What happened to etiquette, hygiene, and self-restraint? Author Charlotte Hays, Southern gentlewoman extraordinaire, takes a humorous look at the spread of white trash culture to all levels of American society.
This book was an interesting look at “how white trash has become the new normal” and the author talks about our changing cultural mores throughout the last several decades.
She covers everything from Miley Cyrus and “twerking” to the Kardashians and Kanye West, and so much more.
I have to admit, the author comes off somewhat “prudish”, but also with a lot of sensibility about “what in the world happened to our cultural America we used to enjoy growing up?”
Yes, a lot of things have changed (sometimes seemingly for the worse), but “it is what it is” and we all have to live in today’s society.
Here the author gives a “white trash timeline” of things that have happened in our culture over the last several decades.
– 1936 – the first ads for tampons were published in a national magazine
– 1956 – the novel “Peyton Place” began its run of the number one best-selling book for over a year
– 1962 – Marilyn Monroe sings a sultry and breathy rendition of happy birthday to Pres. Kennedy
– 1965 – following surgery to remove his gallbladder, Pres. Johnson lifts up his shirt to show the White
House photographers the huge incision on his more than ample abdomen
– 1968 – the Hayes office closes, this is the office which governs the censorship of entertainment and
movies for the US government
– 1969 – openness about formerly forbidden subjects becomes more commonplace as Cher discusses
her breast implants to a national audience
– 1969 – California Gov., Ronald Reagan, signs the nation’s first “no-fault divorce” only to watch the
divorce rates skyrocket from 9% to well over 50% in a very short time
– 1970 – Pres. Nixon and welcomes Elvis Presley to the White House to award him with the “Bureau of
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs” badge that Elvis will become the spokesperson for. The rest is
history
– 1973 – “An American Family” becomes America’s first “reality TV show”
– 1973 – the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King takes place
– 1977 – “Billy Beer” is launched as President Jimmy Carter’s younger (and somewhat embarrassing)
rather become somewhat of a national folk hero and a novelty act
– 1992 – VP Dan Quayle criticizes TV icon (Murphy Brown) for becoming a single mother and thinking
that much about it
– 1994 – Olympic figure skater, Nancy Kerrigan is bashed on the knee and an attempt to get her out of
the Olympic competition by her rival and her rival’s cronies, Tonya Harding
– 1995 – Jerry Springer begins his TV daytime talk show which becomes a stage for brawling, battling
contestants and family members and a very much circus -like atmosphere
– 1995 – Princess Diana spills the “intimate beans” on her marriage, her fantasies, and the fact that she
was not very happy
– 1998 – Pres. Bill Clinton, looks into the camera and addresses the American people with the words “I
did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky”
– 2003 – Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger becomes “Sir Mick Jagger”
– 2010 – Snooky, the reality TV star, makes Barbara Walters list of “the 10 most fascinating people”
– 2011 – Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries begin their 72 day marriage
– 2012 – With the sinking of the cruise ship the Consta Concordia off the shores of Italy, chivalry is
officially declared dead as perfectly healthy man our person aside, women and children to save
their own sorry skins
– 2013 – “50 Shades of Gray” becomes all the rage has the main audience for the book is for married
house wives who can live out their fantasies with a book that “rocked their world”
These are just a few of the incidences along the timeline of “white trash becoming the new normal” and some of the things that we have observed over the years.
As I am sitting in my living room on a Friday evening scrolling through my TV lineup for tonight, I’m looking at such trashy shows listed as “America’s Got Talent”, “Alaskan Bush People”, “iCarly”, “Dirty Jobs Down Under”, “Hardcore Pawn” and those it just shows on a Friday evening. Of course there are some great classics like MASH and Sex and the City and Seinfeld, but for the most part, our TV is filled with trashy TV shows that have a way of shaping our cultural views.
The author goes into some good detail about what “white trash used to be about”, and how the “new white trash is the new normal”.
She gives a lot of really good examples in one of her chapters at the end of the book over the last several decades of things that have happened in our society on the road to the “new normal of white trash”.
A good, interesting and entertaining book, somewhat humorous at times, a little bit “prudish” at times as well, but all in all a pretty good read.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
