Do You Think Poor Whites Are Duped Into Believing That Minorities Are The Reason They Can't Get Ahead?

Question

I should say "some" poor whites, the way that they say "some" blacks believe racism keeps them from acheiving.

Datbefat-the only thing you WANT to hear is "Blacks can't help it, they're less intelligent, & lack morals". But you can tell yourself that, maybe you'll convince yourself its true.

mark_elder-what exactly is ignorant about it-are you actually "conscious" when you type the quest. & replys on here. To call me ignorant or racist? Maybe I should be angry, but instead I feel pity, I think you might be mentally challenged.

Answer 1

I would suggest you read Ruby Payne's book, "A Framework for Understanding Poverty". She describes in explicit detail how poverty is relative to your circumstances; the difference between generational and situational poverty; and how the United States' corrupted education system is responsible for keeping so many people in poverty.
You seem to think that everyone should just be able to "achieve" whatever they want. While that might be a nice American dream to "be all you can be", for millions of poor people, the resources don't exist with which to attain such dreams.
I find it curious how people who have achieved a certain level of financial or personal success in life tend to credit themselves with ambition, hard work, determination, perseverance and other outstanding traits. Yet, if they suffer some kind of setback to their success, the usually blame it on "bad luck".
We are all products of our social and educational environments. When you read a 'successful' person's life story, you'll almost always find at least ONE incident in their life that was the catalyst for their success. They met an influential person that helped them reach their achievements; they happened to be in the right place at the right time; they came into a small windfall which enabled them to amass a fortune. Most people never get that one stroke of 'luck' that can change their life (granted, many people don't hear the door when opportunity knocks, but for many millions, that knock never never comes). Yet, arrogance, avarice, and hubris seldom allows many of us to admit that 'luck' played a part in our 'success'.
I know hundreds of 'successful' people who have lots of money, but lead miserable personal lives; suffer from alcoholism and depression; go through countless failed marriages; have no relationship with their kids, and have few friends or family that surround them with love and comfort. On the other hand, I also know dozens of people who are dirt poor; yet their greatest 'success' lies in the fact that they have raised wonderful, caring children; have long-term enduring, loving marriages and friendships; and enjoy a serenity of life that many 'successful' rich people would envy.
One only has to look at people like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears to see that 'success' doesn't mean having made any significant achievements in one's life. They both have incredible resources, but have not utilized those resources wisely to attain any true 'success' in their lives. These are shallow, spoiled people.
Millions of people in this country live their entire lives with "bad luck" and never "get a break" that allows them to dig themselves out of their generational poverty. Kids who grew up in upper or middle-class families went to schools with more resources (from better textbooks to Olympic-size swimming pools) while kids from low-incomed families in the ghettos often attend school with few resources (from rat-chewed textbooks to classrooms with broken windows or without heat).
Poor whites (and blacks) often are a result of their poorer social and educational environments. So don't be so quick to judge just because in your eyes they appear to be lazy and unable to "get ahead". -RKO- 11/17/07

Answer 2

Despite what the ignorant *ss that is immediately above me said, most poor white people can't get ahead simply because they feel trapped with no way out. They busted their *ss sometimes for 16-18 hours a day working sometimes in very dangerous conditions and for what just to be told that they are "Lazy pieces of sh*t" by some arrogant, mouthy *ss kid that chances are never had to work a day in her life ever.

Just look at the coal miners of Central Appalachia. Need I say more? Why do you think the vicious cycle of poverty that occurs within families of Central Appalachia is never broken? The public schools in Central Appalachia are poorly funded, which means never being able to go to college due to the lack of a suitable education early in life and poorly funded schools is also a deterrent for the local economies to develop because no one wants an "uneducated bumpkin" working for them, because this lack of an education many of these same people are stuck working manual labor jobs that pays nothing which is about the only kind of jobs that can be found in this part of the country, and without a good paying job to help them either improve the local economy or get them out of this economically depressed region of the country the cycle of poverty continues.

No blame game played there, just hard work so they can feed their family.

Answer 3

you're able to do considered one of two issues: proceed to could make wilder and wilder conspiracy thought, dismissive rationalizations and spiteful remark to describe the discrepancy between what you prefer to have faith and the movements of others - OR - know that there is a attitude you have been purposefully or inadvertently overlooking by using fact of your preconceived notions. hear to the assertions of what those people say, not in the process the skewed lens of the Liberal pundits you have been listening to yet from Conservatives themselves. while doing so, quite of reflexively searching for the thank you to push aside it, ask truthful questions approximately it. If the solutions are not at recent there on your face, do not use that by using fact the excuse to push aside the difficulty. look for solutions. hear the place the solutions come from and hear the language of the solutions. Is it hyperbole, attitude and diatribe or is it rational, considerate and insightful. merely HOW have been the people duped? How did this procuring, merchandising and manipulation take place? i did not get a examine! became national wellness care not rammed however Congress utilising the "nuclear option?" have been Senators not offered off with outrageous promises, like offering Nebraska exemptions from Medicare will develop consistently? became Cap & commerce not pushed by ability of the Progressives? is against the regulation immigration not a countrywide difficulty? Is the federal government not becoming in ability and administration? look at England, France, Spain and Greece. are not they now attempting to extricate themselves from the Socialist information superhighway of government dependency they have created?

Answer 4

Ah, yes, the blame game.

Two reasons for this:

1) Many people on both "sides" don't want to take responsibility for their own situations.

2) We are spoon fed these lies by the powers that be for the sake of keeping us all blind and ignorant. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, blaming each other for our circumstances, and never moving beyond our current situations, the rich will continue to hold most of the money and all the "cards".


TO ADD: Yes, of course I know that not every poor person is playing the blame game. Been there, done that. Homelessness isn't pretty.

Answer 5

I think anyone who uses race as an excuse is nuts and I'm poor and white even though i work 45hrs. a week it's the governments of today that keep people from getting ahead they seem to care about themselves rather than the country's their suppose to be standing up for.

Answer 6

In some cases that could be true. Not in all but yes in some. What is so ironic is that with all African Americans you blame all whites for your problems because of slavery. When if you would realized that not ALL whites had slaves, only the RICH that owned plantations owned slaves. Most whites could afford to feed their own families much less owning a slave or two. So with all the complaining that African Americans do with everything and on everything then yes it can cause a white, or should I say Irish American, Scottish American, German American......................You get my point?? Truth is to me .........If we as AMERICANS would stick TOGETHER as ONE then we could do something about all these OTHERS that come to our country and feed off us and take from us what is ours. Who are they to complain and who are they to protest on our soil about how unfair we are to them when they get free everything and it comes from our hard work and taxes so OUR families can have a good life. They just go back home and use what they got from us against us.

Answer 7

Well, I don't know if they are duped, or if there is any version of affirmitave action that truly works against them. Directly, they are responsible for their own success, or lack thereof. If affirmative action is a barrier, it is only one. And in comparison to the other larger barriers, it is only a speedbump.

Answer 8

Obviously some "poor whites" believe this, but many know that there are other variables that are involved as well. Affirmative action, was good for equalizing things between minorities, and whites, but that is now passe. Every one is now able to move forward, should they wish to do so, on their own merits.

Answer 9

Affirmative action is in place to ensure that qualified minorities get what they worked for. Hiring unqualified minorities based on race is illegal. I should know; a family member of mine won a reverse discrimination case. The ones that are crying about affirmative action are just mad because it has been proven that there is a minority that is in fact...well..better than them.

Answer 10

Not that I can tell. Most people that I have spoken to think that times are just tough, and then they go ahead vote for the criminals that are playing a large role in why times are tough. The saps just don't know any better....