I don't see them very often. Once or twice a year, at most. They hold somewhat of a mythical position in my family. In so many senses. But this weekend, my white trash relatives were under some kind of murder threat and had to relocate, until social services could arrange a temporary housing. So, in lack of other acquaintances, they stayed at our house. And, for some reason, I felt the need to stay at our house too, even if I have my own place, nowadays. I couldn't miss this. Not for the world.
So there we were, the five of us, plus ten (10) extra people in the household. There were mullets, there were visible buttcracks, there were babies, there was teenage mother, there were cousins, there were strangers, there were cigarettes, there were large amounts of coca cola, there was uncommunicativeness, there were sisterly childhood issues and there were different notions of the importance of personal space.
At the same time, I tried working on my essay, reading Foucault, thinking about society, and normativity. Also, I read about the modern human being and its ability to reflect upon its own situation and place in the world.
White trash is not "the norm". Being white trash could thus function as a sort of resistance against the power of normativity. (And I can sense that resistance!) That ought to make white trash cool. Resistance of power is cool, no? However, at the same time, you're only truly white trash as long as you do not reflect too much on yourself or your situation. Or anything. This produces a relatively dull person, which couldn't really constitute as modern. And if you're not modern, you can't be cool. Or...?
Anyway, to sum up, I've decided not to convert to white trash. Not for now. But it's been a memorable weekend. I love my aunt but, damn it, she derides people, and me, I really try not to.
But I just did.
Shit.
2008-02-23
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Ideology huh? Sounds a bit too... fleeting. Scheming. Also, ideology demands a certain degree of reflexivity, no?
But, as I said, I can sense the reistance, as if it really is deliberate. And I can't see a clear distinction of socio-economic class.
I mean, these people used to be "normal". Normal house, normal jobs, normal family size, normal way of pretending that you are like everybody else. But lately, it's just gone awry. They stopped pretending (unlike the rest of us?).
Ideology? Culture? Mishap?
Perhaps it really is just a lifestyle then. Because like you point out they are really just like the rest only they've strayed from the path of normativity.
A lifestyle includes light elements of an ideology, but also comes with physical elements like the specific material culture associated with this group of people. Lifestyles are often also a type of resistance of the norm.
It's like Camp - when you put the normative on steroids and pump it up into the almost bizarre.
As in when something is camp as in over the top kinda gay.
You know how stereotypical gay men can be - camp.
Though that is a good movie.
Ah. I see now. Camp.
Almost like how I'm the opposite of camp when I'm being a stereotypical gay man.
- Unexpected, yet cliché.
Post a Comment