Extract
Class, pedagogy and praxis.
Open up a campus newspaper or visit a t-shirt shop near campus and you will likely find caricatures of the poor and working poor. It is all the rage, nowadays, for sororities and fraternities, dorms and student groups to hold "white trash parties" in which guests come dressed as homeless people, poor people, and "trashy" blue-collar workers. Stores that cater to campus crowds sell t-shirts that define what it means to be "trailer trash," indicating that the wearer is in a position to trash the "trash." Ironically, these parties are prevalent in the academy, attended by members of a community that claims to celebrate diversity. We contend that such practices are possible because classism is not adequately addressed in academe--even under the rubric multiculturalism--and as a result, it remains a socially acceptable form of discrimination on our campuses and in U.S. culture. That "white trash parties" and "trailer trash" t-shirts exist on campuses where class is reportedly a visible component of classroom discussions, demonstrates an underlying societal conviction that an inability to obtain middle-class success is a matter of individual failure or choice, and not the result of institutionalized marginalization and systemic discr...
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