African Americans; United States -- Race relations
Much is said against the “poor Whites” or “poor white trash,” as
the white proletariat is called by the black proletariat. They are
said to be the worst enemies of the Negro, and the Negro is afraid
of Bolshevism or Socialism because he knows the common white people,
“those who have nothing and are nothing,” are the last people likely
to give him justice. As one of the most popular of Negro leaders said
recently: “As long as Socialism is followed by the lower classes of
Whites, we can see there is more danger coming from Socialism to the
Negro than from anything else, because below the Mason and Dixon line
the people who lynch Negroes are the low-down Whites.” Of course those
crowds who joyfully allow themselves to be photographed around the
charred remains of the Negro they have burnt, thus affording the most
terrible means of propaganda to Negro societies, are more of the dull,
uneducated masses than of the refined and rich. They hate the Negro
more because they are thrown more in contact with him, and their women
are more accessible to him. They are in competition with the Negro for
work and wages, and would gladly welcome a complete exodus to the North
or to Liberia, for then their wages would go up. Physically, and man
for man, they are afraid of the Negro, and therefore they attack him
in mobs. Fortunately, there are not in the South great numbers of poor
Whites except in the large cities and at the ports.
By contrast with the people of the North, the people of the South are
noisy, very polite indoors, but brusque and rough without. They will do
a great deal for you as a friend, but not much for you as a stranger.
They have sharp-cut features, thin lips, blank brows. The women do
not take on a fair fullness of flesh, but are inclined to dry up and
fade. There are an enormous number of faded women everywhere—a sign,
perhaps, that the climate does not suit the race. The accent seems to
vary with the State, and Tennessee speaks with far more distinction
than Georgia, where the “nigger brogue” prevails, and it is difficult
to tell White from Black by voice. Nearly all r’s are dropped. Moral
character is said to be weak, but there is nevertheless a very high
standard, at least in matters of sex. The Southern woman is by no means
as conscious of her charms as the Northern woman, and an unusually
susceptible male could spend a quiet time in these parts. Men are not
thinking of love and composing poems, even though it is the South, but
they are if anything keener on business and money. Most people seemed
suspicious of strangers, not communicative, but once they have taken
the stranger to their hearts they easily become warm-heartedly effusive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account