From the link above, re: the term “white trash” and why we should stop using it:

“The term “white trash” seems to have emerged in the 1820s in Baltimore. It was slang, used by both free and enslaved blacks, to put down the poor whites with whom they sometimes found themselves in economic competition. Middle-class and elite whites then borrowed and popularized the term for their own purposes, one of which was to solidify their racial dominance.

That process started with the ideology of black inferiority, which emerged as a justification for slavery, and the concomitant ideology of white supremacy. In pre-Civil War Southern society, the presence of poor, uneducated and uncouth whites presented something of a problem for the advocates of slavery: They were living, breathing proof that whiteness and superiority were not the same.

By the 1850s, poor whites found themselves caught in the debate over slavery. In 1854, abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe argued that “white trash” were the victims and byproducts of slavery, in which the planter class monopolized tillable soil and left poor whites struggling to survive. For their part, pro-slavery advocates retorted that the source of the white underclass was not slavery but the tainted blood that ran through these depraved people’s veins.

In other words, in order to maintain the idea of white supremacy, white elites had to de-racialize their poor — remove them from the group. They were “white” in skin color only. Just as the one-drop rule — which held that any person with any amount of African blood would be considered black — kept the white racial category “pure,” so did the creation and disowning of “inferior” whites. “The term ‘white trash’ gave a name to people who were giving ‘whiteness’ a bad name,” said Matt Wray, a Temple University sociologist and the author of “Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness.” “It meant that they were behaving in ways that didn’t suggest that they were the master race.”

By the turn of the century, eugenicists were studying poor rural whites and documenting their social dysfunctions. They eventually made the fatuous connection between Southern white poverty and “consanguinity,” or shared blood — which meant incest. The accusation stuck, and many poor whites were labeled feeble-minded and became the victims of the forced-sterilization programs that began in the 1920s.”

So yeah, a loaded term with an evil history behind it. A good idea to let it go as we have let go other terms that insult other people.

Regarding the use of the term “white trash” – I look forward to your comments regarding my use of the term “queer” when my Gay Pride column posts.

Lauren,

Re: “Regarding the use of the term “white trash” – I look forward to your comments regarding my use of the term “queer” when my Gay Pride column posts.”

Well, reappropriating offensive words is an item related to what I commented about; but I was not aware that “white trash” has been reappropriated by the people/community who were targeted by that term. I think the word “queer” at this point in time is at a different place; or, how people respond to it is based on when & where & by who it is used. As such, I probably will not have any comments to make re: your use of the word “queer”. But if it is offensive to some I am sure they will speak up.

- Sujewa

A “typical” Lynch touch are Peru’s repulsive teeth - they create a push/ pull of interest. There are similar make-up effects throughout his films that repulse/fascinate the viewer, especially Elephant Man.

Good essay. It seems that Lynch always wants to dance the line between outright desire and violence. In nearly all of his films (even Twin Peaks) sexuality and violence are intertwined.

I’m surprised by the hyper-defensiveness of your reactions to Sujewa’s comments, Lauren. I thought the article was intriguing — a thoughtful commentary on a very memorable scene to which I responded in a similar way — but I was also taken aback by the use of “white trash.” I took Sujewa’s response to be an attempt to initiate dialogue — she responded favorably to the article but raised a concern about the use of a term. If you had responded with the remark about Toby Keith that might have developed into an intriguing discussion but to suggest that Sujewa is totally out of touch with the folks you are now suggesting can pridefully label themselves as “white trash,” and to suggest that she is part of a “liberal elite” — that seems odd. What do you know about Sujewa? Unless you are inferring something from her name, or from the ideas she has expressed, or unless you happen to know her and this is just a silly back and forth mock-angry banter for fun, how can you know who she knows and where she is coming from?

Lauren,

Re: “Actually there is a reclaiming of the term “white trash” going on. Toby Keith even named an album “White Trash With Money,” declaring his pride in his white trash roots. But you wouldn’t know that would you, Sujewa? Because you don’t actually know any white trash – only those in your liberal elite, politically correct world.”

Well, I do know about Toby Keith, my girlfriend’s mom is a big country music fans, watches the country music video channel a lot, so, when I hang out at her place I get a nice does of country/including some Keith (whether I want it or not :).

I know a lot of “poor” “white” people. But of course that’s mostly creative people who are temporarily poor by modern, 21st century, DC/NYC area standards; hardly poor “whites” of the 1800’s that inspired the slur “white trash”.

Then there are the few not involved in the creative biz/older/not wealthy working people I know who are “white”, and I am fairly certain they’ll get pretty upset if a stranger were to call them “white trash”.

Also, there is an automatic negative response by some to anything that is deemed “politically correct”; but most of the time, people are just complaining against other people trying to be polite/avoiding unnecessary insults, etc. to other people. Politeness is cool; necessary for the smooth functioning of community & society. Freedom of expression is cool. Also readers such as myself seeing a potentially offensive to some/many word in an article about a scene from a movie & pointing that out is cool.

Also, just like accusing other people of being hipsters, usually those who are calling others “liberal elites” are ones who would fit pretty well into that category themselves. Whoever actually “liberal elites” are, they sound pretty cool (as Jon Stewart said re: people using elite as an insult against Senator Obama, “elite is cool, i want my president to be better than me” (or something like that); so being an elite in anything is not necessarily a bad thing (elite filmmaker - Spike Lee , elite soldier/general - George Washington, elite boxer - Muhhamed Ali, etc., the kind of people we generally celebrate)) I am fairly liberal on some matters, conservative on others, not really a member of an elite group in any traditional sense; same goes for a lot of people I know & hang out with.

Though some maybe working on reappropriating the term “white trash”, that work is not done yet (see the response Vice Prez Chaney (sp?) received for using “white trash” in a public speech/joke recently in the article I liked to from above). For every Toby Keith, there are hundreds of people who are not comfortable with being labeled “white trash”. In your article, this article, it did not appear that you were using the term “white trash” in any kind of an enobeling or empowering sense, but were using it in its traditional, as an insult, manner. Thus my complaint.

That aside, great article. Definitely made me want to re-watch Wild at Heart.

- Sujewa

Very interesting read. I think the first comment regarding the white trash phrase is taking the thing a bit out of context. They use the term in the film anyhow, so I think that was why the term was used.