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Old 01-14-2008, 10:17 AM
 
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I think the OP is a good question. I do think that when people think about the poor, the thought is frequently about inner-city minorities. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that they may be more visible than the poor in rural Appalachia or that they have better organized groups to speak for them. I would imagine that the white poor do feel left out of the conversation at times. I think the representation that they get may have something to do with why politicians pander to them. For example, they may be trying to get the endorsement of someone like Jesse Jackson.

 
Old 01-14-2008, 10:25 AM
 
607 posts, read 920,834 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backfist View Post
I think YOU ended up supporting the OP's underlying premise.

Black Americans are regularly criticized and condemned for not considering ourselves Americans first, and for not touting America's goodness. Yet when the opportunity arises to address a problem like poverty, way too many [non-Black] folks prefer not to see it as an American problem, but as a Black problem--as indicated by your rebuttal.
The OP asked why blacks are the defacto symbol of poverty, and I was merely replying to the question with the response "because they are more likely to be poor." Just a simple observation, I wasn't trying to say that it's the "blacks' problem."

I agree with Rggr - inner-city poor blacks from crime-ridden neighborhoods are far more visible than farmers out in the middle of Wyoming who aren't really making news.
 
Old 01-14-2008, 11:13 AM
 
5,110 posts, read 7,118,859 times
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Quote:
1. Why do liberals champion poor black over poor whites?

They don't
2. How do poor whites feel as a forgotten group?

Because many poor whites are voting Republican

3. Is this done to maintain some sort of imaginary status quo?

It benefits many non-liberals if most the country can point to blacks as poor and of course poor because they are lazy etc.

4. Is anyone informed of this information?

Most people are aware of the financial situation, but unfortunately some believe that many nonissues are more important than the realities that are crushing the middle and lower classes.

5. If this is true why are blacks defacto scapegoats for welfare?

Because it benefits those who are against any funds - any legislation that might go to helping poor Americans black or white

6. Is this the reason the news prefers to use percentages of pop as opposed to total raw numbers?

The problem is deeper than the news.




......................
 
Old 01-14-2008, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Atlanta, GA
2,290 posts, read 5,532,671 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by purplecow1 View Post
I agree with Rggr - inner-city poor blacks from crime-ridden neighborhoods are far more visible than farmers out in the middle of Wyoming who aren't really making news.
Yes, inner city poor Blacks are more "visible". That's precisely what truthhurts is pointing out. The question is why society chooses to see them, rather than the farmers you mentioned.
 
Old 01-14-2008, 11:39 AM
 
20,187 posts, read 23,776,370 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by purplecow1 View Post
Didn't you end up proving the opposite point though? The numbers show that even though whites make up 77% of the labor force, they only make up 53% of poor families, and while blacks make up only 10% of the labor force, they make up a disproportionate 26% of poor families. Therefore, blacks are more likely to be poor.
This is funny, you say that although whites make up a majority of the poor, the blacks constitute only 10% of the labor force? Is this is abnormal? Nope, its probably because blacks only constitute 12% of the population in America (whites are at 73%). It would make sense, since you have less of one race then you would expect the same proportion in the total work force. Blacks are not more likely to be poor but it is a popular belief because of mainstream media saying it over and over and over and over again. Now, if you were to compare different class levels like low-income (not poor) then there is a disproportionate amount of blacks compared to blacks in middle-class and the upper tiers. However, I can't say that this is because they are being actively suppressed. It is multifactorial, with only probably a small amount being oppression (probably less than 10%). A big factor would be the "black identity" in that because they are black the feel "entitled" to everything without working for it (e.g. the ancestors were slaves, racisim, etc.) and if they don't get what they want they use the "race card". This is a big turn-off in the labor industry when everyone is working. Another reason are parents who fail to push their children to achieve higher goals (parent apathy) and let "nature take its course". Overall, you don't see many AA attempting to pursue higher goals but are "satisfied" with being where they are. If you are satisfied where you are, you aren't going to move up in society. Are we to be blamed for their apathy? Even today I see a lot of AA in university and colleges trying to make a better life for themselves and succeeding. If anything, I see the AA community rising beyond the low-income levels to middle-class America. There are small pockets of AA that continue to live with the status quo but I can't say that about the overall AA community. I do feel however that white families are being left behind even though they truly make up the majority of the poor families. But the media hasn't used this much in mainstream media and so nobody really cares. Its funny that the media would dictate people's beliefs and course of action. We have the internet now, its time people start learning the truth of the matter. Its time to leave apathy at the back door and be pro-active about your life.
 
