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THIS ^^^
Here is another example of poverty and victimization not being a justification for all the crime and ghettoizing of many black communities.
I taught high school in a black majority school for a few years that had a lot of the "boat people" refugees showing up from mostly Laos and Cambodia who were fleeing from the horrors there.
These refugees showed up with NOTHING,-- many had been robbed by pirates on the seas and many of the young girls had been raped and tortured. They faced a lot of discrimination and prejudice. They mostly refused to take government welfare and were supported by the Asian communities with charity and help. Their "victimization" and poverty was way worse than the blacks, yet without even knowing our language or culture very well, they thrived.
Parents would ask me to stay after school or during my lunch to give extra help to their kids and offered me labor or would bring me veggies from their community gardens. Only rarely did a black parent ask for help with their failing strident. The refugee culture knew the importance of connecting the dots with education, working hard even through adversity, intact families, and getting ahead. They didn't become criminals or drug dealers, yet had the same harsh poverty and discrimination as the blacks. The children were polite and respectful of adults and authority, unlike many of the blacks.
The difference was in their CULTURE not skin color or past victimization. And until we have the courage to get this out on the table and really deal with it with out the PC cops shutting us down, I don't feel the ghetto culture of many black communities will ever improve.
Being half Asian, spending time in Asian countries, and going to mostly Asian schools, I've observed that there is no stigma whatsoever with being a 'nerd' or very academic. It's considered respectable, and the 'dumb ones' are outcasted. Social groups practically revolve in studying together.
Unlike here in the US inner cities, where it seems like being 'cool' in high school is all about doing everything possible to NOT become successful.
So what? You gonna use one sentance and ignore the rest of his message? Sure he could have phrased it better but reality is that many white people don't know what is like to be poor. Just like most black people don't know what is like to be wealthy.
Black people just didn't wake up one day decide all that they wanted to live in dangerous ghettos and have a high Unemployment rate because they thought their skin color matched that lifestyle. Their poverty didn't come out of thin air.
Sure there are poor people of all races but unfortunately most blacks are poor. Blacks have to deal not only with poverty but they have to deal with being prejudged just because Their skin color is a a few tones too dark for some people. That limits their economic opportunities. Sure it is not as bad as it was in the 1950's but I have personally seen how black people get discriminated.
I have seen employers not hiring black people in liberal South Florida. I have seen idiots claiming that some black people only got promoted because they were black when that was totally false. At least in those places like Miami which is 18% black they promoted some black people. I have seen workplaces in the Deep South where The black population is much higher and all of the employees in managerial positions were white. All of them. I though segregation stopped in the 1960s but there is obviously systematic racism and it is particularly extreme in the places where most black people live, the Deep South.
Black poverty didn't start yesterday. It's been going on for centuries, the same amount of time white people had time to accumulate wealth with free or cheap labor.
Black poverty obviously does not only affect blacks, it is affecting middle and lower class white people too with higher crime, social unrest and greater racial tensions. Sure wealthy people don't have to deal with these problems. They live in another universe in gated islands send their kids to elite schools where they never have to deal with "the little people" They write the laws by buying our politicians increasing their wealth and decreasing the middle class. The divide us all and conquer by making us hate each other by using silly arguments like religion and race and they eat their caviar while they let us eat cake.
So what? You gonna ignore that racist statement in his message?
That's what has me stumped, as well. Bernie is just sadly WAY out of touch. Is he senile? Alzheimer's? How is he not aware of what's going on with the people in his own state?
He's a career politician that has little opportunity to mingle with the unwashed masses. But come election time, he pretends to care.
Bernie is pandering to the liberal white guilt voters. Most black, Asian, Hispanic or white ghetto residents wouldn't even know what the man looks like.
It was a careless and crude statement. I don't believe at all that he intended it as criticism toward whites though ... he was just shooting from the hip while trying to make a point and stuck his foot in his mouth. He's passionate but rather unpolished.
"When you are white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto, you don’t know what it’s like to be poor, you don’t know what it’s like to be hassled when you are walking down a street or dragged out of a car," Sanders said when asked about his personal racial blind spots. "We must be firm in making it clear that we will end institutional racism and reform a broken criminal justice system."
I have tremendous respect for Bernie Sanders and I believe he is a passionate politician, but I have to say that he is too extreme. I would not call him a liar, but he seems to be out of touch with reality.
I personally know a lot of white Americans who are poor. They are also former military. I think racism against poor white men who don't complain is real. Nobody is fighting for their right. These people are hard workers who are struggling.
I hope Bernie Sanders is not just another shameless race baiter. Where can we find an honest politician who fights for all Americans?
