Sure, not a nice term at all, but if you were to substitute the word white for any other race/color such as “black trash”, “yellow trash”, etc. it would sound wayy more offensive and I would imagine be led with some public backlash! Yet I see the term “white trash” thrown around in some casual conversations, tv shows, and pop culture with not much afterthought.
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It is absolutely considered both offensive and derogatory. However, there is a reason you don’t hear terms such as “black trash” or “yellow trash.” White trash is not a racial slur, but a classist slur with racial implications.
A racial slur will always establish one race as inferior to another. The term “white trash”, however, does not differentiate between race. Instead, it establishes poor white people as being inferior to…well, other white people. Not only does this demonise the white working class, but it degrades other races by reinforcing white superiority (i.e. it distinguishes poor white people from superior notions of “whiteness”).
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