The term has come to mean different things to different people, as evidenced by this clip. However, during the time I lived in rural Mississippi many years ago, it was used as a derogatory and racist slur. It was presumed that non-whites were trash by default, so only trashy people who did not live or behave in a way befitting their superiority as whites, needed a racial identifier.
Rural Mississippi being, or at least perceived as being, an area with low levels of education and correspondingly high levels of poverty, prejudice, and racism.
It’s renowned for the assassination of the two Jewish kids and one black kid in June 1964.
Yes, but on the other hand, most people I encountered put a high value on good manners and respect for others. Mississippi is not as backward as Northerners might assume. That said, at least during my time there, racism and antisemitism were a fact of life.
I thought maybe you were implying that poverty, racism, and low levels of education was the definition of white trash. While that may be your definition, it is not mine. The term has such racist connotations to me, that I do not use it or find it amusing.
Jim Gaffigan is one of my favorites, but I never really enjoyed Robin Williams. As for Carlin and Maniscalo, I find them entertaining, but they're not in my top 10. Just goes to show how individualized humor can be.
Jane S 