Episode 127 — White Trash

[admin 330]

Is the term “white trash” racist? Andrew Ti and guest Brent Sullivan give their opinions on this question and talk about if it’s racist for non white people to say white trash. Keep up with leaving a message at (323) 389-RACE.

[SolGoldman 10]

This is podcast trash.

[president cage 13]

They were weirdly hemming and hawing over this one. Its obviously a racist term, meant to revoke 'whiteness' from white people who don't live up to the values of the middle and upper classes.

[wakefresh 689]

They were weirdly hemming and hawing over this one. Its obviously a racist term, meant to revoke 'whiteness' from white people who don't live up to the values of the middle and upper classes.

 

But here's the thing. You can't revoke someone's skin color, no quicker than you can revoke someone's gender.Those "white trash" people are still white and will be treated differently than working class/poor non-whites. Hell, the Republican Party has made them their party's base and they have WAY more of a political voice in this country than their non-white counterparts.

 

This is mainly an insult hurled at white people by other white people. You're right, it is all based around class, i.e. how much money you have. So don't get it twisted -- its a class-ist term, not a racist one.

[mellib16 5]

I feel like White Trash is definitely a racist term, because it makes note of this white person being poor and trash. To me, it implies that other races are typically poor.

[wakefresh 689]

I feel like White Trash is definitely a racist term, because it makes note of this white person being poor and trash. To me, it implies that other races are typically poor.

 

I can kinda see that. It's a fair point to raise. I actually consider this more of a class-ist term than a racist one because it is mainly used by rich whites to mock poor whites.

[sissylion 41]

 

I can kinda see that. It's a fair point to raise. I actually consider this more of a class-ist term than a racist one because it is mainly used by rich whites to mock poor whites.

 

I definitely think that the terms is way more classist, but I also agree with mellib's statement that it implies that other races are generally poor. It's a pretty gross term regardless, the same way that "redneck" is.

[NickArnold 74]

Well according to this podcast White People are always wrong and no one can be racist towards them so... This is literally the worst podcast on Earwolf

[chmod 10]

caveat, I haven't listened to the ep yet.

 

But yes, the term "white trash" is racist, and no it's not racist towards white people. It's racist because it emphasizes the importance of the target being white, which implies that if they were not white then well of course they'd be trash, but since they are white then we expect better.

 

Mellib said basically the same thing already above.

[president cage 13]

Yeah, when I said it's meant to revoke "whiteness" I mean the user of the term is saying "Even though you appear to be a white person, like me, you're actually more like a non-white person, by which I mean you're trash." That's both class-ist, and racist.

[the moose with loose poops 2]

"I don't think it's really worth the time dividing things up on their various -isms or -ists" - Andrew Ti, Yo Is This Racist Podcast, episode one hundred and twenty seven.

[president cage 13]

Ha ha sure Andrew

[BenDunbar 33]

Oh, boy. You guys were just wrong the whole time!