Old 01-14-2008, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Land of Thought and Flow
8,323 posts, read 15,135,180 times
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I'm going to tackle the Subject Question... "Why are blacks the defacto Symbol of Poverty in the US?"

It's a basic human thing called stereotypes.

Not to sound racist, but picture your definition of "Welfare Queen". Now tell me whether or not you're picturing a slightly larger black woman with a new hairstyle, fresh manicure, with 3+ kids running around Wal-mart while she shops. That, for instance, is a stereotype.

It all deals with perception. Best example of how perception changes judgement - A Time to Kill

Quote:
I want to tell you a story. I'm going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves. Go ahead. Close your eyes, please. This is a story about a little girl walking home from the grocery store one sunny afternoon. I want you to picture this little girl. Suddenly a truck races up. Two men jump out and grab her. They drag her into a nearby field and they tie her up and they rip her clothes from her body. Now they climb on. First one, then the other, ---- her, shattering everything innocent and pure with a vicious thrust in a fog of drunken breath and sweat. And when they're done, after they've killed her tiny womb, murdered any chance for her to have children, to have life beyond her own, they decide to use her for target practice. They start throwing full beer cans at her. They throw them so hard that it tears the flesh all the way to her bones. Then they urinate on her. Now comes the hanging. They have a rope. They tie a noose. Imagine the noose going tight around her neck and with a sudden blinding jerk she's pulled into the air and her feet and legs go kicking. They don't find the ground. The hanging branch isn't strong enough. It snaps and she falls back to the earth. So they pick her up, throw her in the back of the truck and drive out to Foggy Creek Bridge. Pitch her over the edge. And she drops some thirty feet down to the creek bottom below. Can you see her? Her ---, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their -----, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she's white.
The facts mean nothing to a society bent on watching or reading news from one source and believing it. Perception, stereotypes, and fluff news stations giving one-sided news reports to make you believe what they feel is right.
 
Old 01-14-2008, 01:55 PM
ck9
 
Location: a van down by the river
71 posts, read 123,827 times
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no easy answers here but has anyone considered that other western countries like brittain have sizeable black populations and dont have the same problems?
 
Old 01-14-2008, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, GA
2,290 posts, read 5,532,671 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ck9 View Post
no easy answers here but has anyone considered that other western countries like brittain have sizeable black populations and dont have the same problems?
Britain has a similar problem. The majority of British Blacks are either middle or upper class, while a small but persistent percentage of Blacks (often Caribbean) are poor and predisposed to crime, violence, welfare dependence, etc.

And the latter are the ones who gain the most attention.
 
Old 01-14-2008, 02:19 PM
 
3,570 posts, read 3,741,100 times
Reputation: 1344
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rggr View Post
I think the OP is a good question. I do think that when people think about the poor, the thought is frequently about inner-city minorities. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that they may be more visible than the poor in rural Appalachia or that they have better organized groups to speak for them. I would imagine that the white poor do feel left out of the conversation at times. I think the representation that they get may have something to do with why politicians pander to them. For example, they may be trying to get the endorsement of someone like Jesse Jackson.
Actually, it has everything to do with the Southern strategy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Old 01-14-2008, 02:23 PM
LM1
 
Location: NEFL/Chi, IL
833 posts, read 992,642 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by truthhurts View Post
Purplecow you make the obvious point that the news makes and I do not disagree with you, but poverty needs to be looked at in raw numbers.
No, the issue is of proportion, not of "raw numbers".

If we were to examine Japan, there's a pretty good chance that near 100% of their impoverished citizens would be Japanese. This doesn't bespeak of anything inherent to the Japanese, but rather to the demographics of that particular country... You'd have to be a complete retard to infer otherwise.

The fact that blacks exhibit a higher degree of poverty in relation to their population in the United States (or, basically, anywhere else they occur) is a serious issue and the one that causes the most discussion.

Pointing out that the majority of impoverished citizens in a majority-white country just so happen to be white is like saying that you're more likely to find fish in a lake rather than a desert. Gosh, go figure.

The issue is that any given black person is far more likely to be in poverty (or a rapist, robber, murder, arsonist, etc) than any given white person- which very, very much makes it a "black issue". To maintain that the issue has do to with "raw numbers" - thus removing the onus from social behavior and placing it on raw demographics- is incredibly intellectually dishonest and MOD CUT.

Last edited by NewToCA; 01-14-2008 at 07:56 PM.. Reason: rude comments
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