[A_perfect_lady]

Maybe he's right: I grew up poor, but not in the moral, cultural, or spiritual sense. My grandparents were subsistence farmers who grew their own food, made a lot of their own clothes, and bought very little. Grandma washed the clothes in the basement and hung them on the line to dry. We certainly never had any money, and only one primer-colored pick-up truck for those trips to town for staples like oatmeal, coffee, and sugar.

But we had a work ethic, a schedule, and the house was always clean and tidy. The living room was full of books. At night we played cards or board games, or sometimes Grandpa played the violin. If the electricity went out, we lit the kerosene lamps.

But life was quiet, safe, clean, and orderly. I had fresh air, and the woods behind the house to play in. Not something you find in certain other cultures. So basically, white culture can take the edge off of poverty by infusing it with some dignity.

But here's the thing: are we now admitting that work, cleanliness, self-control, and reading are specific to white culture? Because it doesn't have to be that way.

[poconopundit]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. My Mom and Dad lived through the Great Depression, so they learned to live a good life without the frills. As a society, we're supposed to praise progress, but for everything gained, something is lost. The internet gave us national and international communities, but we don't know our neighbor next door.

[unread]

Thanks for that....