# What's "out of context" about the Sanders "When you're white ..." quote? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 10, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589 "2016-03-10T22:32:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/21 "2016-03-11T21:09:56Z")
The way that I read it is that in context, Sanders asked about any racial blindspots he might have. And he goes on to tell a couple of personal stories, concluding with his blindspot – that he doesn’t know what it’s truly like to grow up poor and marginalized. He stumbled with his wording, and his use of the word “you” instead of “I” made it sound like no white person knew what it was like to be poor. So out of context, it sounds like he’s talking about a universal truth, whereas in context it seems like he’s talking about his personal experience (although really badly phrased). ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/22 "2016-03-11T21:19:12Z")
The perception of violent crime thing makes sense. My Wife is one of those people who watches the news and drones on and on about how bad things are and when I mention to her that the general trend has been that violent crimes have gone down, its like she pretends not to hear me. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/23 "2016-03-11T21:29:13Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > The way that I read it is that in context, Sanders asked about any racial blindspots he might have. And he goes on to tell a couple of personal stories, concluding with his blindspot – that he doesn’t know what it’s truly like to grow up poor and marginalized. > > He stumbled with his wording, and his use of the word “you” instead of “I” made it sound like no white person knew what it was like to be poor. > > So out of context, it sounds like he’s talking about a universal truth, whereas in context it seems like he’s talking about his personal experience (although really badly phrased). That’s not “out of context”. If a guy says something stupid and you think he misspoke and really meant to say something else, that doesn’t mean it’s “out of context” to assume he meant what he said. But I don’t think you’re right anyway. It’s true he was asked about himself, but his point was that he didn’t know what it was like because he was a subset of white people who as a group don’t know what it’s like. Clinton expressed pretty much the same concept, in saying “_I think being a white person in the United States of America, I know that I have never had the experience that so many people, the people in this audience have had_” (and when Sanders said “_I think it’s similar to what the secretary said_”, that’s what he was referring to). The difference is that Clinton was talking about racial profiling, where it has more validity, and Sanders extended it to poverty. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/24 "2016-03-11T21:43:34Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The passing cabbies didn’t know that he was a US congressman who didn’t live in a ghetto. Passing cabbies don’t know where any potential passengers live. But if they assume that black people live in ghettos, that’s racism. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/25 "2016-03-11T21:55:12Z")
That doesn’t address my point. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/26 "2016-03-13T05:43:18Z")
Then what’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![GulfTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e79b87/32.png) [@GulfTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GulfTiger)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/27 "2016-03-13T14:23:21Z")
Someone needs to tell Bernie that this kind of talk won’t work. He can try all he wants, but blacks are not going to vote for a Jew en masse. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/28 "2016-03-13T16:45:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I do think it’s an indication that Sanders still doesn’t completely get it. The problems black people face in America aren’t the same problems that poor people face. Yes, many people are poor and black and they get both sets of problems. But the problems black people face go beyond being poor and living in a ghetto. > > Look at the first example Sanders gave. The guy was a United States congressman. So it’s safe to assume he was not poor and didn’t live in a ghetto. But he was black and he couldn’t get a cab to stop for him because of that. > > Sanders’ programs have been addressed to helping poor people. But Sanders has to realize that even if he completely solved the problems of poverty, black people would still have problems. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > OK, so it sounds like no one agrees with Snopes here.The passing cabbies didn’t know that he was a US congressman who didn’t live in a ghetto. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Passing cabbies don’t know where any potential passengers live. But if they assume that black people live in ghettos, that’s racism. This whole exchange was great. Nemo: Many people will see a black person and assume the worst, and treat that person accordingly, which is unfair to black people. Fothering: Well when they see a random black person, they don’t know if he conforms to their negative stereotype. … > [@GulfTiger](#): > > Someone needs to tell Bernie that this kind of talk won’t work. > > He can try all he wants, but blacks are not going to vote for a Jew en masse. Reminder # one jillion why I stopped visiting this cesspool. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/29 "2016-03-13T17:14:10Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Reminder # one jillion why I stopped visiting this cesspool. One guy who’s been here less than a month makes a shitty comment and it’s a cesspool? Ok. Maybe you should actually stop visiting instead of just saying you stopped visiting. