Comments on: Talking About Race And Class Not Easy, But Not Impossible http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/ Everything About Money You Were Too Polite To Ask Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jason http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16893 jason Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:21:01 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16893 @Cord Jefferson@twitter Obviously everybody interprets lyrics in different ways but I think even poor people who listen to rap music can sing along to "you ain't got money like this" because as the quote by that one guy goes, they don't view themselves as poor people, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. @Cord Jefferson@twitter Obviously everybody interprets lyrics in different ways but I think even poor people who listen to rap music can sing along to “you ain’t got money like this” because as the quote by that one guy goes, they don’t view themselves as poor people, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

]]> By: theotherginger http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16478 theotherginger Sun, 09 Sep 2012 17:05:24 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16478 @Angry Panda maybe I should get on twitter. This person alone (and you) make it worth it. @Angry Panda maybe I should get on twitter. This person alone (and you) make it worth it.

]]> By: She was a retail whore http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16176 She was a retail whore Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:39:30 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16176 @madrassoup I'm a dark-skinned black American woman, but my experience in France was different than yours. I was sometimes assumed to be African, sometimes thought to be from some other European nation due to the fact that I spoke French, and never thought to be American until I said otherwise, but people were unfailingly awesome to me regardless. I was there during a World Cup, and a French guy tried to commiserate with me over Senegal's loss. I made his friends laugh at his assumption when I said that I was American and we'd lost a few days earlier, but thanked him for the sentiment anyway. The only less than awesome attitudes I encountered in France seemed related to my nationality, not my race. French people were really excited to see a black American who wasn't oppressed, I think. It was maybe a bit weird how happy they were for me, but once I saw news coverage of the US (American minorities are so mistreated! American minorities are so fat! etc), I understood better where those concerns came from. I, on the other hand, was pretty horrified to see how Arabs were treated/talked about in general French society. @madrassoup I’m a dark-skinned black American woman, but my experience in France was different than yours. I was sometimes assumed to be African, sometimes thought to be from some other European nation due to the fact that I spoke French, and never thought to be American until I said otherwise, but people were unfailingly awesome to me regardless. I was there during a World Cup, and a French guy tried to commiserate with me over Senegal’s loss. I made his friends laugh at his assumption when I said that I was American and we’d lost a few days earlier, but thanked him for the sentiment anyway.

The only less than awesome attitudes I encountered in France seemed related to my nationality, not my race. French people were really excited to see a black American who wasn’t oppressed, I think. It was maybe a bit weird how happy they were for me, but once I saw news coverage of the US (American minorities are so mistreated! American minorities are so fat! etc), I understood better where those concerns came from. I, on the other hand, was pretty horrified to see how Arabs were treated/talked about in general French society.

]]> By: ashwat http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16175 ashwat Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:28:11 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16175 @Slutface Same feeling here. It's all relative. I grew up with my dad being the sole money maker (while my mom stayed at home) making under $40K for the four of us and we were in so so much debt, but I was the "rich" one of my friends because we owned a home instead of renting in a duplex. Then I went to prestigious private school (on grants and scholarships and loans and loans) and was like "my roommate's parents just write a check for $40K a year to come here? How can anyone even have that much money in a bank account?!?" @Slutface Same feeling here. It’s all relative. I grew up with my dad being the sole money maker (while my mom stayed at home) making under $40K for the four of us and we were in so so much debt, but I was the “rich” one of my friends because we owned a home instead of renting in a duplex. Then I went to prestigious private school (on grants and scholarships and loans and loans) and was like “my roommate’s parents just write a check for $40K a year to come here? How can anyone even have that much money in a bank account?!?”

]]> By: Angry Panda http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16170 Angry Panda Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:29:59 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16170 @theotherginger Teju Cole is amazing indeed. This is a compilation from his twitter feed. As a person from another Third World country living in a First World country, this really resonated with me. @theotherginger Teju Cole is amazing indeed. This is a compilation from his twitter feed.
As a person from another Third World country living in a First World country, this really resonated with me.

]]> By: theotherginger http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16167 theotherginger Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:35:32 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16167 @Angry Panda you (or Teju Cole). amazing. @Angry Panda you (or Teju Cole). amazing.

]]> By: theotherginger http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16166 theotherginger Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:35:11 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16166 @chrestomanci I think it has to do more with social location within a country than so-called first world (ie some problems are general across humanity, some have to with having money, being ligher/whiter, which are probably going to unite people across countries rather than all US Americans). @chrestomanci I think it has to do more with social location within a country than so-called first world (ie some problems are general across humanity, some have to with having money, being ligher/whiter, which are probably going to unite people across countries rather than all US Americans).

]]> By: Angry Panda http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16163 Angry Panda Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:24:36 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16163 "I don’t like this expression ‘First World problems.’ It is false and it is condescending. Yes, Nigerians struggle with floods or infant mortality. But these same Nigerians also deal with mundane and seemingly luxurious hassles. Connectivity issues on your BlackBerry, cost of car repair, how to sync your iPad, what brand of noodles to buy: Third World problems. All the silly stuff of life doesn’t disappear just because you’re black and live in a poorer country. People in the richer nations need a more robust sense of the lives being lived in the darker nations. Here’s a First World problem: the inability to see that others are as fully complex and as keen on technology and pleasure as you are." — Teju Cole “I don’t like this expression ‘First World problems.’ It is false and it is condescending. Yes, Nigerians struggle with floods or infant mortality. But these same Nigerians also deal with mundane and seemingly luxurious hassles. Connectivity issues on your BlackBerry, cost of car repair, how to sync your iPad, what brand of noodles to buy: Third World problems. All the silly stuff of life doesn’t disappear just because you’re black and live in a poorer country. People in the richer nations need a more robust sense of the lives being lived in the darker nations. Here’s a First World problem: the inability to see that others are as fully complex and as keen on technology and pleasure as you are.” — Teju Cole

]]> By: chrestomanci http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16141 chrestomanci Thu, 06 Sep 2012 03:29:21 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16141 @travelmugs I wonder could we start using '21st century problems' instead? So many of them are technology related - 'Ugh I accidentally clicked itunes and now I have to wait for it load before I can close it down'. @travelmugs I wonder could we start using ’21st century problems’ instead? So many of them are technology related – ‘Ugh I accidentally clicked itunes and now I have to wait for it load before I can close it down’.

]]> By: selenana http://thebillfold.com/2012/09/talking-about-race-and-class-not-easy-but-not-impossible/#comment-16128 selenana Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:05:32 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=12329#comment-16128 Thank you for this! As a mixed race person straddling a couple of cultures, I feel heartened when I read things that represent my experience a littl more. Thank you for this! As a mixed race person straddling a couple of cultures, I feel heartened when I read things that represent my experience a littl more.

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