Reply to Is “WASP” culture still a thing?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm not sure if I qualify as a WASP and I don't really care whether I do or not.

I'm white, some of my heritage is Anglo-Saxon but not the majority of it, and I went to a Protestant church when I was a kid but haven't been in over 20 years. I never belonged to a Country Club and I'm not rich. My family is from Ohio, not New England. Are Midwestern, Scandinavian-desent, agnostics "WASP"s?[/quote]

nope- you are not a wasp, Scandinavian heritage is still "ethnic white" especially in the midwest where the cultural roots are strong. [/quote]

There are "waspy" families of Scandinavian and German heritages. WASPs were always more than just Boston or Philadelphia Anglo Saxon Protestant. Old money Midwestern cities are as traditional as they come and have strong doses of German and Scandinavian heritages. [/quote]

No one is saying that Old money families of Scandinavian or German heritage don’t exist, especially in the Midwest, we’re just saying they are very distinct in their culture and are really, really not WASPy in their views, outlooks, etc. even if they do go to country clubs and send their kids to private school, etc.

—signed a a Jew who sees a huge difference between the two groups and who has always felt significantly more comfortable around WASPs than with rich Midwestern German/Scandinavian “waspy” types. [/quote]

I think the polite response is "whatever." I'm not quite sure what this idealized WASP is. For some people it's listening to NPR!

Can someone point out a real example of a WASP? [/quote]

Whatever, feel better? This whole thread and the very term itself is full of proper descriptions of who a WASP person is. For whatever reason, you don’t like that definition, so you’re choosing to ignore it.

Let’s start with the basics: 1)White 2) Anglo Saxon 3)Protestant. If a person does not satisfy those three categories he or she is not a WASP.

A prime example of a WASP is the very person who coined the term: E. Digby Baltzell. Here is a link to his wiki page:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Digby_Baltzell

I’m not sure why this definition is so confusing (hint it has nothing to do with NPR) or as you say, “idealized.” It just is what it is. If you’ve seen them roaming about in their native habitats, WASPs are quite easy to recognize. And yes, they do still exist.[/quote]

I'm puzzled because I'm a) white, b) Anglo-Saxon, c) Protestant, and grew up in a world most people would vaguely recognize as waspy, including the boarding schools, summering in New England, 19th-century family portraits and old inherited silver and a few ancestors who were prominent figures. And I find all these descriptions somewhat peculiar and amazingly rigid and narrow.

[/quote]

What about these descriptions is “peculiar and amazingly rigid and narrow?” Would you prefer if we said Snoop Dog was also a WASP? Or perhaps just Martha Stewart would do?
[/quote]

Someone desperate to keep this silly thread alive is creating very strict requirements for what constitutes a WASP. There is no established rule book or any form of hereditary privilege that dictates who is or isn't a WASP. The person shrieking that "WASPs" can't be found in the Midwest or can't have German ancestors is silly. [/quote]

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