General Discussion

AverageOldGuy

(3,527 posts) Wed Feb 4, 2026, 01:11 AM 7 hrs ago

I'm going to use some really vile language, you may want to pass on by

I was born in 1944 and reared in a crossroads, cotton picking town in deep South Mississippi.

Those of you who did not grow up there understand correctly that Whites were on the top and Blacks were on the bottom.

However, what you don't know is that there was some overlap -- there were some Blacks who were higher on the social scale than some Whites. Those Whites who were below the Blacks on the social scale were known as "white trash" -- they knew who they were, everyone else knew who they were.

I lived largely with my grandparents, who were high on the White social scale. If you were Black and needed to visit my grandparents' home, you came to the back door. Their maid (Black) was with them for decades -- she damn near reared me -- and she ruled the home.

One day -- I was 10 or 11 -- two men whom I knew to be white trash came to the front door. My grandparents'' Black maid told them to come back later and to come to the back door. When Granddad returned home, the maid said to my grandfather: "Mr. (grandfather), them two white trash come by to see you today. I told them to come back." Granddad did not bat an eye -- he said: "I hope you told them to come to the back door." "Yassuh, I did."

What I am seeing in ICE and Border Patrol and other uniforms is white trash. And having grown up with them, I know white trash when I see it . . . and there clearly is a lot of Hispanic trash mixed in with them. They are the most dangerous of trash -- they now have a badge, a gun, and the freedom to use them both.

I'm reminded of a conversation in the movie "Tombstone" in which Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp are talking about one of the outlaws, Johnny Ringo.

Wyatt Earp: What makes a man like Ringo, Doc? What makes him do the things he does?

Doc Holliday: A man like Ringo has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it.

Wyatt Earp: What does he need?

Doc Holliday: Revenge.

Wyatt Earp: For what?

Doc Holliday: Bein' born.

2 replies

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I'm going to use some really vile language, you may want to pass on by (Original Post) AverageOldGuy 7 hrs ago OP

This old women thinks you put it very well. KentuckyWoman 7 hrs ago #1

I was shocked at the classism when I first started applegrove 6 hrs ago #2

KentuckyWoman

(7,384 posts)

1. This old women thinks you put it very well.

Reply to AverageOldGuy (Original post)

Wed Feb 4, 2026, 01:27 AM

7 hrs ago

We had the same thing in Kentucky. No one had black maids but everyone knew who the "trash" was and it had nothing to do with economic status more a lack of decency of any sort. I can't put my finger on it, but I can see it right away.

applegrove

(130,955 posts)

2. I was shocked at the classism when I first started

Reply to AverageOldGuy (Original post)

Wed Feb 4, 2026, 01:51 AM

6 hrs ago

Last edited Wed Feb 4, 2026, 03:32 AM - Edit history (1)

talking with Americans online. The classism was amongst the right wingers. My name was Taylor girl online (at another forum) and one nasty Republican tried to get at me by calling me trailer girl. I said all the people I had known who live in trailers were good eggs because they were. He couldn't believe I wasn't offended. Being Canadian I was not familiar with that type of classism. We Canadians were/are not perfect: racism, sexism, anti French and indigenous hate still exists.

My parents used to go to Naples to visit some friends when Bill Clinton was President. The friends of my parents' friends were a mixed bunch, some Republicans. My Dad was amazed at how often they called Bill Clinton and 'cracker'. "He's a cracker this" and "he's a cracker that". So much so he found himself saying the things he admired about Bill Clinton out loud to test their reaction. He almost could not believe the classism. They were like parrots and these were wealthy people.

Painting everyone with a broad brush is not the Democratic way and it only serves to tribalize the US more which is what MAGA, and the right wing Republicans in charge, want and need. I doubt very much that everyone called white trash is of bad character. Bad people are bad characters. You have to get to know them first.

Yes many ICE are creepy and scary and bad people. I'm sure many of them were brought up in middle class households. Better off people can be assaulters and human/citizen/undocumented rights abusers too, and much worse.

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