Why is it okay and not considered racist to call someone "white trash"?

[takoma]

Anonymous wrote:If I have four different piles of trash--let's say, plastic, tin, colored paper, and white paper--and I ask for the "white trash", how is that racist?

That looks to me like a sarcastic rebuttal of some of the previous comments. If so, I agree: It's not about a logical parsing of dictionary definitions, but about perceptions. It may not BE racist, but there is plenty of evidence here that some people perceive it as racist, and that, depending on who is saying it and who is hearing it, it can be perceived as racist in very different ways.

Not everything is simply "yes" or "no".

[Anonymous]

If people want to have a discussion that's based in US History rather than grammar or "logical parsing" then someone needs to actually post a rationale that's based in US History rather than arguing about which word modifies which.

[Anonymous]

Poor is as much of a modifier as white. So are people distinguishing this phrase from "rich trash"? In my view, it's not racist, but it is classist and just mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I have four different piles of trash--let's say, plastic, tin, colored paper, and white paper--and I ask for the "white trash", how is that racist?

I guess you won't mind if I call you a dick. After all, you might be in law enforcement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's racist, it's classist, it's nasty. I would never use it, I have broken my husband of the habit, and I will not tolerate my children saying it. I don't worry about "devaluing" the term racist; I worry about treating everyone with respect and teaching my children to do the same. Next.

Appalachia poster here. Thank you for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks, I understand the point people are making about adding the qualifier "white" to "trash." It suggests that normally trash is non-white or you wouldn't have to give it the "white" qualifier. But I am more concerned about how this is used as a pejorative against poor rural whites than I am about whether it's racist against blacks. Seriously, black people already face many challenges fueled by structural racism that we should all be concerned about (eg Trayvon Martin)but I'm not going to lose sleep over the insult to them by using the word "white trash."

But if calling it racist will get liberal whites to stop sneering at poor white southerners maybe that's not so bad. As a white left-liberal I get so tired of supercilious liberals who think it's okay to talk dismissively of poor whites in a way they never would about blacks or Latinos.

Nobody is disputing that it's classist against poor people, white or otherwise. It's bad to be classist. Again, no arguments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If people want to have a discussion that's based in US History rather than grammar or "logical parsing" then someone needs to actually post a rationale that's based in US History rather than arguing about which word modifies which.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=history+of+%22white+trash%22

[Anonymous]

Still waiting for a compelling argument as to why the term is racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still waiting for a compelling argument as to why the term is racist.

It presupposes that regular trash is the black kind.

[Anonymous]

I like this name myself

http://vintagesleazepaperbacks.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/185-harry-whittington-cracker-girl-uni-books053.jpg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still waiting for a compelling argument as to why the term is racist.

It presupposes that regular trash is the black kind.

How so? What's the basis for this supposition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not okay. I am upper class white Southern (defn not white trash) and my parents always made it clear that it was an unacceptable and pejorative word to say.

+1000 Racist is racist, period. If you use this term, then YOU are a racist. Deal with it, racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still waiting for a compelling argument as to why the term is racist.

It presupposes that regular trash is the black kind.

How so? What's the basis for this supposition?

Because no one ever says black trash.

[Anonymous]

I think we can agree, OP, that it is not okay to say "white trash."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not okay. I am upper class white Southern (defn not white trash) and my parents always made it clear that it was an unacceptable and pejorative word to say.

+1000 Racist is racist, period. If you use this term, then YOU are a racist. Deal with it, racist.

Also, sexism doesn't exist--except for sexism directed at white men.

(Right-wing political correctness run amok.)