White Trash

White Trash
Use Black as an adjective. You can expect the next statement to be synonymous with lower-class Black stereotypes. Use Asian as an adjective. Your next statement will be expected to reference a strict emotionless culture. Use White as an adjective. The associations are the dominant White culture.
Even though there are economic ranges to every race, when using general terms race becomes inextricably linked to one economic group. What happens when a subset of that group doesn’t fit into the prescribed economic category? A successful Black man on the screen poses no threat to current American Media because he is conforming to what the dominant culture “allows.” What then is the biggest threat to White culture? “White Trash.”
Classism is in the very language we use to describe people. The term, White Trash came from the 1800s. Black slaves called poor White people: White Trash. The name trickled into the language of the Southern aristocracy and eventually the national lexicon. Class distinctions lie in the words classy, classic and “high class.” The opposite of the word classy is trashy. Someone described as trashy, implies they are too poor to act refined.
Clothing distinguishes class from trash. Girls wearing provocative clothing are called out for being trashy. The underlying message is that they are worth less. The paradox is that it is necessary for lower class girls promote themselves more aggressively to get attention.
A “classy girl” with more economic power has the privilege of being able to cover up more because she is more coveted. Anyone pursuing the classy girl is under the assumption that what he is getting is worth the extra effort. The classy girl can use mystery rather than imagery to acquire what she wants in life.
White “superiority” is within every facet of American life. It is present in our legal and economic systems and rampant in our media culture. This all-encompassing White superiority is most commonly known for stifling racial minorities. To think that it has no negative effect on White People, however, is incredibly inaccurate.
While the benefits of White “privilege” are undeniable, the expectations that go along with being White are acute. White people are expected to become wealthy and cultured, spend money, but not too much, attract attention without asking for it and show off, but only in the ways that are prohibited. Trashy White folk have failed to maintain this balance. They do not posses characteristics of dominant White culture and can only belong to an outcast society.
The power of “Whiteness” is interwoven through modern media and society. White people are supposed to “act White.” Acting White can be achieved by getting good grades, forming a cohesive family unit, working towards becoming CEO’s and fueling the American economy. In a media where everyone is assigned a label, however “White” stereotyping unique because it is in contrast to “normalcy.”
There’s a reason why poor White People are associated with garbage. The word garbage describes a people that are the waste material of a society. Not all White People can afford to act White so when they fail to conform their actions become trashy. They themselves become human leftovers.
In the 1940’s and 50’s veterans came home from WWII and needed places to start families. Trailer parks appeared as a temporary places for families to stay while they waited for the American Dream. Needless to say for some these homes were not temporary. This is what sets the poverty of White People apart from Black People.
Poor Black People fought for their rights. Poor White people wait for them. To this day the media promises White People the sun and the moon. While other races become conscious of bias, White People are comfortable as media perpetuates dangerous expectations. Trashy culture equals dominant White culture in economic purgatory. White Trash is mainstream American values and culture less all the ingredients.
White Trash is a term which refers to poor White People living in rural America. These unsavory folk are synonymous with trailer dwelling, fundamentalist Christian beliefs, racism and inappropriate attire. The flamboyant nature of trashiness lacks modesty. Trashy culture, especially in female culture, implies an aggressive display of sexuality. For women this manifests in showing cleavage and midriff. For males, trashy culture is manifest through gruffness and lack of hygiene.
Most recently, White Trash is making a comeback in an ironic way. Shows such as Duck Dynasty and Honey Boo Boo portray White Trash at its trashiest. The culture of White Trash has been ridiculed all the way into reality TV shows. Behavior is so outrageous that their “reality” it presented as comical.
Most White People do not feel the brunt of American culture. Sometimes, however, class transcends race. In these situations, such as with White Trash a person’s economic class can define them into stereotypes which are just as damaging and shameful as those we create for racial minorities.
Trashy White culture is arguably more humiliating than poor Black culture. Maybe this is why poor White kids attempt to fit into Black stereotypes. Anything is better than being poor and White.