Degenerate
A degenerate (in its derogatory use) is a person who, from the perspective of the speaker, is "less than" or has "fallen from grace" - i.e., has degenerated from some pure or true form, into what they are now. In the US, the term has often been applied by the "rich, white, morally correct" folks to such unwanted groups as hippies, homosexuals, drunks and dope fiends.
The term was also frequently use by explorers, missionaries, and "scholars" from the so-called "Old world", to describe the so called primitive inhabitants of the Americas and Africa. The term stuck with such people long after they were part of the world's "modern society" when trying to make a case that some races were inferior to others. This is why most people imagine a toff voice in their head when they think of the word.
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