Do you ever find yourself amused (and amazed) by peoples' white trash antics?
Sure you do.
Southern Fried White Trash takes a humorous look at the unbelievable mindset of the national subculture (and Southern specialty) we affectionately refer to as "white trash."

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

“White Trash” offensive to blacks?

I just had the most interesting conversation with a black man, about several things really, but one in particular I thought I'd share. We started talking about my book, and he asked me the title. When I told him "Southern Fried White Trash," he was mortified and said "Please, anything but that." It puzzled me.

I couldn't for the life of me understand why that title would offend a black man. Then he explained to me that, coming from a background in which stereotyping and name-calling were givens, he thought calling anyone "white trash" must be terribly offensive. I get that. I do. Just as I am horrified to hear one black person call another the "n" word (see? I can't even type it, it so offends me), he doesn't like the term "white trash."

I tried to explain to him that, just as the "n" word is used as a term of endearment among blacks and is therefore not offensive at all COMING FROM ANOTHER BLACK PERSON, sort of the same is true when a white person calls another "white trash." As I have pointed out in the book, real white trash people are as proud as can be to be called "white trash." The only people whom I can think of that might be offended would be whites who really aren't white trash, but have been called that anyway.

Wow, I do believe racism is pretty much eradicated from our society, but I am reminded every now and then that color words are still loaded guns when pointed at people here in America.

1 comment:

  1. It's offensive to blacks because it suggests that most trash is non-white, so it takes special effort to point out that this time around the trash is white, if you can imagine such a thing.

    It would also be offensive to make a point of calling a black person who is a genius a black genius, as if most geniuses are white, but this time around we are talking about a black one.

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