Summary of White Trash by Nancy Isenberg | Includes Analysis by Instaread

Author:Instaread [Instaread]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Instaread
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Key Takeaway 6

Accepted terms used to define white trash have been numerous, scathing, and dehumanizing.

Analysis

Politicians and others in polite American society have used derogatory labels for poor whites throughout the country’s history. The white underclass has been described as “waste,” “rednecks,” “lubbers,” “rubbish,” “clay-eaters,” and “white trash.” These slurs reveal extreme prejudice and hostile attitudes toward this entire sector of the population.

Some of the white underclass reclaimed discriminatory labels as a means of self-empowerment. For example, Tracy Hart submitted the following entry to The Race Card Project, a collection of six-word memoirs on race: “Yes, I’m Tobacco-Pickin’ White Trash.” [13] On National Public Radio, Hart, who now works for the World Bank, explained that she closely identifies with her family’s roots as poor Southern sharecroppers. For Hart, the term “white trash” is a way for her to understand herself and the experiences of her relatives; for example, an uncle of Hart’s had never lived in a home with electricity or indoor plumbing. She believes that others who have likewise embraced the “white trash” label do so because they feel misunderstood: “…I think part of their feeling misunderstood is to take on or embrace that term, which is self-denigrating, but it also says, ‘We’ve been hurt, too.’” [14]

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