Someone please explain the term WASP to me?

[Anonymous]

Daughters of the American Revolution. White, rich, nerdy. Not a person of color. Not from poor immigrant (white catholic, in earlier times) stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No it is not an insult to call someone a WASP. WASPs were the power structure in the country prior to diversity.

I would be insulted if someone called me a WASP. Ick. Uptight, snooty white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No it is not an insult to call someone a WASP. WASPs were the power structure in the country prior to diversity.

huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daughters of the American Revolution. White, rich, nerdy. Not a person of color. Not from poor immigrant (white catholic, in earlier times) stock.

Not nerdy. They go to Dartmouth to drink and party. They don't go to MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daughters of the American Revolution. White, rich, nerdy. Not a person of color. Not from poor immigrant (white catholic, in earlier times) stock.

I'm not sure how you can equate the bravery of early settlers with the word "nerdy." Many of them were not at all rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people who don't get it are conflating "WASP" with "preppily attired white people who have lots of money."

They're not the synonymous, at all. There would be many, many old-line WASPs in New England (Maine, N.H., Massachusetts) who of quite limited means or are even -- get this -- poor.

Yes, and thank you for clarifying. I was really surprised at all the posts equating the term WASP with money. It really means what it says--someone who's lineage is white, Anglo-Saxon (roots from England and Scotland), and protestant. Might be wealthy, might not.

This, exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you know what it stands for, do you really need someone else to pick out an example? You can pretty much pick any one of your presidents, only 2 don't qualify.

Obama and who? LBJ? Nixon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you know what it stands for, do you really need someone else to pick out an example? You can pretty much pick any one of your presidents, only 2 don't qualify.

Obama and who? LBJ? Nixon?

Kennedy, duh. Although except for the Catholicism, his family had all the other qualities. Preppy, New England, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Example 1: A caucasian with english heritage who is a Presbyterian.

"Protestant" usually Episcopalian not Presbyterian.

Presbyterian IS a protestant denomination. If you are a Christian you are either Catholic, Prostestant or Orthodox and all the various demoninations fall into one of the three buckets.

Yes. We know. It's just that when referring to wasps you're not talking about protestant/presbyterians, but protestant/episcopalians. Church of England was traditionally the group referred to as wasps. Calm down and turn off your cap lock.

[Anonymous]

Presbyterians were originally Scottish not English so, no, they weren't considered wasps.

[Anonymous]

You can be white, "Anglo-Saxon," and Protestant, but still not be "waspy," per se. That carries cultural connotations that everyone who is a "wasp" on paper may not meet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestant

[Anonymous]

Shops at Talbotts, wears loafers...

[Anonymous]

Episcopalians, not always rich. I know plenty of the shabby gentile types. Old money (or old money that is now gone, so just old homes, antiques, names). Not new money.

[Anonymous]

The Presbyterians were primarily Scottish, and Scotch-Irish; from the northern part of England.

Not Anglo-Saxon.

The Scotch_Irish also settled much of Appalachia, along with Germans. Few Anglo Saxons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Episcopalians, not always rich. I know plenty of the shabby gentile types. Old money (or old money that is now gone, so just old homes, antiques, names). Not new money.

They're gentiles by definition. Do you mean "genteel" ?