Huffington Post: Bernie Sanders Seems To Equate Black People With Poor People

[Cali_Democrat]

03/07/2016 05:57 pm ET
By Lilly Workneh & Emily Peck

Bernie Sanders was asked to address his racial blind spots during the Democratic debate Sunday. His response was more revealing than he may have realized.

“When you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto," Sanders said. "You don’t know what it’s like to be poor."

Sanders implied that the black experience in America is limited to living in ghettos among other low-income, poverty-stricken homes. This is inaccurate and paints a damaging narrative that not only misidentifies and generalizes black people but also diminishes the experiences of white and immigrant Americans who do face such realities.

Sanders missed four major points:

1. There are plenty of black people who aren't poor.
2. There are plenty of black people who don't live in ghettos.
3. There are plenty of white people who are poor.
4. There are plenty of white people who live in ghettos.

<...>

The poverty rate among black households is 26 percent -- but that number, which is disproportionately high and stands as the largest among any other racial or ethnic group, is not reflective of all African-Americans. Not even most.

With reductive and offensive comments about street corners and ghettos, Sanders is ignoring the experiences of basically three-quarters of the nation's African-Americans. No wonder they've so far been more likely to break for Hillary Clinton. Though she has her own problems with black voters -- who blame her in part for criminal justice and welfare reform in the 1990s that has been devastating for many African-Americans -- Clinton's positions today seem to have come to a more nuanced understanding.

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-black-people_us_56ddbd4ae4b03a4056794b45

[Peregrine Took]

1. Oh stop stirring the pot and go have a drink or something.

These non arguments are tiresome and boring.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. This is why Sanders does not have much support from the AA comunity

Yet his supporters either ignore the facts or say blacks are suffering from the Stockholm syndrome.

[Cali_Democrat]

7. I don't think they'll ever get it.

Hillary is winning the African American vote by huge margins.

If they don't get it now, they'll never get it.

[whatchamacallit]

19. Ok, if it's an irreversible trend why do you guys post about it 24/7

Is this an enjoyment thing?

[Chasstev365]

3. Yeah; and "super predator" wasn't offensive?

The Huffington post has not been objective at all in this primary fight!

[Kalidurga]

4. It's cool you want to have it both ways.

[dogman]

6. Are you advocating the Roberts opinion on affirmative action?

Enough are doing well that no further action is required.

[EffieBlack]

18. And the fact that the Voting Rights Act is working is proof it is no longer necessary n/t

[Impedimentus]

8. Waste of electronic paper ...

not to mention the precious little time we have to enjoy life.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. I wonder if these two would also tell me Boehner was part of the White House staff

ignorant twaddles.

[silvershadow]

10. not even worth the 1's and 0's. nt

[boythayer]

11. If you don't believe Bernie mispoke

you are a bad judge of character, or someone with an agenda.

Bernie grew up dirt poor himself

[TM99]

12. I will say it again and louder --

the only real mark of privilege in America in the 21st century is money and the power it buys.

And while all of us privileged PoC in our middle class or upper class homes posting on this forum are talking about how 'tone deaf' Sanders is, that 26% are still living in fucking misery fearful for the lives and the lives of their children.

His message is about both social justice AND economic justice. Part of that is facing the reality of ghettos.

I grew up on the 'right' side of the tracks. My black father married a white woman and they were both highly educated. This elevated them to the middle class where they taught together at a small college in western North Carolina. And many of my friends and girlfriends lived on the 'wrong' side of the tracks. The ghetto, even in that small town, was real. There were drugs, violence, poverty, and depression. Then I saw the other side of the wrong side of 'tracks' and it was the whites lost in a similar spirit crushing reality.

I haven't forgotten where I came from, what my folks gave to me, or what I experienced as a young man. Sanders cares too. And all of this kvetching over 'reductive and offensive comments' shows me that most of y'all have forgotten and even worse, most of you just don't give a shit about those that don't have because you fucking got yours!

Clinton will make sure you keep yours and those 'predators' get what they deserve. Sanders will make sure that we all have justice, we all have education, freedom from violence, health care, and decent paying jobs.

I am saddened and sickened by these types of articles and posts when so many lack for so much in a country with this much obvious wealth.

[angstlessk]

14. Not many people can bring tears to these old lady eyes

That is an amazing endorsement for Bernie.

[angstlessk]

13. Bernie is NOT talking about rich blacks..he has ALWAYS focused on the poor

and disenfranchised...hell a Mexican, Carlos Slim, is the second richest man in the world..I do not think Bernie is talking about HIM when he refers to ghettos...which houses many Mexicans as well as blacks.

My thought was " in one word (leaving out the word poor) how would you describe neighborhoods in South Central LA?" I am sure dangerous would be a word, but I think ghetto is more accurate...people forced to live in dangerous neighborhoods, being cut off from any sort of succor that is a ghetto!

[stonecutter357]

15. K&R!

[PowerToThePeople]

16. No Progress in Closing Stubborn Racial Income Gaps

http://www.epi.org/blog/new-census-data-show-no-progress-in-closing-stubborn-racial-income-gaps/

New Census Data Show No Progress in Closing Stubborn Racial Income Gaps

Today’s Census Bureau report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage in 2014 shows that with the exception of non-Hispanic white households, median household incomes were not statistically different from 2013. Measured incomes increased among Latino (+$2,162, 5.4 percent) and Asian (+$744, 1.0 percent) households, but declined for African-American (-$497, 1.4 percent) and non-Hispanic white households (-$1,048, 1.7 percent). As a result, no progress was made in closing the black-white income gap between 2013 and 2014—the median black household has just 59 cents for every dollar of white median household income. The Hispanic-white income gap narrowed from 66 to 71 cents on the dollar. Weak income growth between 2013 and 2014 also leaves real median household incomes for all groups well below their 2007 levels. Between 2007 and 2014, median household incomes declined by 10.5 percent (-$4,137) for African Americans, 0.7 percent (-$294) for Latinos, 7.2 percent (-$4,662) for whites, and 8.8 percent (-$7,158) for Asians. Asian households continue to have the highest median income in spite of large income losses in the wake of the recession.

(More)

[bigtree]

17. k&r

[Number23]

20. I haven't even been reading much news today and I've still seen that folks are handing him his ASS

over this.

This forum is the only place I've seen where people are breaking sweats and burning calories trying to pretend that what he said wasn't factually incorrect, clueless and completely tone deaf.