> "White trash" are viewed by many as a distinct subculture.
I think "white trash" as a category exists pretty much only in areas where there are black people as well--I haven't heard it used where there wasn't such a comparison to be made.
There's usually an implication that white trash (my father's side of the family--my mother's side are good, respectable hillbillies) is acting (pardon the language) "n-wordish". In its own icky way, the term crosses racial boundaries without violating them.
Is the expression common outside the South? My impression is that it's not, but perhaps I'm wrong.
All the best,
John A