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/30 "2016-03-13T17:24:15Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > That’s not “out of context”. If a guy says something stupid and you think he misspoke and really meant to say something else, that doesn’t mean it’s “out of context” to assume he meant what he said. I disagree. It is the context that leads to being able to tell if someone misspoke. It is the context that provides the actual meaning, even if the literal meaning is incorrect. In context, he specifically says that he’s answering the question about his blind spots. Only without that context does he seem to mean that he thinks white people cannot be poor or live in ghettos. With that context, you realize he’s talking about himself, and the subset of white people he himself belongs to. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/31 "2016-03-13T17:26:07Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > One guy who’s been here less than a month makes a shitty comment and it’s a cesspool? Ok. Maybe you should actually stop visiting instead of just saying you stopped visiting. Will he get Warned for it? No. Because racist statements are allowed here. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/32 "2016-03-13T17:32:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Will he get Warned for it? No. Because racist statements are allowed here. Ok. Why do you continue to visit this cesspool then? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/33 "2016-03-13T18:02:13Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Nemo: Many people will see a black person and assume the worst, and treat that person accordingly, which is unfair to black people. I agree. That’s pretty much the point I was making. There are problems that black people face solely because they’re black. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/34 "2016-03-13T20:12:26Z")
_ **IF** _ you can argue that, from the full context (racial blind spots, following anecdotes about specific black people), that it is clear that 'black" is implied on each statement, it is out of context. > [@](#): > > So to answer your question, I would say, and I think it’s similar to what the secretary said, when you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be [black and] living in a ghetto. You don’t know what it’s like to be [black and poor] poor. You don’t know what it’s like to be hassled when you [are black] walk down the street or you get dragged out of a car [because of your race]. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/35 "2016-03-14T00:58:53Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > One guy who’s been here less than a month makes a shitty comment and it’s a cesspool? Ok. Maybe you should actually stop visiting instead of just saying you stopped visiting. Your post is stupid for many reasons. Reason #1 being a “reminder” means this isn’t a one-time thing by a new guy. Fotheringphips isn’t a month-old poster, if you haven’t noticed. Also, nobody is making a flouncing announcement. Just an “Oh yeah, people post a lot of generally racist nonsense here all the time and that’s okay.” Sort of like when you read YouTube comments and remember that you shouldn’t do that, but still do sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/36 "2016-03-14T01:45:51Z")
Whatever, lady. Enjoy wallowing in the cesspool and your sense of superiority. Together they are an intoxicating brew. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/37 "2016-03-14T13:26:31Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Your post is stupid for many reasons. Reason #1 being a “reminder” means this isn’t a one-time thing by a new guy. Fotheringphips isn’t a month-old poster, if you haven’t noticed. What did **F-P** say that was racist? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589/38 "2016-03-14T14:25:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Then what’s your point? What I said earlier. You said: > [@Little Nemo](#): > > Look at the first example Sanders gave. The guy was a United States congressman. So it’s safe to assume he was not poor and didn’t live in a ghetto. But he was black and he couldn’t get a cab to stop for him because of that. > > Sanders’ programs have been addressed to helping poor people. But Sanders has to realize that even if he completely solved the problems of poverty, black people would still have problems. My response was: > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The passing cabbies didn’t know that he was a US congressman who didn’t live in a ghetto. > > The broader point is that if black poverty were eliminated, then black crime rates would probably also go down by a lot, and to the extent that some discrimination against blacks is based on fear of crime, that would diminish too. Point being that if Sanders succeeded in eliminating poverty then Black people wouldn’t be living in ghettos, nor would anyone else, and crime in Black neighborhoods would be a lot lower, as it would also be in other neighborhoods. And therefore cabbies would not mistakenly assume that Black Congressman were asking to rides to the ghetto where they might get mugged. In that context, your subsequent point that “_Passing cabbies don’t know where any potential passengers live. But if they assume that black people live in ghettos, that’s racism_” is a non-sequitor. Let’s grant that this is a form of racism. But it’s a form of racism that would be rendered moot if Sanders eliminated poverty across the board, and contra to your earlier claim. [FTR, I don’t believe that Sanders’ economic program would actually eliminate poverty. But this is about what would happen if he was successful, based on your earlier hypothetical.] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-out-of-context-about-the-sanders-when-youre-white-quote/748589.md?page=1)