometimes people cannot help their financial status and we do not have the right to judge them based off of that. I think that if these people are doing everything they can to better their lives and their children’s lives, then they should not take “personal responsibility” because it is not their fault for the situation they were placed in.
When it comes to the term “white trash,” it was never really thrown around where I was raised. I did however see the media’s portrayal of this “white trash” in television shows and movies. When I heard the term, I could tell someone was wrong about it and it was offensive in some sense but never really got the full grasp of it. While reading through the article it was helpful to see the historical context of how this term came to be. I didn’t know that it was originally used to describe white people who didn’t go along with societal roles of the time. The context of this and how it was transformed into what most people see as “white trash” or “trailer park trash” helped me understand a bit more about how people perceive this class of people.
The article also touches upon how some people think “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances.” In my opinion this is not necessarily true. Making better life choices can help you in some senses but it cannot always help people get to a better set of circumstances. Other factors play into having more success than other people such as knowing the right people and having contacts to assist you in successful ventures. Just making the right decisions can help people get out of their holes a bit, but not entirely. Some people may have a predisposition against the group of “white trash” and may see them as not having the “right stuff.” People don’t purposely put themselves in bad situations, life happens and is sometimes hard to control. Taking “personal responsibility” for their circumstances won’t make anything better because it isn’t always a person’s fault. All in all, just changing actions and accepting responsibility isn’t enough to turn a person’s life around.
I found the paragraph about “bootstrappers” to be incredibly interesting. I’ve heard their stories throughout my life and know that they have influenced me at times. The term reminded me of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, a man who started out with nothing, worked hard and made it big. It speaks to the whole idea of the American dream that if you work hard you will find success, which fails to recognize any of the real struggles many people face that prevent them from achieving this dream.
Before reading this article I, ignorantly, didn’t realize this term was a direct attack on poor white people. I liked that the author included the part about her loving, strong grandmothers who lived in trailers. It made me separate the term from the individual and understand that calling someone white trash is bigotry.
It was interesting to read about how “white trash” is a term that is freely tossed around, and the common use of it shows how looking down on the poor is still socially acceptable today. From my experience, the people who use the term “white trash” usually do know what it is like to be struggling economically, and since they have gotten out of their financial struggles through hard work, they believe that others can too if they worked just as hard. This gives people the false belief that poor people are lazy, do not want to work for their money, and would rather take what they can get from welfare programs.
Although I have worked hard in my life, I definitely have not worked so hard to deserve everything I have. The people who tend to think that poor people can overcome their difficult life circumstances simply by making better life choices are refusing to acknowledge the advantages they have had in life that they take for granted. “White trash” and other terms that make fun of people who are poor put the blame on the individual for being poor, rather than showing poverty as a greater societal issue that we all should be responsible for solving.
I have personally never used the phrase “white trash” when describing a person or a group of people. However, I have heard people use this phrase when describing people who are from the south, and as described in the article, people who live in trailer parks. Another word that comes to mind when talking about people who live in trailer parks, is poor. By looking at pictures or actually trailer homes, it can be seen that people who live there are poor, just because of the size of the homes and sometimes the conditions of the mobile homes. I cannot say that I have been classified as poor, but I think in some way we have all judged people, and said that they were poor and in some way made fun of them for that.
I do not agree with the statement “if poor people simply made better choice, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances”. I think that in some way, the choices that they make, do take into consideration the way that their lives play out. However, in order for most decisions to be made, money is involved. Poor people struggle with money, which becomes a problem, with making certain decision. For example, in order to not be in the “white working class”, you have to have a college degree. But in order to get a college degree, you need to find someway to get into college, and then pay for it. Lastly, some people are born into a poor family, and it can become a struggle to work their way out of this situation.
I believe the answer is NOT as simple at “poor people making better choices to overcome difficult life circumstance”. However, I have heard this opinion voiced by people in my life. While I was never able to explain why some believe this is a practical solution to all sorts of problems, the idea of personal responsibility narratives illustrates the perspective perfectly. These people in my life equate their own struggles to the struggles of all people and groups in financial/social distress. Due to the hard work and pain they went through to achieve security/personal success, they believe that anyone can achieve what they have through their own hard work and pain. This is what they believe because they have not known or experienced anything other than their own way of life. What this personal perspective does not consider, in terms of race gender or economic status, is the quantitative and qualitative opportunities available to each group. It leaves no room for understanding of others situation or strife but simply prescribes “good choices” as the solution to this epidemic of extreme poverty. As a social problem much more complex, the solution must be the same. Sometimes those that hold these opinions in my life are not aware of the privilege to be found in the color of their skin and often times they too are guilty of using words such as “white trash”. The revised phrase in my neighborhood for white trash is “beach rats”. Living in a city, it is difficult to find the stereotypical “trailer park trash” yards, yet the division between the white people of different economic standings still found its way to my home. I believe, that while unavoidable in years past, their is room for education and improvement of the way we view the “trash” people that were discussed in this posting.
It is interesting to consider that the term “white trash” is one of the few remaining derogatory terms that’s still widely accepted as common vernacular. I grew up hearing the term thrown around casually by not only my peers but also by many people who were conscious not to use other derogatory terms (or as Schultz says, wouldn’t dream of telling a racist joke). This gave me the impression that it was an acceptable term and it has taken a great deal of perspective to realize just how demeaning it is. However, the term is still widely used by many people across the board. This passive, neglectful regard for the working class gives the impression that they deserve to be labeled as “white trash” due to the personal responsibility narrative. It’s a reminder that they should have simply transcended their “white trash” status by now. Although society has widely acknowledged the inherent struggle that comes with belonging to other social groups, not many people seem to understand the working class in such ways. Even now, the term “white trash” is a constant commentary on how society thinks the working class should simply be doing better without understanding the hardship that accompanies it.
Having been a big fan of the show South Park years ago, I, admittedly, have found myself laughing at the term “white trash,” or at least at South Park’s portrayal of a very exaggerated stereotypical “white trash/trailer trash” family. I thought it was interesting to add Louis C.K.s bit about how “white trash” people and the term is still broadly inoffensive, even though it deals with both race and social class/image. These are just comedians making jokes, and they are so often patronized for their material, but what comedians say during performances should be taken with a grain of salt, especially if it offends you (most of the time it’s just a joke).
According to the NCPA (National Center for Policy Analysis) there are a few reasons for long-term poverty that could fall under “personal responsibility” category. The empirical data collected showed some major reasons for poverty including: “dropping out of high school, staying single, having children without a spouse, working only part time or not working.” This does not mean that everyone who is poor is guilty of any of these; it’s simply what the data found. So, yes, It’s not right to completely blame “personal responsibility” as their can be other factors that date back to indentured slavery as shown, but to fully negate any “personal responsibly” for poverty of any kind in the US is simply untrue, personal choices have an effect on each individual’s life.
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba428
I grew up around other people of color so jokes or comments about white people were not very frequent. But personally, I have never laughed at or used the term “white trash”. I find the term to be extremely offensive and often characterize poor white people as a monolith which further pushes the narrative of them being another subpar, more inferior type of people. I have not judged poor people because I don’t know how they got to their current position and what they could possibly be doing to improve their situation. Thinking that if poor people made better choices they would overcome their difficult circumstances is not the best mindset to have because it fully blames the person and dismisses the struggles that person may have gone through. Using “personal responsibility” narratives would not be effective in explaining poverty because this concept would ignore the fact that generational poverty is a real factor on how many people may live in poor conditions despite how hard they work.
Personally I have never really found myself in a situation where I was laughing or using the term “white trash”. I think that it is mainly because even though I was never considered to be poor myself, I knew a lot of good people who were. Although the people who were considered to be poor that I knew were African American people; knowing their situations allowed me to understand that the position that people end up is not always their fault. I knew many people that went to high school with me who lived “over the tracks” as many people referred to it, which was the bad part of town where no one wanted to go unless you were from there. I can’t lie at first when I moved to my town when I was little I was afraid to go over to that part of town as well. Eventually as I grew up I began to make friends and I realized that some of the best, most caring people that I knew were from that area and it wasn’t there fault to why they lived there. Some people it was because they were raised by a single parent along with there many other siblings. Meanwhile some people had parents who got caught up in drugs. But I saw a difference in the people that I hung out with because they all wanted to get out of this reoccurring situation. Being attached to people going through these situations made me realize that it’s hard for people to survive in this world. Also that you shouldn’t judge people and their situations because you have no idea what they’ve been through and there reasoning for being there.
I remember when I was younger and heard one of my friends who were white call another person white trash. I thought the term was funny, so I decided to use it at the dinner table. My mom got bug eyed and explained to me that that term is offensive and I should never use it. Now being, older I never use it. I understand that it’s offensive and is kind of similar to the term ghetto. There are negative connotations to this word and if someone is called ghetto it’s coming at their economic status as well as their personality and character, so I decide not to use the term white trash because I know that it’s offensive. I never use the term and I don’t judge poor people because it’s not their fault that they are poor and I can very well be in the same place because it’s more likely that I will be poor in comparison to rich. No, I do not believe that if poor people made better choices that they will simply overcome difficult life circumstances. Some people are poor because it’s generational, many people cannot afford to go to college so they don’t even feel motivated to finish high school. It’s not that they are making bad choices, but it’s because they are hopeless of getting out of the lifestyle that has been in their family for generations.
