White Trash

Most of us, whether we’ll admit it or not, have areas of interest that might surprise a lot of other folks. Where this subject matter comes from is less important than the depth to which this attention to detail can grasp at and hold tight to our reflective consciousness. Some people might call them our ‘hot buttons’ or for others, their ‘touchy subjects.’ No matter the moniker, the subject in question often seems to capture our attention and hold it tight.

I am guilty of those inquisitive infractions. For whatever reason, my attention is often drawn to the subject of class in our society. In my mind, it ties in nicely with ‘The American Dream,’ ‘Class Consciousness,’ and (the old favorite of mine) ‘rising above your raisin'.'

Over the years, I’ve read several books on class. It’s a subject matter that has long since fascinated me on a very personal level. Perhaps the thin fabric of my upbringing had a lot to do with it. Growing up, it certainly wasn’t the glamor of wealth or accumulated material possessions that caught my attention. Instead, I think it was the place that American society had sketched out for me as a child based on my social, economic, and cultural upbringing.

Both my grade school and high school councilors slotted me into educational tracks based on my test scores. My family structure certainly didn’t help advance any educational chances at success. There were sometimes understood and other times openly stated assumptions that I would follow a pre-ordained path and certainly never give any thought to ‘rising above my raisin'.’ My mother and father did just that. My grandparents the same. That simply was the way it was and always had been back then.

I recently read a scholarly study of class in America entitled: ‘White Trash.’ Without apology, I’ve enlisted the help of ChatGPT to give a summary of the book.

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (2016) by Nancy Isenberg is a historical study that challenges the idea of the United States as a classless society. Isenberg traces the roots and evolution of class divisions in America, focusing on the persistent stigma and social marginalization of poor white people—often labeled as “white trash,” “rednecks,” “hillbillies,” and other derogatory terms.

Nancy Isenberg argues that from the colonial era to the present, class has always been a defining feature of American life, even though the nation has long promoted the myth of equal opportunity. She explores how elites and political leaders have used class distinctions to shape social hierarchies, justify inequality, and control land and labor.

The book begins with the English colonists who viewed North America as a dumping ground for Britain’s “waste people”—the poor, criminals, and indentured servants. These early settlers were seen as expendable laborers, and this attitude laid the groundwork for centuries of class prejudice.

Isenberg traces how these class labels persisted through American history:

• In the 18th and 19th centuries, poor whites were described as lazy, degenerate, and unfit for citizenship, often excluded from education and property ownership.
• In the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, politicians and writers reinforced stereotypes that pitted poor whites against Black Americans to maintain racial and class hierarchies.
• In the 20th century, cultural figures—from eugenicists to politicians—used “white trash” imagery to discuss morality, genetics, and the supposed decline of the nation.
• In the modern era, the term has resurfaced in politics and pop culture, reflecting ongoing discomfort with poverty and class mobility in a society that insists everyone can “make it” through hard work.

Throughout, Isenberg shows how class prejudice has shaped American politics, settlement patterns, and cultural identity. She concludes that “white trash” is not just an insult but a window into the enduring reality of class inequality that contradicts the American Dream.

While some of Isenberg’s chapters are hard to chew on and digest, their message is very clear. We have always had a class structure in this country and we love to pretend that it isn’t there.

‘Educating Rita’ as a wonderful example of these phenomena. Educating Rita was a 1983 movie starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. A woman takes night classes at ‘the university’ and finds to her amazement that she has the knowledge and talent to succeed there. But forces in her life all seem to conspire against her. Think of this romance/drama as the American Dream without the violins and background music. Instead, you’ll hear the scrapping of fingernails on a blackboard and the vision of the future that can’t be reached.

Another good example of this idea is the movie ‘Rudy.’ Based on a true story, ‘Rudy’ does a good job of examining the complex and confusing roles that class places on folks seeking to break out on their own mold and for those who don’t want them to leave the fold.

My latest novel entitled: ‘Agnes’ deals with an imagined love affair between a college-educated young man and a middle-age woman. She is a secretary at his work. She cares for her elderly mother in the same home she was raised in. Her life is simple and sad and complete with no window to the future until he steps into her life. Their educational backgrounds, social standings and exposure to the ‘real world’ all conspire along with their age differences to erode the affection they feel for one another. Class does matter even though people love to pretend it doesn’t.

The theme of class differences has permeated a lot of my writings. Whether in a play structure, movie or novel, the idea of class differences fascinates me.

One of my first novels ‘Love in the A Shau’ painted a picture of just this scenario with my main protagonist. I also touched on this concept briefly in several blogs: ‘Damming the Intellectuals’ and ‘Rising above Your Raisin’ as examples of social and economic crossovers.  Another blog entitled: ‘Book of ‘61’ talked about the caste system at my old high school.

That caste system (strictly my words and impression only) at Cretin High School was neither good nor bad, right nor wrong. It was simply recognition by the administration that some students were better prepared for college than other students. Test scores were the primary indicator of this placement but I’m willing to bet that socio and economic factors also played a role in that determination.

Class is a worn-out pathway we are forced to follow until such time that we consciously select a different route to travel. It is a conscious, and perhaps at other times, a subconscious decision to follow our heart and head instead of directional cues from those around us. It might mean leaving behind friends and family who choose to stay in place.

But in the end, it’s being true to oneself and seeking fulfillment where it means the most…to you…consequences be damned.