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in reply to a message by Mrs Claire
and that is, I think, the subtlety that is being lost in translation here: the term "trailer trash" can be taken to specifically denigrate trailer dwellers (code for poor). It can whether the people being described dwell in trailers, or don't, because it suggests - even if YOU don't suggest, the term can be taken to suggest - that all trailer dwellers (code for poor) are alike in their vulgarity and comparability to rubbish.
So what you need to know before saying trailer trash is, it *is* classist in the US -- not in the direct way that denigrating, say, "filthy proles" would be, but in an indirect way. We all know exactly what you mean by trailer trash, so it's a useful idiom, but it sounds judgmental.
I think just stating whatever fact leads you to conclude they're trailer trash - "This family appeared on a vulgar show like Jerry Springer's" - should communicate the right sort of information, without appearing to express scorn for an entire class of people.
So what you need to know before saying trailer trash is, it *is* classist in the US -- not in the direct way that denigrating, say, "filthy proles" would be, but in an indirect way. We all know exactly what you mean by trailer trash, so it's a useful idiom, but it sounds judgmental.
I think just stating whatever fact leads you to conclude they're trailer trash - "This family appeared on a vulgar show like Jerry Springer's" - should communicate the right sort of information, without appearing to express scorn for an entire class of people.
This message was edited 1/16/2008, 1:02 PM
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