The way in which Mills portrays “white trash” through her definition of the term is exactly what comes to my mind when I hear someone say either “white trash” or “trailer trash”. These names are often thought of as synonymous to words such as “loser”, “poor”, “hick”, and “uneducated”, to name a few. They are also associated with a group of white people who are not members of the “proper” middle or upper class that white people should, by societal norms, belong to. I thought it was effective to include Connie Schultz’s personal experience with trailer parks, bringing light to the fact that not all people who live in trailer parks fulfill the role of a stereotypical hick. I also thought it very interesting how Mills noted that “white trash” and “trailer trash” are of the few remaining derogatory terms relating to race and social class that are still acceptable to use. She adds, “I have heard many fellow liberals freely toss around the terms ‘white trash’ and ‘trailer trash.’ These are people who would never dream of telling a racist joke, but they think nothing of ridiculing those of lesser economic means.”
Mills strengthened my previous view on the topic and allowed me to relate to and draw my own connections. Having lived in a rural community nearly my entire life, I experienced first hand what many people, including people who lived in my town as well, call “white trash”. Despite being in central New Jersey, many in my hometown thought of themselves as being very “country” and living lifestyles that fulfilled their idea of the term. On the other hand, a good portion of my town lived in middle-class suburban developments. This divide amongst social class was prominent in my school, yet it wasn’t thought of as a problem because it was a group of whites oppressing other whites. Interesting enough, when a group of black students came to my school through a program, the tensions increased dramatically between the “hicks” and black students. Derogatory names directed at the group of new students was taken very seriously, as it should be. However, when the group of students who others identified as “white trash” were called terms such as this, it was not considered a problem.
I think it’s really interesting that those who have wealth view those without wealth as “failures”. It’s like me viewing all college dropouts as failures, when there are so very many reasons why people leave college, such as being unable to pay for all their years or being called to work elsewhere or wishing to take a gap year or whatever.
Some people don’t live in great wealth and yet consider themselves very successful. I’m sure this woman’s grandmothers didn’t think of themselves as failures.
This is definitely classism, I’m not really sure about racism, but that’s okay. In addition, while some individuals do not work hard, some very much do. Some who do not work hard are very successful while others who do work hard do not consider themselves successful. It’s very individual, and how you present yourself as well.
There is always an “other”, though it is sad. People value different things and differences are absolutely good things. Biases from them are natural but can be, via constructive (not aggressive) education, narrowed. Some people will always carry bias, but if you yourself treat everyone proverbially “as you wish to be treated,” then there’s nobody that can call you evil.
“White trash” is a mean label but there are others. Many don’t consider themselves trashy whatsoever. Smaller houses aren’t a failure, especially if you are living happily and considerately of others on a personal and individual level. That’s probably my religion talking, which of course differs creed to creed for each person, but again, our differences are okay and are to be communicated and shared.
These are my thoughts, and if you yourself cease to judge before understanding an individual’s situation, “walking a mile in their shoes”, then I wouldn’t call you or anyone trashy. Labels exist but can go dormant if enough people personally stop utilizing them in a derogatory manner. Also, I don’t personally consider it evil to laugh at some jokes, but that’s me and I’m secure in my situation, while others might not be so comfortable. Call my farm town a whole bunch of cow-huggers, I’ll probably laugh and agree, but others might not. Individually, you just need to be considerate.
The way in which Mills portrays “white trash” through her definition of the term is exactly what comes to my mind when I hear someone say either “white trash” or “trailer trash”. These names are often thought of as synonymous to words such as “loser”, “poor”, “hick”, and “uneducated”, to name a few. They are also associated with a group of white people who are not members of the “proper” middle or upper class that white people should, by societal norms, belong to. I thought it was effective to include Connie Schultz’s personal experience with trailer parks, bringing light to the fact that not all people who live in trailer parks fulfill the role of a stereotypical hick. I also thought it very interesting how Mills noted that “white trash” and “trailer trash” are of the few remaining derogatory terms relating to race and social class that are still acceptable to use. She adds, “I have heard many fellow liberals freely toss around the terms ‘white trash’ and ‘trailer trash.’ These are people who would never dream of telling a racist joke, but they think nothing of ridiculing those of lesser economic means.”
Mills strengthened my previous view on the topic and allowed me to relate to and draw my own connections. Having lived in a rural community nearly my entire life, I experienced first hand what many people, including people who lived in my town as well, call “white trash”. Despite being in central New Jersey, many in my hometown thought of themselves as being very “country” and living lifestyles that fulfilled their idea of the term. On the other hand, a good portion of my town lived in middle-class suburban developments. This divide amongst social class was prominent in my school, yet it wasn’t thought of as a problem because it was a group of whites oppressing other whites. Interesting enough, when a group of black students came to my school through a program, the tensions increased dramatically between the “hicks” and black students. Derogatory names directed at the group of new students was taken very seriously, as it should be. However, when the group of students who others identified as “white trash” were called terms such as this, it was not considered a problem.
I grew up in a small town in Chesterfield, Virginia. There, we had a jumble of every race and financial status, so we had a trailer park down the road. I grew up using the term “white trash” not only on some people that were in the trailer park or at Walmart, but also people who lived in big, beautiful houses who acted like they lived in a trailer park. The people acted this way by being unmannerly and destructive (most of the people I saw like this went to my school). I never really thought about how demeaning this word can be because everyone used it where I was from on a regular basis. Now, looking back I can see why it can be so offensive and a wrong part on my judgement. There are unmannerly people in every class and I should respect their own judgments instead of saying they are the “lesser” of the white class based upon how they present themselves.
I absolutely used the term “white trash” in my younger years of life. I have discontinued using this term, however, my family still uses it on a daily basis. Where I come from, there seems to be a huge wage gap; some of the richest people in MD, and maybe some of the poorest as well. These people in my town, have always been referred to as white trash. Even if one of the kids in a family deemed “white trash” is different and not bigoted, they are still considered “white trash” simply because of the family they came from.
I don’t personally agree with the idea of everyone who uses the term doing so to mask the fact that they were of the poorer community at one point in their lives. However, I do agree with the idea of people using this term in order to distinguish themselves from others who they believe are “lesser than” or “not up to standards” of the image that the middle-upper classes want to be perceived as. Personally, I come from an immigrant family. My mother’s side has never had money, and my dad’s parents immigrated to America for Italy. My dad was the only one of his siblings born in America, so they are a family who knows what low income, discrimination, and out casting is like. My dad worked as a mechanic at a car dealership out of high school, and throughout his life, worked his way up to his current position of owner of the dealership. I can see why some may think that my family uses this term to cover up the fact that my family’s history deals with extreme low income. However, I would disagree with this point because my dad is very open about his past, and never lets my siblings and I forget where he came from, and how he came to success.
I also used to think that poor people were just not making the right choices in their lives. As I said before, my family still believes this, but I have become more educated on such topics, and have advocated for people in financial struggles. Whenever my family comes to Baltimore or talks about it (or other places that have visible impoverished people/families), they talk about the lazy people who need to make the right choices, stop using all of their money on drugs and alcohol etc. I have since the beginning of my college career tried to explain how the fate of these people is not due to their personal responsibility for their failure, but I find that most people just ignore me. I am not sure how else to explain to others how they need to have empathy for others, and listen to their experiences rather than judging everyone for what they see and think they know about a person.
I can’t say that I have ever used the term “white trash” in conversation with another person. The term, to me, serves no purpose because I don’t exactly see the reasoning in using such a specific word. It is combining a race as well as a social class, and the need to use the two in the same word is completely unnecessary. People often do not take care in the words that they say, and instead speak without thinking of consequence or reaction. As a result, we begin to say things that are unnecessary and hurtful to certain groups and people. The only pet peeve that I have is when individuals do not have the utmost respect for every single person around them. I can look you straight in the face and tell you that I have treated every single person I have ever met with respect until they perform an action that warrants the removal of that respect. It is a rehashed phrase, but you never know the background people come from. If someone is going through poverty, that shouldn’t be what defines them. People should be defined by their values and their will, not by what they wear or how they look visually. I am still surprised to this day how people can apply such harsh stereotypes to people before they even meet them. Of course joking around or jesting with someone is all good fun for everyone, but at the end of the day everyone deserves a chance to show the real colors that they have inside of them.
When the portrayal of a “white trash” person strikes my mind, I typically think of rednecks and trailer park neighborhoods as the article further explains. The story behind the evidence contradicting these statements appealed to my emotions. Such stereotypes almost don’t allow for the typical person to believe that an older woman living in a trailer park goes to church, helps people, or even has decent morals for that matter. This is all because our society deems this woman as a failure because of where she lives, almost as if her identity is equal to trash. It is crazy to think that our society, judging by skin color, can be so idolized. We are taught that if you are white, you are either a racist, or privileged, or you are ‘trailer trash’. Why is there no in-between? Looking down on poor people who simply cannot afford to live in better conditions should be something our society can change, which is summarized in the video by stand-up comedian Louis C.K. As for the whole Palin-Trump situation, with Sarah Palin naming these people living in poverty as ‘trailer park folk’ to the media, this just sends a false message to America that insulting them is okay. I must admit that I have use the term ‘white trash’ before, and now realize how wrong it really is.
I don’t agree with the way people use the term white trash today. Too many people seem to throw it around like the article said as a way to insult poor people or people whom we think lesser than us. Some people are just at a disadvantage and some of the people that this term is aimed at are extremely hard workers, we just seem to use it as a way to label people who aren’t as wealthy as us. I never knew about the way that the term was started or what it actually meant before and its a weird thing to see how much the meaning of it can change over time and be manipulated into such a derogatory slang term.
