About that "poor and white" thing - this is what I feel Bernie means -
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. Sorry if it is TMI.
= new reply since forum marked as read
