there is nothing wrong with what he said
there is another side to to poverty, which has to do with the social structures and institutions that are set up to benefit some certain people, but poverty is a mindset and a culture
I agree with what he said on an aggregate level, but he oversimplified the issue. The pathology that permeates low income urban areas has more impact on upward mobility than the actual poverty itself. If you grew up poor but in an area with no crime, no gangs, no drugs, and people that respect themselves and others, then the poverty would be much easier to overcome.
I look at my family and a lot of my uncles/aunts/older cousins were able to rise out of poverty in the 60's and 70's versus the generation that came about later. Sh*t was bad back then but the families were stronger even if was just a single mother, and they had positive people in their lives. The social ills in the black community were a fraction of what they are now.
But that was then, society is different now and being poor and being in a destructive environment is mainly one in the same. Most families in the hood aren't "Good Times" anymore. Sh*t is hella bleak for these kids, and even if they have a good parent(s), they still have to fend for themselves in a terrible environment
So to say it's all about mentality, is ignoring the environment that exists. Now if everybody had the right mentality, then yeah sure, it would be easier for people to move up, But to expect individuals to have that mentality knowing the obstacles that they have to dodge is not fair or realistic. You have to improve the conditions before the individuals will change.
you learn something new every day
