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I take it you have never seen a nice trailer - or a nice family living in a trailer. If you were taken to a modern house trailer, I doubt you could tell the difference. These days, they are usually factory built modular housing - not much different than a site built home.

While I live in a large wooden frame house, many residents of my county live in nice trailers. I would much prefer to live in a trailer on 5 acres of beautiful land than in a condo, apartment, or "planned housing".

Open your eyes to other nice Americans - not everyone who eats what you do for lunch, or wears your same work clothing, is trash.

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.

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.

AMEN!!!!! I live in a nice house in the city, however, I get so sick and dang tired of people acting like they are better than everyone else. I am no better than someone living in a shack! God made us all the same. Some are more fortunate than others but that doesn’t make them better. When cut, I bleed the same color blood you bleed!! People need to grow up!!

My brother lives in a nice double wide trailer on his own property with lots of land and he is being discriminated against and there is no reason for it at all. He is a respected police officer and his wife is in medical school. They have 2 children that LOVE where they live.

Grow up America!!