reading post 3 -- white trash and rock and roll

The article by Sweeny makes the point that Elvis is an icon of the white class culture. As a white male from a working class family in the South, Elvis clearly fits the stereotype of what the author describes as "white trash." His extravagant costumes and performances contribute to the carnivalistic attitude of wanting things in excess. Elvis' continual substance abuse problems and weight gains toward the end of his career are also characterized by wanting things in excess, and it is this excess that led to his death. The only area where Elvis might not fit the "white trash" description is in a sense of laziness--most of his film characters were blue collar workers and Elvis himself had to work as performer and eventually joined the army.

But if you asked people what Elvis as an iconic figure represented, it would almost surely not be white trash--Elvis is first and foremost an icon of rock and roll. What is strange, however, is that the traits that Sweeny describes as white trash are some of the most dominant characteristics of rock and roll. Rock and roll is closely linked to delinquency and youth's struggle to get by when authorities seem to be against them and what their music stands for. Rock and roll figures in film often have issues with violence and respecting boundaries, expressing most of the characteristic that Sweeny ties to carnival. They act freely and in excess, reacting emotionally and physically to most situations.

Rock and roll, much like the white trash stereotype is also linked with with African Americans, many of whom were from the South. Many rock and roll songs were very self-reflexive and refer to rock and roll itself as a very primitive form. Rock and roll took the working class labor, which is also associated with African American slaves, and added sex and music to the equation. Elvis became known as white man singing black music to many audiences because of his connection to rhythm and blues and gospel roots.

Does this mean, however, that rock and roll is synonymous with white trash? Despite the defining difference that white trash society has an amount of laziness to it that is not present in rock and roll culture, they appear to be almost exactly the same as Sweeny presents them. Even in rock and roll, the idea of delinquency could be interpreted as a kind of laziness, which would make their characteristic almost identical. so are white trash culture and rock and roll culture the same?