On Being Other – courtesy of Scalzi

I’m reblogging this from whatever.scalzi.com, a WordPress blog.

It was fascinating. The interesting part was, I would not be considered poor, and I don’t consider myself poor.

There have been times in my life I’ve been broke, and I’ve always tried to make that distinction, as a form of respect for those people who are poor as a way of life, for whom poverty is a pervasive reality, not a temporary circumstance that will last a matter of weeks or months.

And yet, I have had two-three of these experiences. I am willing to bet it’s because I was perceived as poor, based on my region of origin.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2005/09/03/being-poor/