I was getting all geared up to write a whole response saying, dude, I'm with you on the whole "poverty is the main problem" thing, being that I'm poor myself, but the reason I bring up the population racial break down stat on pretty much every article I see from you is this: almost all black people are poor - and my understanding is that systemic racism, solidified by policy, exacerbated by generational wealth, is holding them down.

I'm a poor-ass white person, but I have to admit it - I fucking chose it. I had every opportunity for education and career attainment. My race, culture, accent mirrors the race, culture, accent of the people in charge, which makes them more likely to help me. None of it holds me back. I CHOSE poverty, consciously or not.

Our black friends did not choose it. Many consciously tried to climb out of poverty and were kicked down. THAT is the issue. That is why people (okay, me) find your articles to be whiny backlashery. That's why this moment is about race and poverty, not just poverty - because some people don't have a choice. You and I, Will Shetterly (you're white, aren't you?) We had a choice. It sucks being poor but I chose it because in my mind it sucked less than the alternative (which was a lack of freedom from being tied to a middle class job) but some people didn't even get to choose it.

Would you look at that, I wrote a long-ass comment anyway. Argh, this is not how I want to spend my time so I'll stop.