It’s unfortunate that each group has its “other”. It seems as if people grouped under the term, white trash, get the least amount of empathy. Most people do not want to understand where they are coming from. Some part of this notion has to do with race. Some people think that because they are white, they have privileges. As a result, they should have less of a struggle to get out of their socioeconomic status.
The usage of the term “white trash” is perceived as an acceptable slang to use in public partially because of the race the term targets. In some twisted sense, people feel that because the whites used derogatory terms towards other races, it is okay to do the same towards the white working class and it would not be looked down upon. Yet, this is being racist as well.
After reading this article, watching the video, and understanding the concept of “white trash”, I have to admit that I have frequently used the term. The idea that this term has been acceptable in society because of the lack of confrontation it causes is completely true. I never realized the insensitivity, or disrespect I’m showing by using this term until I understood this article. Who am I to call the people who are struggling financially, in low income areas, trash because of where they live or the way they talk? I am lucky enough to say that I am from a nice area in the suburbs of Philadelphia and although my family has had their share of hard times financially, I never considered that calling someone white trash because of their financial situation is degrading until now. These people are no different then me. They are the same race and could have even been raised in better conditions but hit specific obstacles that prevented them from continuing to live in those conditions. This article has definitely made me rethink using the term “White Trash” and has also encouraged me to remind others who use this term, that this is a form of racism.
Growing up in a rural community has definitely opened my eyes to the concept of “white trash”. I lived in a small town “in the middle of nowhere”, also referred to as a “hick” town. As you moved further away from the center of my town, there were trailer parks where some peopled assumed that poor, trashy people had lived there. Unfortunately, I do remember when I was younger, joking around with kids in my class about trailer parks and calling each other “hicks”. Now as l look back on all the jokes that were made, I’m disappointed in myself. It wasn’t right for me to judge others, even if it was just a joke. One of the most popular jokes that is still current are the people who shop at Walmart. As a grew up, I remember people saying that only “white trash” shopped there or “have you seen what those people look like”. Walmart has the perpetual stigma of serving the “white trash” community. Just because someone may have a lower income or live in a trailer park, does not make them “white trash”.
“White Trash” has become synonymous with the working white class who wear ripped clothing, are racist, and isolate themselves from society. Before reading this article I did not know that originally the term white trash was used to refer to lower white class people who associated with people of other racists. To think that now the term refers to white racists, I believe shows a drastic culture shift. Although our society is no where near perfect we have come a long way. Society has begun to shift to where it looks down upon those who do not accept everyone in society. Although this is a contradictory statement it shows that society has become more excepting of everyone despite their differences. In no way is society perfect, but I believe that the shift is a movement towards a moe inclusive environment.
The bigotry of any group is not good, but I think that the reason the ridicule of the so called “white trash” is because again society is yearning to be more inclusive; therefore, alienating itself from people who do not want to accept new culture. The ridicule of any group of people in general should not be tolerated even if it is of a group who doesn’t tolerate others
White Trash as a label has changed throughout the United States from a negative term about progressive whites to a degrading term about poor whites. I have had many moments of laughter about the term white trash, especially when comedians use it in their skits or shows. My mind does not discern making fun of today’s white trash as atrocious as from making fun of poor blacks. In reality, the two should have an equal level of harassment. Today’s society brushes aside attacking poor whites since society believes that racial tensions against minorities and whites do not match. I have used the term white trash as a characterization for those whites that do not embrace progressive societal norms. When I use that term, the situation of their financial status does not come to my mind. I just think about their views and I do not see money as having an impact on those views. I think if poor people accepted that their situation results from structural problems and their own choices then they could possibly have more success. Acknowledging that the financial problems stem from their choices and the government’s failure will lead to more success. Escaping financial problems remains a difficult task for those who do not have the opportunities to get out of their communities through education and other means. Some level of personal responsibility should have weight on one’s success but I believe that other factors such as government, tradition, and family impact one’s personal responsibility to succeed.
As a couple of people below have posted, I too have never heard the term of “white trash” be defined in this particular manner, instead people have used “trailer trash”. I’ve never found myself laughing at the term “white trash” because often when others are trying to be funny in regards to it, they dress a certain way trying to make the way some people live into a humorous joke and it’s not really funny. I have, when I was younger made the assumption that if the poor made better choices, they could overcome their life circumstances. I say younger because that was when I was not completely educated on the topic and made a snap judgement. Now I have learned not to judge anyone that quickly. I try to put myself in their situation to gain an understanding of the lives they lead. Perhaps they are making the best choices then can possibly make and doing what they can with their situation. We cannot simply assume this or that in regards to their lifestyles. Sadly, some people cannot take a moment to try and grasp that maybe they are doing their best with what they have. People who can’t imagine what it’s like to be poor use “white trash” in a belittling way which is wrong. These people are the ones who assume that if poor people wanted to be rich they should work harder, and study harder so you can be do better in life. My one question would be, do the rich think that the poor want to be poor? It shows how uneducated the rich educated folks are. They do not understand the simple reasoning that some people can only control so much of their situation and do what they can with what they have.
Prior to reading this article, I never questioned the term, “white trash” because of its common use in the media and everyday conversations. Unfortunately, I believe our generation has become desensitized to the term because it has never been questioned. There are countless television shows, movies and song lyrics that portray those who are considered, “white trash,” in a negative and comical light. As a result, the upper class views the working class as a lesser group and the gap between these socioeconomic classes continues to grow. It is illustrated in the example of the two grandmother’s from Ashtabula, that not all working class individuals are what the media portrays them to be. Correspondingly, they should not be categorized as an inferior group. Despite this belief, individuals persistantly look down upon those who are not apart of the “proper middle and upper class tribes.” The article states that liberals who would never dream of making a racist comment are guilty of repeatedly using the term, “white trash.” Many individuals do not realize that the term is just as offensive to a working class individual as a racial slur is to a person of a different race or ethnicity. Therefore, it would be most beneficial for society to challenge and negate the use of the term “white trash,” as no individual should be made to feel subsidiary because of their socioeconomic status.
I have used the term white trash before when stereotyping a group of people who seem like they are fine with living in trailer parks and going about their certain way of life. I don’t believe that the term is appropriate given that it can be pretty offensive and brings race into things. If an individual or family enjoys living the way they do regardless of it is the way you would like to live your life, I don’t think the term “white trash” is a name people should be called. I do often times think that if one who is poor simply works hard that they will get out of their poor life style and start to become successful, but I know that is not always the case. I believe in some scenarios people work extremely hard to get out of where they are from and become very successful. Athletes are a prime example of this. Many athletes tell stories about how their upbringings were very tough times and that they came from a very poverty stricken family but still grew up to be successful due to their talents and hard work. Another example is that many kids use school as their way out and get very good grades to get into a good college and get a good job in the future that will help them reach success. Not all humans have athletic talent or academic talent to get them into good schools which could be a pathway out. I know that others might have more connections or resources and have an easy way out and in some cases people are born into very tough situations that make any path to success nearly impossible. Overall, I feel that recognition that you are in an unideal situation combined with hard work and determination to make your life better can help many people be successful.
The misconception about who is considered “white trash”, was described well in the article. Many see white trash as radical republicans living in trailer parks, who are looked down upon by the rest of society. The story about the young girl and her grandmother seek to counter that argument. It shows that some people who are put into that category are gravely mistreated and are not felt sorry for. The grandmother living in a trailer seemed like a loving woman who would do anything she could for the betterment of her grandchildren. Although she did not have much to give, she made sure to make her grandchildren feel special. As we have discussed in class that it is very difficult in today’s day and age to come out of the social situation that one has grown up in. This shed light on the fact that it is unfortunate that good people are put into economical situations that they cannot get out of and that they try to make the best of their situations. It is wrong for society to look upon those who need help with such disdain. As Louie C.K. pointed out in his comedy skit, no one feels sorry for these people, even if there are good, hardworking American’s in an unfortunate situation
I find two things about this article to be extremely ironic, the origin of the term “white trash” being the first. In the article it states that “white trash” people were the ones “not adhering to their assigned racist societal roles,” a.k.a. not necessarily following society’s guidelines as to who they should associate with and what they should look like. Nowadays the term is used to describe poor people, previously called “mixers,” characterized as dirty, racist and ill-mannered humans. Internet memes and videos further portray these people as using the N-word and chanting “build the wall” while driving pick up trucks and wearing camo in their trailer park communities.
The second piece I find amusing is the “liberal” people using this term today don’t see a problem with it. Commonly one hears liberals taking pride in their open-mindedness and anti-racist attitudes but this proves to be true only in regards to races other than their own. White people have no problem belittling lower class white people, but when it comes to the Latino or African-American population it is downright offensive. Claiming it is “their fault they are poor” and that “they should have made smarter financial decisions” is in the author and my own opinion an excuse to cover up personal insecurity. The pride of making it as far as they have and fear of falling back down terrorizes these people into downgrading their peers. The psychological balance of who is able to be poor and who should be minimized seems to be based on a non-colorblind system, when in fact it is being enforced, whether purposefully or not, by individuals who claim to be color blind.
