I said

“I think the biggest cause of poverty is ignorance and stupidity.”

and your response is

Your comment about stupidity infuriates me, because I know it to be as false as it gets, and it is attitudes like that which keep this rigged game running.

So you know that there is some bigger causes of poverty than ignorance and stupidity? Would you tell us what they are? While you are at it please explain what is the “rigged game.” I am guessing by that you mean how privilege begets privilege but that is a guess. I could imagine that poverty is the biggest cause of poverty but that is because the poor are less well educated and are presented with less opportunity, just a different kind of ignorance and stupidity. I did not say that it was the poor peoples fault that they are ignorant and stupid. The blame for that falls on upper classes for not correcting the inequitable educational and work opportunities.

I also guess that you believe that Bigotry is a bigger cause of poverty than ignorance and stupidity but almost half of all poor people in the U.S. are White. You might reply that more of the people in the U.S. are White. Bigger does not mean disproportionate if means larger. Disadvantaged people are disproportionately poor but as a group White non-Hispanics are the biggest group of poor people in the country and as such they are not poor becasue of racism.

TEK