"white trash" - racist?

[TheManWithAUsername]

This term has always bugged me. Isn't the implication that one would assume that black people are trash? - trash that is white is something you'd have to specifically identify?

I'm not saying that everyone who uses it now is a racist; it's just always made me uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

I am white, and have used that term once or twice.. I also have never thought about it that way.. I would be interested in hearing from both white and black people regarding this, as if that's actually the case, than I will have been educated.

[Anonymous]

As I've understood the term, it has nothing to do with race.

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up, my parents would never have tolerated us using the "N" word to refer to certain black people or "white trash" to refer to certain white people (I grew up in an area with a lot of very poor white workers who picked citrus and were shunned by other kids at school). I still don't, but since you asked, for me, those two terms are synonymous for people within those groups who don't conduct themselves as they should--as in very rough acting and talking. It has never occurred to me to think what you asked.

[Anonymous]

Like there's trash in any race I don't think this term is racist. You're just referring to the color of the trash.

To refer to trashy people in other races we were very creative to come up with other bad names. There's nothing to do with race, just color.

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

i dont use that term, i'd call them ghetto.
Ghetto has no boundaries in my vocab. Heck mom is ghetto for using undies as rags.

ghetto is also like cheap to me too

[Anonymous]

Yes, I've always thought it was.

[Anonymous]

To totally hijack your thread (sorry) this is the problem I have with "reverse racism." What? Racism is naturally and somehow inherently something directed toward black and brown people, so should it ever occur outside of this proper context, we term it "reverse"?

Bugs me.

"Self-segregating" is another highly problematic term. It not only absolves individuals of any role played in lunch room (for example) divisions, it's ahistorical, seems to blame people of color for their own marginalization, equates individual action with system policy, and generally gets on my nerves.

Thanks for the opportunity to get that off my chest, OP.

[Anonymous]

My thoughts, for what they're worth....

Seems to imply to me that "white" is the ideal, and things done to hurt the brand: being "poor," "tacky," or "ignorant" detract from the ideal.

So, yes, I find it offensive/racist.

[Anonymous]

Agree with OP and 22:07. It's offensive.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Trash comes in all colors. Stop overanalyzing.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the implication that one would assume that black people are trash? - trash that is white is something you'd have to specifically identify?

That's always been my assumption so I don't use the term myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Trash comes in all colors. Stop overanalyzing.

Agree.