Based on my own experiences, and what looks like the experiences of some of the other people making posts, I think it is safe to say that one person’s idea of “white trash” changes based on their socioeconomic status. Growing up in the upper-middle class bubble of Howard County Maryland, people generally used the term “white trash” to describe ill mannered white people. For example, someone who was not dressed appropriately at a certain social occasion. The accused “white trash” likely had just as much money as the accuser, but because of their antisocial behavior, they were labeled. It wasn’t until I found myself in a dark basement rented by a father and son that my understanding of the phrase changed. I was working for a mobile psychiatrist in Baltimore County when my advisor warned me not to touch anything when visiting this man. Aside from being filthy, the way that this father and son spoke to each other was somewhat appalling. Even worse was the way they looked at me. In that moment, I gathered that this is what most people meant when they said “white trash.” I was wondering why I had never thought this way before. Was it because I was just generally unaware that some people lived this way? Or, was I simply taking part in the punching down phenomena? Perhaps maybe even a bit of both. I consider myself to be a very non judgmental person, but I cannot deny I don’t make these judgements on people. Reading this article has made me more cognizant about these judgements, and how they are from a place of privilege and entitlement. I think it is time I start making a more conscious effort to step off my pedestal, and rethink my attitude towards the “white trash” label.
“White Trash” is a term that I often hear from my hometown. Not because there are “White Trash” in my town, but heard it in terms of making fun of them. It is interesting to see how white people make fun of their own race by disassociating themselves with what we call “White Trash”. It’s almost like “white trash” is not even part of white race group. I wasn’t born in the U.S, but I still heard the term “White Trash” multiple times. That’s how frequently people use the term and make fun of them. When we think of “White Trash”, we often imagine uneducated, overweight person who goes to Wal-Mart. Although this might not be true at all.
It’s fascinating to see how “White Trash” are more likely to vote for Trump than anyone else. Trump is not afraid to say what’s in his mind. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. He is not afraid to call out specific race if he thinks they are causing problems. “White Trash” people love Trump for that reason. They are labeled as “uneducated” people and can also be said that they are “racist”. What Trump says is very appealing to “White Trash” because it sounds right.
Although they might be poor, we shouldn’t be so quick to judge them. We don’t know their background, we don’t know anything about them and how they got there. We often try to judge people way too often, but we should be trying to understand them. Instead of judging what we consider as “White Trash”, we should find a way to help them out.
The term “white trash” refers to poor white people who are “not members of ‘proper’ middle and upper class tribes.” Essentially, this derogatory term recognizes the “other” in the white class. Prior to reading this post, I have honestly associated the term with racists, trailer park residents, and TV personalities similar to Honey Boo Boo. I have frequently used the term in conversations with friends, but never put deep thought into the meaning or meant it to be hateful.
Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, a majority is hard working families who moved to America to earn high-paying jobs and send their children to prestigious colleges. If families are not “Asian”, they are most likely white families who have lived in Princeton all their lives or come from wealthy families. As a result, my friends and I unintentionally associate ourselves as “bootstrappers” since we watched our families work hard to overcome disadvantage. We find it easy to believe that if poor people made better choices, they would be more successful. I realize that it is easier said than done, and “mocking them won’t bring us closer to understanding them.”
I have never used the term “white trash” before, but that is because I am a person of color. To me, it seemed wrong because of how my race has been so degraded. I have heard the term used by other white people, but I never understood how they could use this term so freely against their own kind. It’s like black people calling others the “n-word,” and meaning it. Unfortunately, this term is used in the black community, but it has been shaped into a term of endearment, which still is not something I condone. What I really don’t understand is if everyone is working, why there needs to be a separation between who labors, and who earns. I know there are white color and blue color workers, but we are all working. The term “white trash” is not one that inflicts pain even to me, a person who is not white. I have never liked when a person is degraded just because of their path of life. Reading this article only reenforced an idea that I have always had: we all still have a lot to learn about each other.
As I began reading this article, I tried remembering a time where I have found myself using this term. Luckily, I never used this word in the way that this article explains how people have been using them in society today. They would use this word to describe poor whites who are struggling financially or even to describe whites who were historically being racist. In the end, by using the term “White Trash”, I am only helping by putting a label on those who are struggling in the world today. Something I could relate because my family has personally struggled in many ways, and I am grateful to have made it to where I am today. As I grew up through the years, I began to not use any derogatory term because I know what it would feel like going through a time of financial difficulty.
In the end we live in a society where it labels certain types of people, and I personally think any bigotry is small or big is still hurtful to someone. When the comedian makes comments like, “I love calling people white trash!” I personally disagree only because he is promoting people to label other people. He might be doing it for entertainment but there is someone who is hurting as he is making those comments.
I find myself agreeing with the quote “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances”. I tend to steryeotype scenarios with the mindset “well if he could break they cycle why cant everyone else”. Perhaps the best example I can think of is professional athletes. In several cases, many football players and basketball players who have gone pro, speak of coming from a poor family, where sports got them out of the ghettos. These situations were proof to me, if you pick something, and dedicate yourself to that, in this case, sports, opportunity will come. However I don’t neccesarily restrict this to just sports. Those who don’t have athletic talents still have the ability, in my opinion, to re-create themselves, and create success. A non-athletic example would be inventors. While getting a product off the ground may take funds, thinking and brainstorming, are free. Taking a bigger step back, some people lack resources of any kind, making it diffucult to work hard and create wealth. However, some people are ok living how they do. The article talks about two grandmothers who live in conditions charecterized as, “white trash”, a trailer home. While some may aspire to move out of a trailer home, others may find it a sufficent manner to live, as not everyone needs three story homes with 4 bedrooms.
We too often buy into the notion of the “American Dream.” Far too many politicians and citizens continue to believe that hard work alone makes it possible to rise from poverty and be successful. What this view fails to recognize though is that if we don’t all start in the same place, finishing in the same place doesn’t often come down to simply a matter of difference between work ethic. The rhetoric surrounding the white working class perpetuates the false notion that it is simply a matter of work ethic, and to begin to solve the problem, we also must alter the rhetoric. By accepting the way in which the white working class is currently discussed, we fail to recognize that it is a social problem and that their position is in part, at least, a result of our social and capitalistic system that makes it incredibly difficult to change their social class. The negative language toward the white working class creates negative stereotypes and encourages harboring these stereotypes, which then leads to a majority of our society believing that these are in fact true. When even politicians harbor these beliefs, it is impossible to effect change because no one is seeing this beyond an individual problem that only they can work to change. There is certainly a lack of understanding between the white working class and the disconnect is apparent in the language surrounding the issue of poor whites, and by continuing to encourage the negative language, we fail to attempt to understand their situation and to ever change it.
Unfortunately, I grew up believing these same stereotypes and hearing the same terms be used to describe the white working class. My high school was 99% white and mostly wealthy, so being given the advantage of being placed in a fairly well-off social class, generally my classmates and I also lacked the understanding, believing that personal responsibility was to blame for their poverty. Sociology has certainly opened my eyes to the way our class system is set up that proves difficult for people to rise out of poverty. While I never used the derogatory terms myself, I often accepted them being said because I had never been forced to recognize anything differently. I believe I have a better understanding of the reproduction of class and I no longer believe that personal responsibility is the factor that has caused poverty. Obviously there are exceptions, but I don’t generalize the entire class believing that hard work alone can pull them up from poverty. It is important to recognize the barriers the working class faces and that because our class mobility is incredibly low, we must look inwardly into our own political, economic, and social systems that have made it so difficult.
As someone who has grown up quite weathly, and has never been in a situation, at least economically, where I have had to “pull myself up by my bootstraps.” Because of this, I am certainly not the most qualified person to be discussing the socioeconomic situation these people face, but I will try. As someone who is apart of the northeast corridor, one which harbors the majority of wealthier Americans, I find that many of the media outlets I watch, certainly concerning politics, often utilize the term “white trash.” I prefer to use the term “redneck” as I have a tough time calling any group of population outright trash, though to be fair, the context of the term remains the same. In addition, as someone born into a fair amount of wealth, I have been able to better recognize the opportunities afforded to me by blind luck-simply by being born into a wealthy family. Because of this, I know that while personal responsibility, and the choices one makes, are certainly a large part of determining one’s outcome in life, the birth lottery plays nearly as big a role. Almost all people born into wealth stay wealthy their whole lives, and people born into poverty stay impoverished their whole lives. This is no mistake, it is by design. And frankly, I think more people than not realize this actually, and want to keep it this way, because those born into wealth could then easily be outmatched by impoverished people in terms of ability, and those same wealthy people become impoverished themselves.
To be honest, there have been times when I would laugh at a comedian’s joke about “white trash,” which is probably wrong, but I have personally never used the term; I find it extremely cruel. In all racial groups there are the wealthy, the poor, and the people in between (middle-class). People have the right to chose the way they live their lives, and the quality of life depend on people’s ability. Some face more obstacles than others. Some are happy with their living conditions, and others who aren’t should work to get themselves out of that situation, instead of blaming the world. Basically, I see every white person as “white,” every black person as “black,” and so on; there’s simply just economic differences and that shouldn’t be a basis of judgement in society. I don’t believe that if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances. But I don’t believe that they (poor people) should be angry with the world because of their own conditions. Don’t sulk.
