History Main / WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant

From the Colonial period until roughly the mid-1960s, the WASP was portrayed either heroically or sympathetically. In popular fiction, the WASP was normally the hero : FlashGordon, ProfessorSFXVanDusen, Jimmy Dale aka TheGraySeal, NickCarter, JohnCarterTheWarLordOfMars, etc. In literary fiction, with its greater complexity of characterization, the WASP was normally the sympathetic center of the tale:Isabel Archer in TheportraitOfALady, Hester Prynne in TheScarletLetter, Quentin Compson in TheSoundAndTheFury and AbsalomAbsalom, the eponymous protagonist of Marquand's TheLateGeorgeApley,etc.

Naturally, as the historic "establishment" of American society, [=WASPs=] are seen as AcceptableEthnicTargets in American popular culture. Expect WASP women to be portrayed as {{Rich Bitch}}es, and their male counterparts to be {{Upper Class Twit}}s or {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s. In an American SlobsVersusSnobs plot, they are usually the snobs. The least charitable examples will have them practice [[IncestIsRelative incest]] in order to keep their BlueBlood pure and to keep the money in their family. Sometimes, you'll see a subversion of this, with WASP characters being portrayed as SpoiledSweet or as an UnclePennybags, but these are exceptions. If WASP characters aren't portrayed as members of the upper class, then expect the portrayal of them to focus on their conservatism and un-hip "squareness," being out of touch with popular culture, completely unable to perform any dance invented in the last thirty years, and wondering what is this "hip-hop" thing that their kids are listening to.

* HpLovecraft.

* MississippiBurning used word for word at the [[BlatantLies not]] Klan meeting.

The "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant", or WASP (not to be confused with the [[TheEighties '80s]] {{hair metal}} [[{{WASP}} band]], with BeePeople, or with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots the Women's Airforce Service Pilots]]), is a largely American trope that, today, is often used to describe the stereotypical "white" person in American culture. Historically, however, it described the "white establishment" that ran America up until around the mid-late 20th century -- upper-class Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent (meaning, roughly, English, Welsh, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and German - and Scotch-Irish, who historically made up the bulk of America's frontier underclass, would not necessarily qualify even today). In keeping with the view of them as the "American aristocracy," they are typically stereotyped as having a strong attachment to upper-class English culture, and partaking in such activities as squash, polo, golf, tennis and yachting. Most of them lived in the old colonial cities on the East Coast, which led to the term "Eastern Establishment" being used to describe them. Being a WASP was very much a matter of privilege -- you had to be born into the right family, attend the right churches (hence the "Protestant" part; Catholics and Jews often found themselves shut out of the halls of power), and be able to trace your lineage back to the right places (so-called "white ethnic" groups like [[TheIrishDiaspora the Irish]], Poles, Jews and Italians need not apply).

* Greg Montgomery and his parents, Edward and Kitty from ''DharmaAndGreg''. They know that they're Protestant, but they're not sure which denomination. Edward thinks they're Episcopalian.

* Greg Montgomery and his parents, Edward and Kitty from ''DharmaAndGreg''. When they learn that Dharma's last name is Finkelstein, Kitty awkwardly asks if she knows their other Jewish friends, the Gottliebs.

** Lois's parents, Carter and Babs Pewterschmitt, are about as rich and WASP-y as you can get. One of the many reasons her father hates Peter is because Peter is Irish Catholic. That and he's a poor, fat, drunken, rude, idiot slob.

* Charles Montgomery Burns from ''TheSimpsons''.

* Every [[ThePresidents US President]] except JohnFKennedy and BarackObama.
** This definition promiscuously combines ''genuinely'' WASP Presidents such as JohnAdams and GeraldFord with men like MartinVanBuren (whose first language wasn't even English!) and leaders of Scots-Irish descent (AndrewJackson and HarryTruman among them) whose ancestors despised Catholics and Jews, it is true, but also despised social snobbery and the English!

