The car stopped in the driveway of a shabby two storied house in an average looking neighborhood. A woman came out with a little cart full of mysterious household tools. I gasped. She is white! In her mid forties, with long hoarse dirty blond hair, weathered and wrinkled face that shows the hardship of life, an outfit not worth detail description, a smile reluctant, she greeted me with an accent that I am not familiar with – of a native speaker with limited education and no sophistication. The image of the Mexican nanny in “Babel” vanished, what popped up in front of me instead were women on Jerry Springer show and the mom from the movie “8 miles”. 

I concealed my setback with a polite handshake and a warm smile but I could see her shock from her dull eyes. She probably would never imagine the popular daughter in-law of Mr. and Mrs. S to be an Asian. Mom sensed my surprise and later told me that Donna is a local from a poor family, not very bright herself in life and continued to live an unfruitful life. “There are many Americans live the same way she does. You are distant from it because people around you are usually shrewd and capable.”

I don’t personally know any but from time to time I hear some use a lowly word to describe this type - “white trash”, an expression that often makes me uncomfortable. No matter how low and how unintelligent they are, no human beings should be addressed as trash. Trash means something to be disposed, to be thrown out, like what Nazi did to people in the concentration camps.

There are various political groups fighting and lobbying for interests for blacks, Asians, gays etc.  Blacks demand compensations from slavery trades hundred years ago though no one dares to pinpoint that those slaves were slaves in Africa to start with and was sold by traders of their own tribe. Asians are still not classified as minority to enjoy various benefits but they usually have their own communities to fall back on. Gays are economically superior since they don’t have a family to support. Poor whites in depressed Midwest area such as Detroit are often forgotten. Since automobile companies embraced globalization to rip more profit from the cheaper labors in third world countries, they are left alone to struggle with life. Eminent’s angry raps shocked the nation for a short period but did not bring much helps. Uneducated and unsophisticated, they don’t know how to play the game of politics and manipulate the system to their benefits.

Couple of hours later, Donna took off to go to the next door neighbor. I handed her the Christmas gifts mom prepared for her children and a generous year end gratuities. She thanked me and mumbled something inaudible.  Looking at the hunch figure disappearing into the corner, the grey sky cast a shadow on my once lighthearted and cheerful spirit.