First off, I really enjoy the fact that Mills starts off her piece with talking about her grandmother and great grandmother. Both of these woman lived in trailer homes but seem like they were some great women. It is always smart to give the group of people that you are defending a name and a face because it is much harder to be prejudice about a group of people when you know about virtuous people from that group. It is much harder to call someone trash when you know they most certainly are much more than that. I had never really thought about how terrible it is to call a human being trash. “White trash” is a very commonly used term, and I believe people do not think of it as being very offensive because whites are the majority in the United States. I have used this term many times in my life, and maybe I thought it was okay because I am white. That being said, I am not poor, and I would not be considered to be in their group. Not that I believe it to be okay to use prejudice terms even if it is against your own group but it is certainly more permissible. Another reason it is easy for wealthy people to use this term is because when they use the term, they are restating that they are not a part of that group.
I have found myself thinking that these people deserve what they have because they are lazy. Obviously, this is not true and maybe I wanted to believe it to be true so I did not feel bad about not helping them. I will never know how hard it is to become wealthy when coming from a poor family. There are cases where people do get out of poor areas, but these people have to work much harder than I will ever have to work. The world is not perfect and not everyone can be rich, but we should do what we can to make it easier for people who want to work to be able to work.
The article started out discussing how today we define the term white trash.This was surprising to me because I had never seen the term formally defined, instead I saw it as a general term when a white person does something that you don’t approve of. As I reread the definition I realized that everyone else seems to define it in the same was as I do. What I found most interesting about this article were two sections, first the “white trash loser” and second “punching down the class ladder”. In the White trash loser, the author says that making fun of trailer trash is one of the last acceptable forms of bigotry people can get away with in society. Making fun of anyone is terrible but for white people to make fun of other white people in order to disassociate themselves from them is unnecessary. For one its not a nice thing to say and two, isn’t it already obvious through appearance or actions what social group you belong to? So why would you need to criticize or trash talk them if you can separate yourself in other ways.
This brings me to the next section I found interesting, “punching downt he class ladder”. Here the author talks about how people who used to be disadvantaged and part of this low social class but no longer are, are “punching down” on those that they left behind. Shouldn’t they speak out, telling everyone that they are people just like you and me. Well yes they should but they don’t, instead they turn their back on their “people” and are even harder on them than the rest of the world is. These people who made it out of that social class know just how hard it is to do so and probably appreciate every ltitle bit of help they got along the way. If I were them I would want to help give others that opportunity as well. Its like in middle school when you finally get to hang out with the popular girls and your friends who were always there for you no longer exist. Why do we do this? The author says that we are scared of going back to that time in their life, so scared that they do everything in their power to make sure no one knows it happened and that they never end up there again. I have never been in this postion but it would be more beneficial for everyone if we lent a helping hand instead of putting them down even more.
I always used to believe that if poor people simply made better choices then they would end up in a better place with a better life. From taking this class and just maturing in general all mixed together with reading this article I realized that it is not always that easy to just get out of being considered poor, or in this article’s case living in a trailer park. People just think if they tried hard in school to get into a good college, do good in college, then get a good job, move out of the trailer park ,and start a new life for themselves so to speak. It’s easy for you and I to say that because we have support from family and friends our whole life and we have also had a chance to watch people that are close to us go through this process, making the process for us a little easier. They do not have any support and they are constantly surrounded by people who have been living in trailer parks there whole lives so they don’t really have any incentives to move out because in the end most of them honestly don’t know any better.
The people who can help them are the people that have grown up in trailer parks and made something of themselves and now have good jobs and a family that they can support. As we read in the article these people who can help don’t. Once they get out of the trailer park then they make fun of those people saying that they didn’t work hard to get out like they did and they say that they need to help themselves no one else can do it for them. Going back to one of the other discussion question asking if you have ever laughed at someone or called them white trash. I have found my self doing this before when I am driving and pass towns that are like this. After reading this article and seeing what they go through i will not make fun of them anymore. I have always believe if they wanted to get out but they could but i now realize its a lot easier said then done.
Our society always finds necessity in putting labels on people. We generalize groups of people so we are able to categorize them according to our biases. We categorize people in order to assume their level of intelligence, their work ethic, and blame them for being different than us. We as a society label people as white trash to justify our assumptions of their economic status, and degrade them for not working as hard as we worked to become successful. Society is in a constant state of “other-ing” as if there is one golden standard of human.
I especially liked Shultz’ description that “mocking them will never bring us closer to understanding them, but it surely will reveal us, and we will not benefit from the exposure.” I completely agree with this statement. People tend to mock rather than try to understand and tend to judge rather than have empathy, and I think that is what causes all of the tension between groups. Louis C.K. discussed the idea of people yourself in another person’s shoes and how rich people seldom do that. I think if they were to do this, there would be no need to “other”. In addition, when referring to the notion of punching down, I also completely agreed with Shultz when she stated that lashing out says more about you than it does about the person you are attacking. By lashing out on groups of people, you are not going to change their attitudes or behaviors. Your only accomplishment will be changing how others view you.
Some white people are known for their biases and their use of stereotypes against people who are different from them, whether that be due to their race, religion, gender, and so on. It is a shocking concept that people of their own race and religion are also susceptible to bias strictly based on their economic standings. It seems as though nobody is immune to discrimination and hate based on such trivial matters. Overall, I enjoyed this piece and believe the idea of “other-ing” is an important issue that needs to be addressed.
I have used the term white trash in the past, but I never used it in the way that the article describes. I have heard plenty of people use the term to refer to “rednecks” that live in the south or Midwest. I’ve used it in terms of other people living in New Jersey. I used it the way that the Jersey Shore cast created it, to describe the people that labeled New Jersey as “dirty jersey”. I’m not proud of ever having used the phrase, but, as the video said, it’s the only discriminatory word that one can use without being racist, so it came naturally. I’ve heard people use it in a much worse way, and got disgusted each time, so I stopped using it. I do make judgements of poor people on sight, but I always wait to meet someone before I actually make a decision about them. I feel bad for poor people, having grown up with a comfortable, middle class lifestyle. I am not disgusted by poor people; I want to help them. I have definitely thought that if people just put their minds to something, they can achieve it. I believed this because my parents went from growing up in three room apartments with their many siblings to owning their own house in a very affluent neighborhood. However, I now know that what I once believed was driven by ignorance. I never realized the barriers that some people naturally have in front of the, most of which cannot be overcome. Poor people need help to overcome their unfortunate birth positions, and the rich people can help them. But there is a cache. Poor people need to want to be helped; they cannot be helped if they are not willing to accept it. Pride is the hamartia of the majority of humans, especially the people who only have their pride. That pride often hinders one’s mobility because they are not willing to admit that they need help from those above them.
Do you really think it is pride and not embarassment? Or maybe fear of being judged…fear that someone might think they are not trying/working hard enough and not accepting “personal responsibility” for their situation?
Prior to reading this article I never thought of the term “white trash” or “trailer trash” as a derogatory term. It is not that I thought of it as a nice term but I never gave it that high of a placement as a bad word. Recently in my hometown three twenty year olds murdered another twenty year old in a drug related incident. One of the murderers was in my class growing up. When the news released the information about the accused my mom recognized the name. She then called me to ask if I had known him and the first things out of my mouth was “Yeah he was a trailer trash” to which my mother respond, “Oh okay”. This group has proven to be a problem in the community and in school settings so when I said it my mother gave the reaction I expected. As it was not the nicest term to use but those that live within this development have gained a bad reputation and thus gained the name “trailer trash”. It is not like the story described in the article where the people have downsized and lived respectable lives and are being called “trailer trash”. Regardless it should not matter whether a person lives in a mansion or box on the side of the street everyone deserves respect and society should not be categorizing those that live in a trailer into a group of less worthy. I am clearly guilty of doing this within society but after reflecting I understand this is not a term that should be used lightly and realize one need to think more of the impact of using certain words.
I find it interesting that the people who are considered “white trash” were called this because they are “racially contaminated.” It is sad that even though they share the same race as the majority they are considered to a be “racially othered.” I think the term “white trash” is interesting because just like the comedian Louis C.K. said it is a term that most people don’t get offended about. It is thrown around in our language just because it can be. Using the term white trash is a cultural thing. I think it is a cultural thing because most blacks are always looked at as if they don’t have money or can’t afford anything and it is interesting to see someone who is of the “dominate race” placed in a lower class then you. I use to live in one of the roughest cities in Philadelphia, but the thing about it was that it was heavily populated with white’s who had low-income statuses. I was always treated bad by some of them because they still believed that they were better than me and had more money than my parents, but for me none of that mattered. It was a constant battle between who is wealthier, but we were all in the same boat.
I don’t believe it is fair to say that “if poor people simply made better choices, they could simply overcome their difficult life circumstances” because how do you know what is a better choice to make in your life? Life is filled with decisions and problem solving and I think that it is hard to tell someone to make a “better choice” and they won’t be poor anymore.
I don’t think that accepting “personal responsibility” will make any poor person more successful. I say this because it is very hard for a person to jump up the socio-economic ladder (not impossible). I feel as though many poor people have faced economic struggle for a long time and as C.K. Louis puts it, “poor people have always dreamt of being rich but rich people don’t dream of being poor”. Poor people fanaticize about all of the amazing things that they could do with a million dollars but rich people don’t understand. Rich people( in this context anyone who is middle or upper class) don’t understand what it is like to not have enough money to move, to work a million jobs in order to pay for their basic needs, and what it is like to struggle to put food on the table. Thus, rich people believe that poor people must try to change their situation.