The "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant", or WASP (not to be confused with the [[TheEighties '80s]] {{hair metal}} [[{{WASP}} band]], with BeePeople, or with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots the Women's Airforce Service Pilots]]), is a largely American trope that, today, is often used to describe the stereotypical "white" person in American culture. Historically, however, it described the "white establishment" that ran America up until around the mid-late 20th century -- upper-class Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent (meaning, roughly, English, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and German). In keeping with the view of them as the "American aristocracy," they are typically stereotyped as having a strong attachment to upper-class English culture, and partaking in such activities as squash, polo, golf, tennis and yachting. Most of them lived in the old colonial cities on the East Coast, which led to the term "Eastern Establishment" being used to describe them. Being a WASP was very much a matter of privilege -- you had to be born into the right family, attend the right churches (hence the "Protestant" part; Catholics and Jews often found themselves shut out of the halls of power), and be able to trace your lineage back to the right places (so-called "white ethnic" groups like [[TheIrishDiaspora the Irish]], Poles, Jews and Italians need not apply).

Post-WorldWarII, the power of [=WASPs=] began to decline, partly because of the CivilRightsMovement and the liberalism of TheSixties making the idea of a privileged class less acceptable to mainstream America, and partly because of the growing assimilation and political power of Catholics and "white ethnics" and a lessening of prejudice against these groups. The postwar GI Bill allowed millions of WorldWarII and [[TheKoreanWar Korea]] vets (many of whom were non-[=WASPs=]) to attend college, breaking WASP dominance of higher education. As non-[=WASPs=] became more assimilated and middle-class, eventually the term itself began to undergo TropeDecay, being applied to any sufficiently assimilated "white" group whether or not they were actually Anglo-Saxon or Protestant. Today, a more accurate descriptor for the modern usage of "WASP" would be the less-punny "WCMC" for "White Christian Middle Class"... except that in some parts, Jews and East Asians are considered to be well enough assimilated to be called [=WASPs=], so not even the "White" and "Christian" descriptors are fully applicable. And so the term "WASP" remains as an ArtifactTitle to basically describe "mainstream" upper- and middle-class America. So, in summation, a "WASP" could probably be best described as any wealthy or suburban American who is not Black, Latino, Asian, Native, Pacific Islander, or Arab. (Whew!)

The "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant", or WASP (not to be confused with the [[TheEighties '80s]] {{hair metal}} [[{{WASP}} band]], with BeePeople, or with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots the Women's Airforce Service Pilots]]), is a largely American trope that, today, is often used to describe the stereotypical "white" person in American culture. Historically, however, it described the "white establishment" that ran America up until around the mid-late 20th century -- upper-class Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent (meaning, roughly, English, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and German). In keeping with the view of them as the "American aristocracy," they are typically stereotyped as having a strong attachment to upper-class English culture, and partaking in such activities as squash, polo, golf, tennis and yachting. Most of them lived in the old colonial cities on the East Coast, which led to the term "Eastern Establishment" being used to describe them -- a term that was especially common in [[AmericanPoliticalSystem the Republican Party]], which they had a very strong influence in at the time. Being a WASP was very much a matter of privilege -- you had to be born into the right family, attend the right churches (hence the "Protestant" part; Catholics and Jews often found themselves shut out of the halls of power), and be able to trace your lineage back to the right places (so-called "white ethnic" groups like [[TheIrishDiaspora the Irish]], Poles, Jews and Italians need not apply).

&http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3956711,00.html

* There was an alcohol ad that combined this with PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy by having a young WASP rapping about his rich lifestyle. Can someone provide the link?

The "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant", or WASP (not to be confused with the [[TheEighties '80s]] {{hair metal}} [[{{WASP}} band]], or with BeePeople), is a largely American trope that, today, is often used to describe the stereotypical "white" person in American culture. Historically, however, it described the "white establishment" that ran America up until around the mid-late 20th century -- upper-class Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent (meaning, roughly, English, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and German). In keeping with the view of them as the "American aristocracy," they are typically stereotyped as having a strong attachment to upper-class English culture, and partaking in such activities as squash, polo, golf, tennis and yachting. Most of them lived in the old colonial cities on the East Coast, which led to the term "Eastern Establishment" being used to describe them -- a term that was especially common in [[AmericanPoliticalSystem the Republican Party]], which they had a very strong influence in at the time. Being a WASP was very much a matter of privilege -- you had to be born into the right family, attend the right churches (hence the "Protestant" part; Catholics and Jews often found themselves shut out of the halls of power), and be able to trace your lineage back to the right places (so-called "white ethnic" groups like [[TheIrishDiaspora the Irish]], Poles, Jews and Italians need not apply).

