Is it so hard to understand, growing up poor and white, is different than growing up poor

[Csainvestor]

as an african american child or some other ethnicity.

We all know there is a difference, you might be the same class, but some people in the same class may also experience racism due to their skin color.

trying to make this very real issue, and pretend it doesn't exist is a horrible manipulation technique by people in the media.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. It is more than just ignrant

they are doing something else which I find VILE

[Kalidurga]

4. They are pretending five minutes ago that they said Bernie should speak to that issue.

[elleng]

2. No, it's not at all hard to understand.

Where, in our world, will we see a rational discussion of the subject, without blame and ridicule? It would be great to see such.

[yardwork]

3. Of course, but that's not what Bernie said.

That's what Bernie should have said, but he didn't.

[djean111]

5. I grew up "poor and white" - actually spent age six through twelve in a place called

The Southern Home for Destitute Children, because neither of my divorced parents could afford to take care of me and my brother and sister. Even after my father scraped enough together to buy a little house, we had very little money, and a lot of that went to take care of my little brother, who had juvenile diabetes. Dad worked for Sun Ship, had no insurance, and it was tough buying the insulin, paying for the doctor, missing work to take my brother to the doctor, buying the more expensive food for my brother's diet.

Throughout all of those years, being poor, living in the Home, living through experiencing my dad lash out physically and verbally - I never ONCE felt that the world was against me just because of my poverty. I never had to factor in the color of my skin. I always felt that I could get that job, I could advance, that people did not look down on me, that I would get at least a fair shake. Even though I was "only a girl", and went through a lot of bullshit on that account.

I don't think I had the same experience as a child growing up poor and African American. The deck was not stacked against me at birth. I may not have quite explained things quite perfectly, but I thought I should take a stab at it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. This is really well-written and could (and should) stand on its own as an OP.

[djean111]

11. Thanks! I made an OP.

Hope it helps explains things; it is kind of a lot to share.

[beam me up scottie]

8. Well stated, sorry for your rough childhood but I agree, you should make it an op.

You get it, I get it and Bernie gets it.

[Ken Burch]

6. It is harder to be black and poor.

The difficulty is finding a balance between acknowledging that(which is unavoidable)and also working to find ways for the poor to work together for change despite the differences in there lives caused by race.

[amborin]

9. it's harder to be both poor and a POC; because it's a double problem: poverty and discrimination;

which is why the notion of "ghetto" includes BOTH being in poverty AND experiencing housing discrimination:

Ghetto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto

... the postindustrial era and continues to symbolize the demographics of American ghettos is the prevalence of poverty. ... housing discrimination became ...

[Gwhittey]

10. I rember

about last year having same dam argument on Sean Hannity forums with a bunch of GOPer about Travon Martin that went into me trying to explain same thing to those GOP posters. And that was only the really far right ones that could not grasp the idea.