We should also remember h money to move, to work a million jobs in order to pay for their basic needs, and what it is like to struggle to put food on the table. Thus, rich people believe that poor people must try to change their situation. However, some poor people as presented in Connie Shultz story, are happy. When she speaks about visiting her Grandmother’s trailer she does not speak of it with disgust or negativity. Rather, she states that she happy there.
I think that instead of making fun of and constantly blaming poor people for being poor we should try to understand them better. We should speak up when some one uses the term “white trash”. We should also remember that people might not live in luxury but that does not make them bad, dumb, unhappy, or completely unsuccessful.
This article really made me think about something I have never really saw. The term “white trash” is a term based on race and class. It is not only categorizing people, but, it is showing negative connotation to that certain category. Which is as wrong as any other offense term we have used, yet, people see it as “no big deal”. People use the term as if it is a catch phrase or a normal way to describe someone.
The comedian is spot on when he talks about how so many poor people dream of being rich and fantasize it. And the rich never think of what it is like to be poor. Unless they had a rags to riches story, they’ll never know what is it like to be a poor individual. Therefore, they don’t see the offense in the term “white trash”.
In todays day and age, “white trash” is used to describe the trailer park living, fat, belligerent individual. I have become accustom to hearing those words and immediately thinking that however, reading the history behind these words quickly made me realize how off society is. Everything has a label nowadays and I feel that that needs to stop. Money is what todays society revolves around, so whenever anybody gets the chance to make themselves appear more wealthy, they take the opportunity. This leads to people using the term “white trash” to describe poor people so they feel superior to somebody.
Blaming “Personal responsibility” for the fact that people are where they are isn’t as easy as it sounds. Its easy to say “work harder and hold yourself accountable” for things that occur in peoples lives. I feel that many different factors play a role in determining where people end up. Yeah maybe a little more effort could be put into people trying to get out of a situation but life isn’t always easy and people get so bogged down that day to day life is hard. I don’t pass judgement on people of low economic status because I truly believe in “not knowing what people are going through/come from” and “not judging a book by its cover”
I think I have lacked awareness concerning how often the term “white trash” is used. It tends to be easy not to think of it so much as a racial bigotry because of how acceptable it is. I thought it was interesting how Louis CK points out how it’s the only racial slur that is still acceptable to use and no one thinks twice about how it can be offensive. I also think there’s also this notion about “trailer trash” being lazy, unmotivated and not working hard – but as Louis CK points out, this demographic tends to be more relatable than one might think. I never really understood where the term “white trash” originated from historically, but it is interesting to see how the term has evolved over time.
I do not necessarily agree with the thought that if this demographic accepted “personal responsibility” for failure that they might be more successful. There is too much emphasis put on the idea that being poor is an individual’s fault, rather than an institutionalized and systematic phenomenon that creates this huge disparity of wealth and an inability for social mobility. Many people who are considered “white trash” were born into this certain life and it is only a handful of people who manage to work their ways out of it, but as we have talked about numerous times in class, it is by no means the majority. The formula is not simply work hard and you’ll succeed – there are so many other factors at play that can either aid in one’s success or deter one from success.
Until reading this article I’ve never given thought of the idea of the “bootstrapper”, punching down those of less fortunate economic circumstance. I found that to be the most compelling portion of this article, since the idea of the “bootstrapper” is so commonly referenced with regard to the “American Dream” and possessing positive connotations. I have never observed this term used to describe white people discriminating against other white people, although I have more commonly encountered this idea when reading about individuals discriminating against other races. It is extremely frustrating to see exceptionally intelligent, aware, and social-savvy individuals continue to use terms such as “white trash” and “trailer trash”, regardless of their own race/gender/socioeconomic status. I think slurs like “trailer trash” reflect more so on the fractured state of the American social structure. This article calls attention to the unhealthy ways in which the American people relate to each other. Poverty is something to be ashamed of, and if you can manage to escape it you never let others (or yourself) forget. These individuals then turn around and step on those not fortunate enough or unable to acquire the means to improve their lives. It’s a flaw in the general social structure of this country, somebody always has to be on the bottom. Because if those on the bottom are able to rise above their ranks, and reach the same level of the “bootstrapper”, then who will be there for the “bootstrapper” to trample on next?
This article, amongst others on this site, truly exposes you to the judgmental and cynical world that we live in. Regardless of their own circumstances, people are too quick to point fingers about what others are doing wrong and believe that the life that they live is due to their own efforts or lack thereof. While I do firmly believe that the work you put into life is what you will get out of it, I can also argue that the conditions in which people live are sometimes uncontrollable. The problem with society is that they expect so much from people and think that their daily practices (including things such as high paying jobs and education) and effort should be matched by the rest of the population. However, how do you tell a person living a less than luxurious life style to get a stable, fifty-thousand dollar a year job if they do not have the means to afford an education, or have never been exposed to such an environment?
I have a problem with this term “white trash” directed at those who live in areas such as trailer parks or may live a different lifestyle. The context in which it is used in is disgusting, especially because we are unaware of the situation of those people. Perhaps their routines and the environment they are in is all that they know because that is how they were brought up. Instead of complaining about them, maybe we should help them get to where they need to be because the bottom line is that all of the upper or wealthier class Americans did not get where they are without a little guidance or, as they say, a little help from their father’s dime. The true “white trash” society is those who constantly live life through their income and label others beneath them when they do not match their own expectations. Based on my own personal experiences, I have realized that at the end of the day, one’s happiness or despair depends on our disposition, not on the circumstances in which he or she lives.
Many people believe in that whole idea of “personal responsibility.” I don’t think it’s just bootstrappers that “punch down” but, society, in general, has a condescending view of those who live in poverty, whether white or African-American. The idea that people remain low-income because they’re lazy or make poor decisions is wrong. There’s not much upward class mobility in the United States, so it’s rare. It happens, but it’s rare. This goes back to the idea that people’s circumstances aren’t a result of their life choices, but the history of America and American society in general. There’s so much that the government can do to help increase upward mobility and decrease poverty, but they’re not doing it. There’s no reason for poor people to live the way they do in this country. This kind of goes hand in hand with the history of redlining and how “ghettos” were a result of that. African-Americans were segregated into these communities and as result, these cities received less and less money causing them to resort to crime and drugs. “White trash” is a result of this idea of being racially contaminated. Since these people have been stereotyped already they kind of just live up to the stereotype. Nobody out there is giving suggestions as to how to improve but simply calling them white trash.
Whenever I used to read about some type of historical civilization I was often curious to see how they treated their citizens, especially those of more modest means. To my dismay, I often found that these societies overwhelmingly favored the rich and discriminated against the poor. Yet, once I finished reading I always felt relieved that such discrimination no longer existed. As I have become older though, I have realized that much of the discrimination against the poor still exists. One form of this discrimination that has become commonplace is the phrase “white trash.” I never really thought about the people that the term is typically used to describe, however I do now find its use deplorable. I have come to this conclusion upon seeing that the term really pokes fun at another person’s poverty. No reasonable person would go up to a homeless person on the street and make fun of him or her, but society has no problem with making fun of a person for living in a trailer park. Additionally, the term stereotypes anyone that has that trailer park “look” about them. Instead of talking to this oppressed economic class, the higher social classes mock them for their perceived backwardness, while still believing themselves to be a champion of the poor. This, to me, is a gross level of hypocrisy that should stop being considered socially acceptable in today’s world.
Before reading this article I had an understanding of the term “white trash”. White trash in today’s society are the people that live in the middle of nowhere America, are usually fat, poor, and not classy people. After thinking about my understanding of “white trash” and reading the historical context of the term, I am not surprised by it. We as a society need to better ourselves, that may be from money, fame, power. One way to claim this power is by setting ourselves apart from those that we deem inferior. This mindset in my opinion is very similar to racism. How people think people of color are less human because they have a different skin color.
This article opened my mind to the reality of classism. I was raised in a wealthy white family. Money was never an issue. I was surrounded by people of the same economic status. Even coming to Loyola most of my friends are middle or upper class. Before spending time in Baltimore schools, I had not really spent time with people of lower classes. Just because people are in a lower economic class does not mean we can feel free to call them “white trash”. I just don’t understand why people are appalled by racism but are fine with judging people by their economic class.
Honey Boo Boo and other related television shows have created a comedy out of the poor white working class. As a society, ridiculing one for being of a different race or sexuality has become off limits and frowned upon. However, this discrimination against the poor has unfortunately remained acceptable. My father started his landscaping company at the age of thirteen, and has worked hard to build it to become stronger ever since. It at first seemed hard for me to understand why people living in extreme poverty, like in trailer parks, couldn’t climb their way out and be in control of their fate if my dad could start a successful company so young. I deemed the purpose for that poverty as pure laziness. Although this class and the story presented in this article changed my outlook. Connie Shultz’s grandmother worked extremely hard to give her children and grandchildren a loving and fulfilled life, teaching Connie how to cook, garden, and quilt. She was a religious woman who believed in strong family and moral values. Connie’s maternal grandmother also lived in a trailer park. Even though she lost her daughter and Connie’s mother at the age of eight, she attempted to make amends by taking great care of her mentally disabled son until the day he died.
From this story, I gained a better connection to this social class that I never have had much knowledge of. Previous to this, I completely wrote off any struggles they vocalized because I stereotyped. I never really understood that such genuine and hard working people could come of this lifestyle. I never have used the term “white trash” when referring to another individual, but I admit I have silently judged in the past. It was unfair, and I know realize the error in that judgement.
