I found the
article “The King of White Trash Culture” to be particularly fascinating. Mainly for the fact that I have never once
thought so in depth about what it means to be "White Trash," or the conventions
and ideologies that surround it. And
yet, at the same time, when the author labeled iconographic examples of the White
Trash identity, they were all concrete examples of what I myself would define as
White Trash. So perhaps it is something
I have thought about before but stored in the back of my mind,
considering it almost racist to think of someone in those terms.
I'll be honest, growing up in a White family from the northern part of the east coast, I
have always considered Elvis to be White Trash in a sense. It’s strange because I really enjoy his
songs, but only when other artists do covers of them. The actually music he recorded I usually
dislike. However, I always know his
music, and his image is instantly recognizable.
So, while he wasn’t worshipped by my family or by anyone from my region
of the country, he still was a cultural force in my life: Whether for being
considered trash or not.
What really
was fascinating to me about the article was the “religion” that is The
King. I obviously knew of the countless
impersonators, but I never knew that some people dressed as him for anything
other than monetary reasons (i.e. to spread his “word"). I cannot think of any other celebrity who has
this kind of Jesus-like relationship with their “followers” (fans).
While
reading, I realized that in my mind, the word “impersonator” is
synonymous with Elvis. When I think of
anyone being an impersonator, my mind automatically assumes the person will don
the white jumpsuit, sunglasses, and slicked back black hair. Further, the words “Thank you, thank you very
much,” play in the back of my head. I guess, overall,
I think of him as something that people do to be funny: Pull out a bad
impersonation. However, as the article
states, Elvis is so much more than a silly voice and hip thrust, but rather an entire way of life, and that, to me, is shocking.
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