'White trash' exchange program

Jewish World Review ^ | Oct. 19, 2001 | Phil Perrier

[Focault's Pendulum]

Pardon the post. I thought this was a Bill and Hillary Clinton thread.

It is, but everyone is speaking in code.

[KC_Conspirator]

The only thing worse than this would have been housing him with a gun owner.

No kidding.

[CatoRenasci]

I never said, nor do I believe, that people who lived in trailers were necessarily trash, or that there aren't nice trailers. For whatever reasons, choice or necessity, most of the people who live in trailers are not as well off financially as those who live in owner-occupied conventional houses. Fact. Not a moral statement or judgment. As a couple of posters have pointed out, there are many who place other priorities above the typical middle class house in the 'burbs. I have no problem with that. I don't think it's unfair to say, however, that if they were upper middle class they would not have to make such choices - they would be able to afford conventional housing and the various life-style choices.

That said, I do think that, however unfairly, most Americans look down their noses at those who live in trailers and/or trailer parks. Whether there is more of that attitude in places where there are trailer parks or, as in my community, where they simply don't exist, I cannot speculate. Given the fact of that discrimination -- again without saying it's right -- I don't think putting an exchange student in a lower middle/working class familiy (e.g. security guard) living in a trailer is going to give the student a representative taste of typical American middle class life or have a high probability of making the student a strong friend of America.

[CatoRenasci]

Interesting point. Of course, you understand that firearms are an unspoken class issue in Europe: traditionally only the aristocracy was permitted arms, although in countries like Holland there was more a tradition of citizens bearing arms. Hunting and shooting sports are pastimes of the rich in Europe.

[Martin Tell]

When our daughter was two we hosted a French exchange student. My wife and I had visions of an unpaid au pair. Instead we got a surly anti-American French teenager who had no interest in getting out, speaking English and certainly not helping with the baby (maybe like teenagers in general). The worst part was her hygeine - or the lack thereof. In spite of her being given instructions in writing ("most Americans bathe every day and will expect you to also") she went for over ten days without even a shower. The stink was overpowering. One day we were sitting in the back yard (Summer in Nashville) and she said to me, "It is very hot in the United States." I replied, "Oui, bien sur." Then she said,"tomorrow I think that I will bathe." I endorsed her plan (BTW, she did not bathe and we had to have a confrontation with her). Every since then the phrase, "tomorrow I think that I will bathe" has been a family slogan with us (also "We will NEVER host another foreign student").

[cport]

Oh, you mean a place like Columbine? I'm sure the Kleibolds (sp?) would have had him share Jeffry's love of video games, black trench coats, sawed off shotguns, and Marilyn Manson. Who know's, maybe Stefan could have showed him how to make better pipe bombs that work...you elitest POS.

I'm not very pleased with the article's back-handed slams either. They really missed a chance to expound on the virtues of rural America, where the concepts of God, guns, and country are taken seriously all the time, and not just flown from their Lexus SUV window after a tragedy befalls the nation. Instead, the author used it as a platform for pithy comments about WWF and cornpone.

This middle aged couple sound exactly like what I would want represented to other countries; that hard work doesn't guarantee the Ritz, but can guarantee the opportunity to extract some happiness from their own slice of the American Pie. No wonder the Europeans hate us, and desire to stay socialist, when all they see is what the propagandists tell them, a bunch of lazy classists, who are more worried about their stock portfolio than what is happening to the Constitution. Show them what our working class is about, and why it strives to better itself, and how it still can, instead of the spoiled and pampered elites.

[ravingnutter]

most of the people who live in trailers are not as well off financially as those who live in owner-occupied conventional houses.

Our rural neighborhood and others in the Texas hill country is nothing but single wides and double wides on 2-5 acres each. The vast majority of the people living in our neighborhood make in excess of $75,000/yr. Our yards are manicured to perfection, beautiful decks, hot tubs, the works...no trailer trash here, just honest hard working people that prefer the country life. If it is houses you prefer, there is the slum area down by the lake where all the drug addicts live. Get a life.

[Paulus Invictus]

As little boys, my bro, Mom and I lived for a short time in a sheepherder's caravan, the first, and still to us, the finest rolling mobile home imaginable. It had a stove, beds, storage cabinets and a canvas roof. It was pulled by a two horse-power engine accompanied by two very smart dogs, our own horses plus four thousand sheep. We were entranced and the experience did nothing to "damage" our tender psyches. Years and much life experience later, we still reminisce about our true "mobile home."

[Snardius]

Please allow me this observation. Germany is the country which started two world wars and fostered such humanitarian souls as Hitler and we're concerned about leaving a good impression on them...?

[CatoRenasci]

When our daughter was two we hosted a French exchange student. My wife and I had visions of an unpaid au pair.

