"Eurotrash" is a term for certain
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
ans, particularly those perceived to be socialites, stylish and affluent. Eurotrash is often used as a collective term for such European expatriates in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
or other areas with a concentration of wealthy Europeans. Some consider Eurotrash as a
derogatory
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
term, whereas others see it as a humorous, ironic description of themselves or others. There have been discussions in various forums to clarify its intent, with a majority view that the original meaning was not intended to imply impoverished or trashy Europeans, or be the European equivalent of "
white trash
White trash is a derogatory racial and class-related slur used in American English to refer to poor white people, especially in the rural southern United States. The label signifies a social class inside the white population and especially a ...
".
Among the early printed uses of the term was in the early 1980s, when
Taki Theodoracopulos
Panagiotis "Taki" Theodoracopulos (; el, text=Παναγιώτης "Τάκης" Θεοδωρακόπουλος ; born 11 August 1936) is a Greek journalist and writer. He has lived in New York City, London, and Gstaad.
Early life and education ...
, a wealthy
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
living in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, wrote a newspaper column titled "Eurotrash" in ''The East Side Express.''
The term was also used into the 1990s, with American band
Cracker releasing a single called "
Euro-Trash Girl". The song's narrator describes a dissolute life, drifting across Europe in pursuit of an "angel in black," the titular Euro-trash girl.
See also
*
*
*
*
References
Anti-European sentiment
Class discrimination
European diaspora
Pejorative terms for European people
1980s neologisms
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