Post-WorldWarII, the power of [=WASPs=] began to decline, partly because of the CivilRightsMovement and the liberalism of TheSixties making the idea of a privileged class less acceptable to mainstream America, and partly because of the growing assimilation and political power of Catholics and "white ethnics" and a lessening of prejudice against these groups. The postwar GI Bill allowed millions of WorldWarII and [[TheKoreanWar Korea]] vets (many of whom were non-[=WASPs=]) to attend college, breaking WASP dominance of higher education. As non-[=WASPs=] became more assimilated and middle-class, eventually the term itself began to undergo TropeDecay, being applied to any sufficiently assimilated "white" group whether or not they were actually Anglo-Saxon or Protestant. Today, a more accurate descriptor for the modern usage of "WASP" would be the less-punny "WCMC" for "White Christian Middle Class"... except that in some parts, Jews and East Asians are considered to be well enough assimilated to be called [=WASPs=], so not even the "White" and "Christian" descriptors are fully applicable. And so the term "WASP" remains as an ArtifactTitle to basically describe "mainstream" upper- and middle-class America.

Post-WorldWarII, the power of [=WASPs=] began to decline, partly because of the CivilRightsMovement and the liberalism of TheSixties making the idea of a privileged class less acceptable to mainstream America, and partly because of the growing assimilation and political power of Catholics and "white ethnics" and a lessening of prejudice against these groups. The postwar GI Bill allowed millions of WorldWarII and [[TheKoreanWar Korea]] vets (many of whom were non-[=WASPs=]) to attend college, breaking WASP dominance of higher education. As non-[=WASPs=] became more assimilated and middle-class, eventually the term itself began to undergo TropeDecay, being applied to any sufficiently assimilated "white" group whether or not they were actually Anglo-Saxon or Protestant. Today, a more accurate descriptor for the modern usage of "WASP" would be the less-punny "WCMC" for "White Christian Middle-Class"... except that in some parts, Jews and East Asians are considered to be well enough assimilated to be called [=WASPs=], so not even the "White" and "Christian" descriptors are fully applicable. And so the term "WASP" remains as an ArtifactTitle to basically describe "mainstream" upper- and middle-class America.

Naturally, as the historic "establishment" of American society, [=WASPs=] are seen as AcceptableEthnicTargets in American popular culture. Expect WASP women to be portrayed as {{Rich Bitch}}es, and their male counterparts to be {{Upper Class Twit}}s or {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s. The least charitable examples will have them practice [[IncestIsRelative incest]] in order to keep their BlueBlood pure and to keep the money in their family. If they try dancing, then expect them to [[EpicFail fail miserably]]. Sometimes, you'll see a subversion of this, with WASP characters being portrayed as SpoiledSweet or as an UnclePennybags, but these are exceptions.

The "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant", or WASP (not to be confused with the [[TheEighties '80s]] {{hair metal}} [[{{WASP}} band]]), is a largely American trope that, today, is often used to describe the stereotypical "white" person in American culture. Historically, however, it described the "white establishment" that ran America up until around the mid-late 20th century -- upper-class Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent (meaning, roughly, English, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and German). In keeping with the view of them as the "American aristocracy," they are typically stereotyped as having a strong attachment to upper-class English culture, and partaking in such activities as squash, polo, golf, tennis and yachting. Most of them lived in the old colonial cities on the East Coast, which led to the term "Eastern Establishment" being used to describe them -- a term that was especially common in [[AmericanPoliticalSystem the Republican Party]], which they had a very strong influence in at the time. Being a WASP was very much a matter of privilege -- you had to be born into the right family, attend the right churches (hence the "Protestant" part; Catholics and Jews often found themselves shut out of the halls of power), and be able to trace your lineage back to the right places (so-called "white ethnic" groups like [[TheIrishDiaspora the Irish]], Poles, Jews and Italians need not apply).

* [[Tropers/TheRedRedKroovy This troper]] remembers an alcohol ad that combined this with PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy by having a young WASP rapping about his rich lifestyle. Can someone provide the link?

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