# Is this club promotion racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888 "2011-07-21T18:09:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/1 "2011-07-21T18:09:34Z")
A co-worker and I were coming back from lunch and the radio advertised a promotion for a local night club. _Put on your wifebeater, and get out of the trailer and head on down to ABC club this coming Saturday for the White Trash Bash. Natty Lite, PBR and Old Milwaulkee are all on special…_ My co-worker immediately exclaimed what a racist ad. I disagreed with him and don’t see it as a racist ad. They didn’t say it was a whites only party. And I’ve never really considered making fun of certain white people as being racist. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/2 "2011-07-21T18:15:35Z")
It’s not “racist,” it’s just in very poor taste. Making fun of “white trash” is a form of classism - a very prevalent one - but it isn’t really racist unless it’s coming from non-white people and implied that all whites are trash. However, doing the exact same thing but for black stereotypes perceived as lower-class - ghetto styles, fried chicken, malt liquor, “purple drink,” etc, advertised as a “ghetto bash” - would definitely be shouted down as “racist” by everyone. They’d really be wrong, though, because again these are class distinctions. Racism is so often used as a smokescreen when the real issue to be dealt with is economic class. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/3 "2011-07-21T18:18:01Z")
Not racist. I am uncomfortable saying pretty much anything is racism when it’s against white people since whites are the majority and have the vast majority of the power in this country (world). ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/4 "2011-07-21T18:21:02Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Not racist. I am uncomfortable saying pretty much anything is racism when it’s against white people since whites are the majority and have the vast majority of the power in this country (world). So, only white people can have racist views? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/5 "2011-07-21T18:22:29Z")
The event concept is classist, not racist. The _term_ “white trash” itself is racist _against black folks_. (If you don’t understand why, ask yourself why the “white” part is in there.) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/6 "2011-07-21T18:24:20Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > The _term_ “white trash” itself is racist _against black folks_. (If you don’t understand why, ask yourself why the “white” part is in there.) Why exclusively racist against blacks? Why not mexicans, chicanos, chinese, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/7 "2011-07-21T18:25:22Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Not racist. I am uncomfortable saying pretty much anything is racism when it’s against white people since whites are the majority and have the vast majority of the power in this country (world). Whites are not a majority of the world. Not even close. An economic elite has the vast majority of power in this country and in the world. Everyone at the bottom, white or black, gets the shaft. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/8 "2011-07-21T18:25:48Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > So, only white people can have racist views? I didn’t say that. I said I personally have a hard time crying racism when it’s against white people for the reasons stated. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/9 "2011-07-21T18:26:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Why exclusively racist against blacks? Why not mexicans, chicanos, chinese, etc.? Well, in historical terms it’s about black and white. “White trash” is another way of saying “white people who act like niggers.” ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/10 "2011-07-21T18:28:41Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > I didn’t say that. I said I personally have a hard time crying racism when it’s against white people for the reasons stated. Perhaps you’re conflating ‘racism’ with ‘discrimination’. I would agree with you if you mean that that the _effects_ of racism against white people are negligible. That doesn’t mean that racism against white people doesn’t exist simply because of their status/power. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/11 "2011-07-21T18:30:16Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Well, in historical terms it’s about black and white. “White trash” is another way of saying “white people who act like niggers.” I have lived in the south my entire life and have never heard that, thought that, or even considered that. But maybe I’m more opened minded to seeing that there are trash in all races. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/12 "2011-07-21T18:30:29Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Whites are not a majority of the world. Not even close. > > An economic elite has the vast majority of power in this country and in the world. Everyone at the bottom, white or black, gets the shaft. True, I should have left it at country, not the world. And yes, all poor people get the shaft. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/13 "2011-07-21T18:30:49Z")
When whites are the minority in a certain area - a prison, a neighborhood, an inner-city school - and are bullied because of their race - this is racism. You have to be able to sympathize with someone who’s an isolated minority even if his people are, in their own area, a majority. If the son of a rich Indian businessman came to America and was bullied at his school for his skin color and accent, it would still be racism, even though back in India he would be the majority. You have to realize that everything depends on the context. I don’t believe it’s right to dogmatically declare that there just _can’t_ be racism against whites because whites have the power. ETA: I would agree that any white person complaining of racism when he/she is clearly the majority in the environment he is in is probably dubious. Especially if the “racism” is coming from an advertisement on the radio or something else like that. I think it can still come from individual people though. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/14 "2011-07-21T18:31:38Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I have lived in the south my entire life and have never heard that, thought that, or even considered that. But maybe I’m more opened minded to seeing that there are trash in all races. Likewise. In my neck of the woods, white trash means redneck. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/15 "2011-07-21T18:34:56Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Well, in historical terms it’s about black and white. “White trash” is another way of saying “white people who act like niggers.” Tiptoe-ing…how to put this. Hm, I live in an area where I can drive 5 miles in opposite directions and encounter both of these demographics. I don’t think I agree with your view that “‘white trash’ means ‘white people who act like niggers’”. Especially since white trash, who are notoriously racist, usually have no problem using the term to refer to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/16 "2011-07-21T18:35:09Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > When whites are the minority in a certain area - a prison, a neighborhood, an inner-city school - and are bullied because of their race - this is racism. You have to be able to sympathize with someone who’s an isolated minority even if his people are, in their own area, a majority. If the son of a rich Indian businessman came to America and was bullied at his school for his skin color and accent, it would still be racism, even though back in India he would be the majority. > > You have to realize that everything depends on the context. I don’t believe it’s right to dogmatically declare that there just _can’t_ be racism against whites because whites have the power. I understand what you are saying. What I am saying is that I just don’t have a lot of sympathy for whites who cry racism. There are exceptions of course. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/17 "2011-07-21T18:45:08Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Likewise. In my neck of the woods, white trash means redneck. In our neck fo the woods white trash is subset of redneck. As Jeff Foxworthy says, redneck basically means a glorious lack of sophistication. They can be and often are good people in their own way. White trash is generally a lower socio economic end redneck that engages in questionable behaviour like wife and child beating, low level drug running or theft, two timing, regular public drunkeness and fighting. ---
**Author:** ![amijane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@amijane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amijane)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/18 "2011-07-22T07:22:14Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > The _term_ “white trash” itself is racist _against black folks_. (If you don’t understand why, ask yourself why the “white” part is in there.) > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I have lived in the south my entire life and have never heard that, thought that, or even considered that. But maybe I’m more opened minded to seeing that there are trash in all races. I don’t have a cite, but it’s how the term was explained to me as a no-no. In the first half of the 20th century, ‘white trash’ was used as a specific term because ‘trash’ automatically meant poor black people. That’s not the case these days, but the etymology of the term’s possibly a racist one. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/19 "2011-07-22T07:43:02Z")
It’s guilty of stereotyping. I wouldn’t say it goes as far as real racism. Although they are called white trash, that’s practically a synonym for trailer trash, which can easily include non whites. But given it’s an advertisement, there’s a very strong presumption that the targeted demographic cannot, by definition, be offended. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888/20 "2011-07-22T11:14:47Z")
White trash is a classist thing against whites, but it’s connotation is racist. “White trash” presumes that trash isn’t normally white; it’s non-white (most likely black, but could be Native American/Hispanic). It’s just that “trash” is not used to describe those other groups. They have other names. But I think the ad is more classist than racist. Chances are the promoters and club owner/manager are not poor, so they’re exploiting on a stereotype and mocking it for their own gain. I’ve always considered “redneck” to be analogous to “ghettofabulous”, which is not nearly as bad as being “ghetto” (the “white trash” analogue). It’s ghettofabulous, for instance, to go to the grocery store in house slippers and hair rollers. Yeah, you know you’re pushing the envelop of decency, but it ain’t no big thing. “Ghetto”, on the other hand, would be going into the grocery store talking loud, cussing, and beating your kid within an inch of his life in front of everyone. Some things teeter on ghettofab and ghetto depending on what the whole package looks like. A grill full of gold teeth, with an owner who can’t even afford a car or unsubsidized housing, might be said to be “ghetto”. A couple of gold teeth and an otherwise normal working class lifestyle may fall more into “ghettofabulous”. Generally, if it’s not too embarrassing or indecent, then I’ll call something “ghettofabulous” and save the worse sorts of behavior for “ghetto”. I imagine that there are some things that get tossed into the “white trash” pile (like wearing wife beaters) that would be better placed in the “redneck” pile. Although, I tend to associate “redneck” with people from specific regions (the rural south and Midwest. I’d have a hard time calling a Bostonian, even one from South Boston, a “redneck”). All that said, with all the shit happening in the world today, if people want to dress up like their less sophisticated brethren and play “make believe”, then whoopty-doo. It’s stupid and obviously a way to make the participants feel better about themselves (ooh, I can’t be really “white trash” since here I am, pretending to be one!). But I can’t work up much of a lather about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-club-promotion-racist/589888.md?page=2)