The first time i heard white trash was in high school. One day i was walking around with a friend of mine around her neighborhood. She saw someone she did not like and she told me that the person was white trash. When i heard that term white trash i was confused because i never heard it before until that moment. I gave my friend a awkward face and asked her what white trash meant. After explaining to me what white trash meant all i could response with was “oh”. Thinking about it i never really used the term white trash because i never found a reason to and i really do not know much white caucasian people i also just didn’t feel right saying it. I remember a time that a friend of mine called herself white trash and i just looked at weird and asked her why would you even say that about yourself, she responded with ” i don’t know i just feel like i am”.
I catch myself judging poor people at times mostly when i’m on the train and i hear their stories about why they are poor and what happened to them. That in mind i don’t truly believe that if they made better life choices they wouldn’t be in the predicament they would be in as well. Things can happen in life you lose money in your stocks, your house goes on fire and so forth, accidents happens where ion which you can lose it all and you end up poor. I dont believe you can implement if they made better life choices they wouldnt be in the predicament they are in now for that situation. Some of the times they don’t have the choices or options to get out of poverty and then theres the option that they should accept personal responsibility for their actions that lead them to where they are now.
As an outsiders I as the United States as the father to all the countries, where everything is possible!!!! ( f… that). I bought into the idea of the American dream. But once I came here I realized that the American dream is horse S%^&, because we come here and struggle and if back home you were living a comfortable life with an specious house. you come here and live a lifestyle where everything is fast and live in an apartment of 2 bedrooms with 5 other people living in there.
what shocking for me is that in this the country of opportunity we have poor people that are do not always have some sort of education and live in trailers. and have their own people making fun of them, because they live down there, they are the shame of the race and deserve to be hidden from the public. that honestly shocked me, how racist and discriminative this country is even against it own people.
so I wonder, how do we think that trump is crazy ? how ? this country has a history of being racist and not only to outsiders like me, also to people that look like them but do not are at the same economic and educational level that they are. discrimination at every level will be an none ending phenomena in this country. and having TV shows like honey booboo does not help because watching that show feeds in the predispositions and prejudices that people from he outside bubbles already have.
the American Dream is just an dream, like Freud will say ” an illusion; wishful thinking” but this is unreal”.
I have heard the term “white trash” used in my house when I was growing up. I didn’t really understand it because I grew up thinking all Americans were better off than I was as a Latina growing up in Central America, Panama.
While still a child I moved to the USA and was told that “white trash” was a term used to call poor white American person who was usually not very smart and who was usually at fault somehow for their economic and even class condition and that I shouldn’t have anything to do with anyone who “looked” like they were “white trash”. But I was still confused about the term because I didn’t understand class in new societal context of American society when I had grown up in Panama watching translated American television programs. But it only took a little longer before I understood that being “white trash” meant that they were somehow ‘contagious’ if one doesn’t fit into a particular hierarchical social structure – apparently I didn’t, so I was told I could “pass” because I had an “undefinable exoticism” about me with an “unclassifiable accent”. I was very frustrated by this new view of myself and of those around me that I really liked to hang around. They were my friends and they were kind to me when I was a newcomer onto a new country.
The notion that poor people are somehow “personally responsible” for their own misery is something I hear a lot among usually a more affluent crowd and especially among those who want to belong to it and feel they have a tenuous membership to it.
History has taught us that America as great as it is has its foundations on
inequalities of all kinds. And as long as the citizens of this country cannot accept to live one with each other as member of the same an unique mankind, if to value the self one has to humiliate the other, hatred will never ceased, and exploitation will always be the rule; because all human beings dream of having a certain power over the other.Accordingly,the expression “white trash” makes me understand that the country is not only divided in races but also in sub-races depending on one’s financial position. Implicitly, despite America has revolutionized science and technology, the mentality of certain people has not and will eventually never changed.
Du Bois argues in his work “Black Reconstruction”, that Black and White laborers were divided after the Civil War along the lines of race, and did not unite against the white propertied class. As a result, White supremacy groups, such as the KKK, emerged with the intentions of enforcing”Jim Crow Laws”, systematically disfranchising and terrorizing African Americans of the south. Today, White supremacy groups have rebranded themselves as the “White Advocacy Movement” who’s chief concern is to promote and preserve”Whiteness” in the US. To be sure, the members of these “White advocacy” groups could be identified as “white trash” with all the ascribed features mentioned in this module.
What really grinds my gears, is how Donald Trump allows for covert and discrete White supremacy groups to have a platform to express there racist views overtly. When the KKK openly endorses a campaign and shows up regularly to Trump rallies, its time to sit back and reflect on the state of current affairs in this country. If we did a sociological appraisal of the demographical makeup Trump supporters, it would not surprise me that a large portion of his constituents could be easily classified as “white trash”. The average Trump supporter has nothing in common with their candidate other than they share the same skin color. It goes without saying that the average Trump supporter has no class consciousness but race consciousness.
I’ve always heard the term “White Trash'” used in reference to an uneducated, trash talking, tobacco chewing, snuff dipping, moonshine drinking, 3 teeth having (one on the top, two on the bottom), Caucasian who has been alienated from their supposedly more civilized counterparts. Now I learn racism also goes under the umbrella of “White Trash”. Not I learn the term is used to make the others feel superior to everyone else. Those who need to make others feel small and inferior, are the true definition of “white trash”. In my opinion the only time ANYONE should look down on another is when he’s reaching down to Help that person up.
To my understanding white trash was defined as those who participated in the hate group of the Aryan brotherhood. To my knowledge that particular hate group loves America and would want to purify America of the diversity and other races and religions that The United States consists of. The article by Frank Guan shed light on the other characteristics of white trash. Since America is split into the north and south and then deeper into the “deep south” where white people still have some sort of high ranking when they rate themselves compared to other races. Even though race and the color of peoples skin is still used to rank each other, the term white trash is characterized as whites in overalls, living in trailer parks that marry their first cousins. It seems white trash people are the lower class of the white race. Where they do not have a higher education or extended vocabulary and knowledge besides what they truly believe or what they were taught as children. White trash has been allowed for white people to have some type of high ranking power where they believe they are better than other race besides the economic class they are in – this is why white trash is connected with racism. On television white trash has been glamourized into a more comical sense. Shows like Duck Dynasty show the true essence of characteristics of white trash. Some characters on the show has been made major headlines when it came to same sex marriage and so on. Another tendency I have noticed with white trash, is that they have almost the same mentality. They truly believe in the great essence of the American dream where they feel they are entitled to over other races.
I was not too familiar with the term “white trash”, when I first heard it from my cousin I laughed and I ask her what does she meant by that. Then, she broke it and showed some people who were identify as “white trash” it was mind blowing to me because I had no idea that white people has discrimination toward their own group. It so interesting to know on what white people based to call other white people trash things like wealth, beauty, cleanliness, education level etc. The term is used by some white people to kind of separate themselves from the poor ones of their own race. As I was reading the article “Why Are White Racists Always Called White Trash? Who is White Trash?” by Frank Guan I get a better understanding of the term. I like the way and how the author described the mass shooting recently happened at the black church in Charleston. The killer was a white young man who was identify as “white trash” because of his bad actions. In my opinion, since he was white who committed a horrific crime he couldn’t just be seen as a killer which is he is but he was instead he was consider “white trash”. I record multiple times how the media portrays the killers whenever those horrible crime happened depend on the killer’s race it often classify them as people with psychological issues but who knows. I believe white people want to make themselves feel better they created this racist slogan “white trash”.
Before reading this entry, my interpretation of the phrase “white trash” was to describe someone of poor ethics and morality and shamelessly lacking personal values. I personally never use the term and never interpreted the depiction of someone who is “white trash” to solely be someone of a lower economic class or to be a “common racist epithet.” When I think about it, racism would play a part because people who fit the bill of “white trash” tend to be those who are also narrow-minded and cannot comprehend any sort of equality amongst the races, in efforts to always view themselves as higher than. I personally still do not think that the phrase can be pinned to one group of a certain economic status or racial ideology alone. Anyone with a “white trash” mentality is white trash. My interpretation of the phrase would pertain to a white person who would demean another based on their race or ethnicity. Also, someone who would fit the description to me would be a white person who seeks privilege or dominance over another person simply by using their own race as a tool of oppression, despite their own economic shortcomings.
I personally believe that any sort of social grouping is not only problematic, but in many cases, it is simply wrong. I am sure there are plenty of working class, good-hearted people who live in towns such as Ashtabula, Ohio and are struggling to make ends meet, such as Connie Schultz’s family members. I am also sure that there are plenty of white people within the same circumstances who are unapologetically racist and narrow-minded. To place these two kinds of people in one negative category labelled “white trash” because of what they have in common is unfair.
“Punching down…says more about the person doing the punching than it does the people they are targeting for social sanction.” – This statement is all too true. The idea of knocking people down to seem “taller” in comparison is alive and well in all areas of life. What most people fail to realize is that we live in a solid social hierarchy that is founded and perpetuated by our own mentalities. There are white people who live in trailer parks that will most likely never see as much money and success as Oprah Winfrey has, but I am sure some will still see themselves as better than her because they find an inherent value in the color of their skin. They see the value of white skin as higher than any colored person and that value will never be erased. I believe that the term “white trash” amongst other derogatory comments to define a social, racial or economic group is created solely for that purpose; so “others” of low and moderately well means can always have someone to look down on and be able to say, “well, at least I’m not ________.”