Was the girl supposed to be a student in high school or an employee? When our children were small, we had several au pair girls from Europe, but they were all paid under the program we used. Nice girls, some had better work ethics than other, some were better educated than others, some got a great deal out of their year in the US, others less. We included them in all familiy activities and vacations on an equal footing, as the concept au pair dictates. In several cases we met their parents or other relatives who visited. Overall, a wonderful experience.

If she was supposed to be a student, I should think your view of her as an upaid au pair was unreasonable and denigrating. If you went to Europe expecting to be a student, taking part in typical student activities and spending your time (when not studying) with other students, I'm sure you'd be surly if treated as an employee and put to work.

French personal hygiene habits vary, I have met Frenchmen and women whose habits are similar to those you describe, but also Frenchmen and women whose hygiene would satisfy the most fastidious.

[Quilla]

LOL, loose lips.

[Twodees]

This is probably Phil Perrier's idea of a joke. He writes like a posturing little queer anyway. He's a stand-up comic, and is probably making this whole thing up.

[jammer]

Get a life.

Better yet, perhaps he should purchase a double-wide and learn what he's talking about. I will put my Chopin up against any non-concert pianist, but that doesn't make me better than you. But I would damned sure prefer having you as a neighbor and friend than him.

[jammer]

I have to amend that: provided you are not an attorney, FBI agent or Federal Marshal. Those folks ARE scum.

[Martin Tell]

I meant this post as a light-hearted view of my own experience with the program - I certainly did not expect to be cast as Simon Legree. To clarify, we knew all about the program and what was expected; we bent over backwards to include her in all activities. We HOPED she would help watch our daughter from time-to-time, certainly less that what we would have expected if she had been a member of our own family. Not only would she not help out around the house at all, she did not want to participate in any of the activities we planned for her, nor would she willingly participate in any of the group activities the other exchange students were doing. It was obvious she was here only because her parents made her and she detested America. I suppose we got a lemon; I know others who had charming students, but we do not think it is worth the hassle and risk to do it again. Also, I disagree about your views on European bathing habits. Have you every been in a crowded Paris Metro in mid-Summer? Euros do not bathe as often as Americans, as a rule (I know some do). I lived in Europe for six years so I know what I am talking about.

[Rebelbase]

""Does he get to marry a girl named Amber"

Only if the trailer is in W.Va. and Amber is his sister.

[Dakmar]

I, too, was a bit miffed at how the story went from being anti-elitist to nothing more than a Hee-Haw skit. I've known plenty of decent working class people and more than a few rich folk I wouldn't bother to p**s on if they were on fire.

[SJackson]

I take it you have never seen a nice trailer - or a nice family living in a trailer.

An important issue here is the agency apparently hadn't either. If they checked this family out, they knew all about the living conditions, so did Stefan.

CatoRenasci I do think that, however unfairly, most Americans look down their noses at those who live in trailers

Urban dwellers and media, yes. Most other Americans, probably not. Many find that particular attitude kind of funny. Living in a "trailer" or prefab home doesn't automatically qualify you as "trailer trash". If it wasn't for the construction unions, we'd see far more of these in northern urban areas.

I don't think putting an exchange student in a lower middle/working class familiy (e.g. security guard) living in a trailer is going to give the student a representative taste of typical American middle class life or have a high probability of making the student a strong friend of America.

Quite typical, normal Americans, teachers, policemen, firemen, live in manufactured housing. But often not the people these programs are looking for. I think you have to recognize that are typically marketed to middle and upper class families, and that's where the families want their kids placed. It's not the Peace Corps. They are certainly beneficial, but they aren't really about learning about "middle class life" anywhere but in the brochures.

[SJackson]

Our rural neighborhood and others in the Texas hill country is nothing but single wides and double wides on 2-5 acres each. The vast majority of the people living in our neighborhood make in excess of $75,000/yr. Our yards are manicured to perfection, beautiful decks, hot tubs, the works...no trailer trash here, just honest hard working people that prefer the country life. If it is houses you prefer, there is the slum area down by the lake where all the drug addicts live. Get a life.

Isn't there a large city near you? Next time you move, get a contractor from there, some union tradesman. Have them stick build the same home for you for twice as much. You'll help the economy.

[CatoRenasci]

Actually, I don't think we disagree on European bathing habits -- we agree that most aren't as fastidious as Americans, but some are.

It's still not clear from your post whether the girl you had was supposed to be an employee or student. Was the program a true student exchange (such as American Field Service) or was it one of the au pair progams where the students know they are expected to work and are paid a small stipend for pocket money? I do think the expectations for the two are very different. That said, it sounds like you got a real lemon. We never had a French girl, our were all Norwegian, Danish or German.