On the racialization of poverty: A few thoughts of mine

[YoungDemCA]

Disclaimer: I am a white man, so feel free to take anything I say here with a grain of salt (yes, I'm serious about that. Us white men are known for our pseudo-intellectual privilege-justifying BS...).

One thing I have noticed about how race and class intersect in the United States is that assumptions about an individual's social class are very much tied to assumptions about that individual's racial identity. To put it into concrete terms: White people are assumed to be "middle class"-and all of the respectable, educated, and "civilized" connotations that that term entails-until proven otherwise (with poor white people treated as something of an exception, and perhaps even an embarrassment to their more affluent white counterparts). Black people, on the other hand, are assumed to be poor, until proven otherwise-and even then, the standard of being accepted "middle class" by white society cannot possibly be met by most (if not all) black people.

Furthermore, even among poor people of different races, there are big racial and ethnic divides in how they are treated. Look at all that rhetoric about "the deserving poor" vs "welfare queens" and "deadbeats"-we all know who the (white) commentators are talking about, in each case. Or look at how working-class white people are (at least on the surface) looked on with admiration by commentators as being "hard-working" and "rugged, salt-of-the earth people" with a strong work ethic and "traditional values." (Just look at the more benevolent treatments of "rural, small-town America" vs the contempt displayed by mainstream commentators toward the "culture of the inner-cities.")

These assumptions and attitudes have implications not just for the ideology of the dominant culture in the US, but real-world policy implications as well. IMHO, it's very important for those of us who hold to progressive and egalitarian views of race and class to identify these prejudices, so we can better combat them.

-My $0.02, as some white guy

[JustAnotherGen]

1. You get it

And you stand out from a peer or two here at DU with the "young" in your user name - but with a wide world view. I thank you for this.

It's all true. And let's add - I know first hand that even wealthy, rich and affluent blacks experience the same challenges that poorest black Americans do.

[YoungDemCA]

2. Thank you for the kind words.

I appreciate it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Spot on, YoungDemCA ...

Your observations are spot on, especially this:

Black people, on the other hand, are assumed to be poor, until proven otherwise-and even then, the standard of being accepted "middle class" by white society cannot possibly be met by most (if not all) black people.

This point was made, vividly and embarrassingly, to my daughter, BabyGirl 1SBM, when at her school they had a supply give-away. When BabyGirl 1SBM didn't show up to receive provisions, the teacher, quietly, gave my daughter a sack of supplies, so as to not embarrass her.

Now ... We own a home in a segment of the school district that has a median household income of >$95,000 (and the 1SBM household earns significantly more than that). We have lived in the area for about 15 years (longer than 75% of the residents and longer than 95% of the families with children attending the district, per a 2011 neighborhood survey) and we selected the area because the elementary, mid and high schools are the best in the region.

Both I, and Mrs. 1SBM, have advanced degrees and have worked in professional/middle management positions nearly our entire careers. We, both, drive late model vehicles and we, both, have the luxury of being able to be highly involved in volunteer efforts (political, social and school activities); yet, despite all of the trappings of a middle-class existence, the teacher thought our daughter needed the hand-out.