Prior to reading this post I’ve found myself countless times in many situations looking down on those seen as “white trash” and laughing at those who promote themselves and pride themselves in being red necks and “white trash.” I think being born and raised in New York City gave me a false sense of entitlement growing up. You are taught to be tougher than everyone else and grow up from a very young age. I remember as early as 12 turning on the T.V and seeing the chaos unfold on shows like Jerry Springer and Maury. From cousins getting married, to finding out your husband cheated on you with the stripper down the block that show covered it all. I can remember making fun of people who would go on the show and wonder how they ended up that way. By doing that I started to feel slightly better about myself that I wasn’t in that situation.
I definitely don’t judge the less fortunate because I have been in the situation of having little to nothing many times in my life. There have been times that I’ve had to go without feeding myself in order for my child to eat. And this was when I was making “decent” money. Even now, with 2 good incomes, we find ourselves struggling at the end of the month. It is not my place to judge others circumstances because one never knows what got them into it in the first place. And whether that be bad decisions, inherent poverty that they grew up in and can’t dig themselves out of, addiction, inequality, I could go on and on. To judge others by their circumstances and not their characters is irresponsible human behavior. I’ve given my last dollar or piece of food to people on the street over and over. When they go to hug me, I don’t shy away because they haven’t showered in weeks, I take that heartfelt emotion and literally embrace it. Why? Because despite our situations, genuineness, character, and compassion always shine through. The people I shy away from are those that judge others based on their standing in society. I shy away from those who are always speaking ill of someone else. I shy away from those who judge others on how they dress or speak. The company I chose to keep, in people of all walks of life, are those that are able to see past the exterior of others and make a comprehensive decision of whether or not someones soul matches with theirs. We’re certainly not made for everyone, but I think when we judge too quickly, we miss the chance to connect with some pretty amazing people.
I’ve never used the term “white trash” because I know the way it feels to be called outside of your name. But of course like other racial slurs I’ve heard it being used before. The few times I heard it being used was by a white person. It’s really a shame that people of the same race still try to find ways to diminish themselves and try to classify themselves as better than the rest of them. People try so hard “fit in” that they don’t realize that they are part of the problem. Using racial slurs, discriminating others, even within your own race, adds to the problems that have already been set forth by the people that came before you. Being that this country centralizes itself through race and class makes it a lot harder to get away from all of the problems that one has to deal with to reach a point of success in life. Once people can come to an understanding that we all bleed the same red color blood, we all breathe the same air, we all have skin, teeth, hair, hands, legs, problems, etc. No one is any different than the next person. Of course we all have a different mind set and want to do things in different ways but that’s what makes us all unique, not separate from the society that we all live in.
I’ve never laughed at or used the term “white trash” because I still see both parties as simply “white” with economic differences. Yet, it is true that certain images pop up when one hears that term. One image that comes to mind when I hear “white trash” is the notable difference between the polished Atticus Finch and the gritty Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. One man you looked up to and the other you turned your back on, yet both were white. Even more surprising, Finch didn’t think any less of those who farmed and did physical labor (the working class). He doesn’t flaunt his success or engage in “punching down” other whites who got their hands dirty for a living. For some it’s a choice to work with their hands and something they enjoy; they shouldn’t be judged for their labor when others profit from it, such as a superintendent fixing a boiler that provides heat for the apartments in a building.
It’s interesting to think that the term “white trash” came from upper class whites to working class whites. I initially assumed that “punching down” was strictly race related, as in from one minority to another. An example of this would be the waves of immigrants that came to America for a better life in the late 19th century. Every new group of people that entered the country was looked down on, even by prior immigrants who came for the same reasons. In no particular order, established whites would look down on the Irish, who looked down on Italians, who looked down on Puerto Ricans, and so on and so forth. Later on there would be discrimination based on skin color difference within a race, but initially, it was done by the working class to establish a sense of power that they did not have. Yet, regardless of who looked down on who, all of them were in the same economic situation and scrambling for jobs to feed hungry mouths. Since there is an economic difference, whites distancing themselves from other whites makes a bit more sense than fighting with someone in the same situation. However, the need to establish an obvious disparity and label others seems foolish. I’ve seen a few episodes of “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” out of amusement before the scandals occurred. I thought the family seemed happy living the way they do, happier than the Kardashians even. A trailer home or physical labor doesn’t always spell out “failure”. An abundance or lack of wealth doesn’t shield either group from infidelity or illness either.
I don’t judge homeless people since I have no way to know how they ended up in that situation. I’m sure they’re hyper aware of their predicament every second of the day, so shouting “Get a job!” would make them feel worse and wouldn’t help. However, there are places to get free food and clothes throughout the city that I don’t think a lot of homeless people know about. I wasn’t aware of these resources until I started looking up soup kitchens and pantries to volunteer at and there are quite a few in New York City. Perhaps their stories are true and the money goes to surgeries and children, but it’s easy to lie and spend the money on something that’s not a necessity. I knew someone who was homeless and he carried a thick stack of note cards with addresses and directions to places to soup kitchens, food pantries, and drop offs where volunteers give out clothing items that people don’t think to donate, like socks. He collected discarded Metro cards and combined the money on them so he didn’t have to beg for a swipe. Now he has an apartment after saving on food, clothing and transportation costs. Surely it isn’t hard to go to a library and look up places for free to get help. One would think that a homeless person would rather pursue food and clothing instead of spending hours outside in bad weather or walking through trains.
Yet, it must be mentally and emotionally draining to worry constantly about when one is going to eat again and where to find a secluded and safe place to rest. I would imagine that it would be hard to come to terms with suddenly not having shelter, safety, food and water. At this point, it is too late to think about “better choices” one could have made, and depending on the individual, a “better choice” may not have saved them. A sudden fire or natural disaster could yank away one’s home and a “better choice” couldn’t have stopped that from happening. Some people lose their homes when they succumb to expensive addictions and continue begging for money to feed the addiction to prevent withdrawal pains. Better choices could have been made in that situation, but it’s too late for that when one is already on the street. The best thing to do is look forward at that point. I like the idea of giving food, water, and clothing to homeless people when they ask for help. This way, one is giving them some consumable energy to keep them moving. The clothing helps them stay protected from the elements and look presentable, which will hopefully give them the confidence to search for work and permanent housing. Every person’s case is so unique; it’s hard to criticize until you talk to them. Judgment isn’t productive, but handing someone a granola bar is, in my opinion.
I have never found myself laughing at or using the term “white trash” because it doesn’t mean anything for me. I don’t think people who are white and poor are “white trash.” People have their own right to chose their lives, and the quality of lives depend on people’s ability. People are satisfied with their life conditions, and they are happy with that. People can’t judge them as “white trash” by their life condition. I read a news before which was talking about a rich white guy who was around 50 and he donated all his property to the poor kids to get education, and he decided to travel round the world. He became a really poor and old white guy. Sometimes, he had to sleep on a brach in the park because he couldn’t pay for the hotel fee. Some people who don’t know him may judge him as “white trash” because he is a poor white. But people who know him will say he is a great person.
I find that I judge poor people sometimes. Every time when I saw a young and healthy beggar, I would think why they didn’t go work. They were healthy, they could get a job which could offer them enough food, a warm house, and dignity. If they went to work, they could change their life circumstances. I judge them by my own experience, but I never know what they experienced and the reason why they became beggar. People may call them “white trash,” because of their white skin color and low class condition. People never talking about “black trash”, “Asian trash” or “Hispanic trash” because they don’t think about them. People think that white people should be rich and have a bright life. It is the stereotype of white people. People can’t accept the failure of white people, so people are emotional to call them “white trash.”
I have never found myself using the term “white trash.” It is because there are not any in the urban area and it is often taken out of context. It also the definition attaches itself to a derogative context. The term reflects in part to a racial narrative. In suburbia, it is interesting when there is static amongst the clash of “white trash” operates. In that case it goes operation under white hierarchy.
I don’t think that judging the poor is viable way of thinking. I don’t think if “they” made better choices would narrow their way of living. Most of it is because of politics define people and how they live. It is based on race, gender and class how politics and social issue become the principal base for judging. People are often born in to their situation and are not too comfortable to leave a situation that is dictated. Failure tends to be more acceptable today because that what is expected. It is doesn’t have to relate to “personal responsibility” because its performance.
White trash, differentiates poor white people from other white people, the “real” white people, the ones who are not poor. The term white trash presumes that they are a different race or ”breed” of people. It’s interesting that whites who don’t fit our stereotype of whiteness, being financially wealthy, have to be separated out and named differently. As with most such stereotypes, this one is meant to be a short-hand description of how a certain group of people behave: White trash live in certain places and behave in particular ways. This is another way for people to feel better about their economic standing and their social status by, as the article mentions “punching down the class ladder.”
As I looked at and thought about the stereotypes of white trash, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between characteristics ascribed to white trash and those ascribed to minorities. Just another way for the whites to exclude themselves from any negativity towards their own race. Even though “white trash” are still white, they cant be used against the “real white” people because that’s not who they want to be represented by so they are labeled them “white trash” so society knows they are different.
Personally I never viewed white trash as specifically for poor whites. To me it always seemed to relate to more of how a white person present themselves. Of course if you are poor you are more likely to have the lifestyle often used to refer to white trash. In learning the history of the term and its possible implications that whites are supposed to be better and if you failed as a white you are deemed as white trash. As I read through the articles I did begun ti notice it’s similarities used to but down minorities who still and historically have struggled much more than whites.