My friend who works at a gas station, makes only $900/month. He is a former Marine (he was with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines- these are hard core true warriors.) While working there, the store got robbed twice, and he took down the criminal twice with bare hands. (not allowed to carry guns in the gas station) He lives with his roommate and pays 500 dollars a month, he has a cell phone and a crappy car, after all the bills paid, he has about $150 left, I guess he is not poor according to Bernie Sander's standard. yeah I guess he doesn't know how it feels to be poor because he refuses to collect welfare.
Shameless politicians.
Let's vote for a politician who fights for all Americans.
Last edited by lilyflower3191981; 03-07-2016 at 10:25 AM..
Location: Sitting on a bar stool. Guinness in hand.
4,428 posts, read 6,510,291 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine
It was a careless and crude statement. I don't believe at all that he intended it as criticism toward whites though ... he was just shooting from the hip while trying to make a point and stuck his foot in his mouth. He's passionate but rather unpolished.
Yes. Very Careless. Will see if it sticks.
Bernie Sanders: White People Don't Know What It's Like To Live In The 'Ghetto'
In my case...that part was absolute correct. Yes my family was poor. We were on section 8, food stamp, etc. But we ended up getting placed (housing) In what I consider an awesome area. A working class beach town in Mass. For the most part quiet, safe, and best of all, summer time was beach all day. So much when I was a kid.
Ever notice on TV they never show poor white people?.. and there are plenty out there. I grew up poor , ate fried bologna for dinner because it was cheap and my parents both worked. My father had to take care of his parents who my grandfather worked very hard though his life and nothing was passed down as an inheritance.. My parents never owned a home .
I saw hard work and not much money . I worked in a sweat factory in the summers to earn necessities I needed for school. I made a dollar an hour. We didn't know what a family vacation was. It was a big deal to see the fireworks in a town a few miles from where we lived. Bernie , white people do know what poor is.
I also went to the projects (ghetto) in the early 70's and sold door to door to make a buck to the so called black ghetto people.. they lived good with custom drapes and beautiful furnishings. So don't tell me that blacks all have it bad in the ghettos..
LOL at the bold!
FWIW, in regards to the "ghetto" and black people, most people, and most especially IMO liberals tend to make it worst than it actually is for black people, hence why another poster saying "most" black people are poor when we are not.
I did want to mention though about the projects and the "beautiful furnishings and drapes" with poor black people that, and I don't mean to be rude or anything of the sort, but black people usually don't live in filthy hell holes and they keep clean, neat places and have decent furniture and drapes. I grew up poor in the 1980s. I didn't live in the projects but we always had nice looking furniture, rugs, and curtains. Black people used to be pretty clean and neat and for the most part believed that even if you poor doesn't mean you have to look like you were poor. My mom was a teen mom on welfare and we got a lot of clothes from second hand shops and drapes/curtains. She would scour different stores until she found some nice stuff for cheap, including furniture.
Now my grandmother was very racial in regards to her condemnation of poor white people in particular and their homes. She said that poor white people were "nasty" and didn't clean their homes and had their kids out looking "any kind of way." In our area, that was pretty true, even when I was a kid for the extremely poor white people. I remember when I went to college in particular, I went to an HBCU 95% all black college, and my grandmother came on the trip to drop me off and mentioned how it was nice that she didn't have to worry about me having a "nasty white" roommate. I lol at it now (like literally) but grandma grew up REALLY poor and according to her, poor white people were just disgusting and poor black people looked rich in comparison to them just because they cleaned up their homes, did laundry, and took baths more often. FWIW, most white people she knew were not like that, but even the ones who weren't "trashy" she felt were not as clean as black people. Before she passed she said too many black people today were trashy and filthy like her old poor white neighbors.
Oh and in regards to public housing, they do usually have custom window furnishings. I worked in project management of construction projects for public housing and housing authorities (i.e. the government/HUD) provided all the window coverings in order to have public housing look uniform on the outside of the buildings so those people may very well have had custom window covering by way of the government.
In my case...that part was absolute correct. Yes my family was poor. We were on section 8, food stamp, etc. But we ended up getting placed (housing) In what I consider an awesome area. A working class beach town in Mass. For the most part quiet, safe, and best of all, summer time was beach all day. So much when I was a kid.
No offense, but no family is truly poor if their primary needs are being met
by the state. When you're in a nice area, in nice housing, eating nice food,
and going to nice schools and receiving nice medical care, and a cash allowance
from the state, that is not poor.
Poor is what life was like before the welfare state enabled dependency.
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