White trash. Trailer Trash. People of Wall mart.

[nashville_brook]

144. amen to this! want to add, i think some people from poverty might actually

internalize the epithets and that's why we end up with parents disparaging where they come from.

we had this in my family with regard to race -- my maternal grandmother was spanish/jewish extraction. she had also been an orphan and pulled herself up by whatever means necessary during the Depression. she would never tell us where the family was from, saying only "we're mediterrean." we've since found out that meant Minorca.

now, this isn't to say she was racist -- she wasn't. but she aimed to "pass" as unambiguously white b/c she saw that as a challenge to her ablity to fit into certain social circles in Miami in the 20s and 30s. and if you saw pictures of her, you'd say "that's pretty funny." she's a raven-haired, olive-skinned beauty with purple-black eyes. her brother's name was Vasco. come ON!

so, now we're left with no sense of history -- trying to piece it together. i understand why she did it, but i wish she'd just shared what she knew. she definitely shared what it was like growing up poverty, and how important is was to have solidarity with your social-economic tribe. so, it's all very ironic to me.