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'''WASP''' is a disparaging term for '''White Anglo-Saxon Protestants''' in the United States or Canada, usually in a reference to an apparent elite status. It is usually spelled in capital letters, suggesting the nasty [[wasp]] insect. The "Anglo-Saxon" part means of English descent, though in common usage people descended from elsewhere in western and northern Europe are included.  

'''WASP''' is a disparaging term for '''White Anglo-Saxon Protestants'''. The term is commonly used in the United States or Canada, usually in a reference to an apparent elite status. It is usually spelled in capital letters, suggesting the nasty [[wasp|insect]]. The "Anglo-Saxon" part means of English descent, though in common usage people descended from elsewhere in western and northern [[Europe]] are included.  

By contrast [[Yankee]] refers to New Englanders of English descent, regardless of social status, while WASP includes high status white Southerners.<ref> More generally, Southerners in the U.S. call all Northerners "Yankees", and people outside the U.S. call all Americans "Yankees" or "Yanks."</ref>   

By contrast, [[Yankee]] refers to New Englanders of English descent, regardless of social status, while WASP includes high status white Southerners.<ref> More generally, Southerners in the U.S. call all Northerners "Yankees", and people outside the U.S. call all Americans "Yankees" or "Yanks."</ref>   

The term WASP is usually used in a disparaging or humorous manner, and many dictionaries warn against casual usage.

The term WASP is usually used in a disparaging or humorous manner, and many dictionaries warn against casual usage.

===Sociology===

===Sociology===

WASP was popularized by sociologist and University of Pennsylvania professor E. Digby Baltzell in his 1964 book ''The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy & Caste in America''. However, its first recorded use was by Andrew Hacker in 1957.<ref>Andrew Hacker, 1957, ''American Political Science Review'' 51:1009-1026. WASP was also used by Erdman B. Palmore in ''The American Journal of Sociology'' in 1962.</ref>

WASP was popularized by sociologist and [[University of Pennsylvania]] professor E. Digby Baltzell in his 1964 book ''The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy & Caste in America''. However, its first recorded use was by Andrew Hacker in 1957.<ref>Andrew Hacker, 1957, ''American Political Science Review'' 51:1009-1026. WASP was also used by Erdman B. Palmore in ''The American Journal of Sociology'' in 1962.</ref>

The original use of WASP denoted either an ethnic group, or the culture, customs, and heritage of early Western European settlers in what is today the United States. The [[New England]] Yankee elite were almost exclusively of English extraction.  

The original use of WASP denoted either an ethnic group, or the culture, customs, and heritage of early Western European settlers in what is today the United States. The [[New England]] Yankee elite were almost exclusively of English extraction.  

WASPs vary in religion, from secular to Episcopalian, [[Presbyterian]], Congregational, [[Baptist]] and [[Methodist]]. [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]] fit the WASP profile exactly. [[John Forbes Kerry]] fits the profile except he is Catholic. Barack Obama, while WASP on his mother's side, is never called a WASP.  Catholics, Mormons and Jews are not called WASPs, nor are people of Hispanic or Asian descent.

WASPs vary in religion, from secular to Episcopalian, [[Presbyterian]], Congregational, [[Baptist]] and [[Methodist]]. [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]] fit the WASP profile exactly. [[John Forbes Kerry]] fits the profile except he is Catholic. Barack Obama, while WASP on his mother's side, is never called a WASP.  [[Catholic]]s, [[Mormon]]s and [[Jew]]s are not called WASPs, nor are people of Hispanic or [[Asia]]n descent.

Social registers and society pages listed the privileged, who mingled in the same private clubs, attended the same churches, and lived in neighborhoods &mdash; Philadelphia's "Main Line", New York City's Upper East Side, and Boston's "Beacon Hill" neighborhoods.

Social registers and society pages listed the privileged, who mingled in the same private clubs, attended the same churches, and lived in neighborhoods &mdash; Philadelphia's "Main Line", New York City's Upper East Side, and Boston's "Beacon Hill" neighborhoods.

==Fading dominance==

==Fading dominance==

It was not until after World War II that the networks of privilege and power in the old Protestant establishment began to lose significance. Many reasons have been attributed to the WASP decline and books have been written detailing it. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DB153EF934A25752C0A967958260] Among the reasons often cited is increased competitive pressure as the WASPs themselves opened the doors to competition.  The GI Bill brought higher education to the children of other groups , and the postwar era created ample economic opportunity for a growing new middle class. Nevertheless, white Protestants remain represented in the country's cultural, political, and economic élite.<ref>Davidson, James D.; Pyle, Ralph E.; Reyes, David V.: "Persistence and Change in the Protestant Establishment, 1930-1992," ''Social Forces'', Vol. 74, No. 1. (September., 1995), p. 164</ref>

It was not until after World War II that the networks of privilege and power in the old Protestant establishment began to lose significance. Many reasons have been attributed to the WASP decline and books have been written detailing it. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DB153EF934A25752C0A967958260] Among the reasons often cited is increased competitive pressure as the WASPs themselves opened the doors to competition.  The GI Bill brought higher education to the children of other groups , and the postwar era created ample economic opportunity for a growing new middle class. Nevertheless, white Protestants remain represented in the country's cultural, political, and economic élite.<ref>Davidson, James D.; Pyle, Ralph E.; Reyes, David V.: "Persistence and Change in the Protestant Establishment, 1930-1992," ''Social Forces'', Vol. 74, No. 1. (September., 1995), p. 164</ref>