How can you tell if Americans are "poor"?

I'm not sure what your definition of poor is, but several of these don't qualify. The Bunkers were not poor in All in the Family. The family in One Day at a Time was not poor.

Lower income does not necessarily translate into poor in the US.

If you want films or shows featuring "poor Americans", also try

Films:
Where the Heart is
Me, Earl & the Dying Girl (Earl)
A Most Beautiful Thing
The Blue Beatle

I barely watch tv now so mostly only know vintage tv series to suggest
The Wire
Some of the characters in Breaking Bad
Sanford & Son
All in the Family
One Day at a Time (Valerie B... version 1970s)
Welcome back, Kotter (bonus spotting an early famous face in that one)
Taxi

Right but you seem to be forgetting about the urban poor who tend to vote democrat.

@flavourable here’s a video that shows a typical poor urban neighborhood. This one is in Chicago, but every big city has one that is similar.

House prices can be cheaper in certain states because land is so much cheaper. Eg, I watched a YouTuber house hunting and she said she was going to look at a ‘small house’ (in Texas) It was about 2500 square foot, detached, double garage with several acres of land! All for around $300k. My jaw was on the floor.

I have no idea whether “liberals” celebrated the book. All I can say is that it is a badly written collection of myths and cliches with a transparent political bias. It bears no resemblance to reality whatsoever.

Wasn’t the book celebrated and J.D Vance himself by liberals when first released

what’s changed ? His stance towards Trump has but the book remains the same

Americans aren’t so fanatically binary about tumble dryers - most will do a bit of both, and the mix will probably vary depending on time of year, what kind of things are in the wash, and how busy they are.

Where my mom lives the window for line drying is pretty short - maybe 3 months of the year? During that time my mother loved to hang her sheets out. other times of year she has an inside line set up - winters are dry and the house is warm, so mold is not generally a concern, unlike most places in the UK. There are some things that always go in the dryer though - denim (so it shrinks back), jersey and towels (much softer, hate a scratchy line dried towel).

my husband is English and absolutely obsessed with the idea of line drying / hates the dryer on moral grounds (though hardly environmentally conscious in any other area of his life), and I have seen him take 3 days to get a load of laundry dry in the winter. Fine for him if that’s how he wants to spend his time, but I have better things to do.

Absolutely not. It’s a dishonest book pushing a particular agenda. J.D. Vance doesn’t have a single shred of integrity.

This is such an interesting thread

I have spent a lot of time in the US as I have immediate family there in LA, some family in San Francisco and other parts of California and Texas class indicators are certainly different less subtle

The poor areas I have been to have been in LA and the contrast is huge to what are considered mc areas, where as in London you will have a run down area and just a few roads away it’s very different in LA it’s huge areas like the size of a borough and between the wealthier areas it’s a gradual change but noticeable (now you also have the tent towns that have changed this but in nicer areas they tend to get moved on quickly). I can also see communities really take pride in their areas and supporting each other. areas I have been to have a very high Latino population. Many are very proud to live in what they consider to be the greatest country in the world (as are my family) and many seem to believe in the American Dream (as do many in my family) and Trump’s politics really plays into this belief. Of course I am not saying everyone in this demographic feels this way but I think Trump supporters tend to be more vocal so this was noticeable

Most people I know in the states laugh at my part time work hours (37.5) having two jobs one being full time isn’t unusual, the fear of being poor is a real drive for many. and no my family do not understand (as they have forgotten) the benefits of drying clothes outside I have to do this hidden away 😆 why would I use a dryer when it’s so hot baffles me but now i understand why it’s hidden away

back to politics I have met many people I have been surprised they are Trump supporters, LA hipster types who are very proud of being working class, many immigrants but I think that plays into the American Dream (which has been a reality for many) these people are vocal in their support, Trump isn’t just tapping into those that felt ignored (similar to what Farage did) also those who have come to the country in recent years and experienced the American Dream or feel it’s on their grasp

In my experience it’s not that Americans think America is great and are not critical of their country but the general belief seems to me that most believe America is the most powerful and influential country

Im not sure the rest of the world quite views America in that way anymore

I’ve worked as a nanny for 15 years. Not one family have hung their washing up outside, or had the facilities to. One family wasn’t allowed on their street, at the weekends. They all bar one had a tumble drier and all homes could be kept warm enough to dry the washing inside anyway, and had the space to do so. I love line drying! We did get a tumble drier (my first!) about a year ago and it’s easier as it’s on the first floor next to the washing machine but line drying is so much nicer and I love the sight of it- pants n all!

Who said anything about race? I disliked the book because it pushes the tired narrative that the reason people are poor is just because of their culture and choices. It purports to provide an inside view of Appalachian poverty for an audience that has never experienced it.

So it does not depict how poor American people live? I knew someone would jump. However, you can’t deny the facts and he married an Indian woman that may not fit the racist agenda thrown at him.

I also wonder about how many posts lately about America and Americans mostly misleading and criticising. It is obvious to me. Labour is in so a break to bash the Tories. Next goal to stop Trump at all costs. Only a moron would not see this.

There's definitely some prejudice against hanging laundry out, but there's also been a pretty substantial backlash in response. Partly environmental, partly "It's my yard and I can do what I want in it."

As for homelessness, it's a real issue, but it's multifactorial. California is known, not only by anecdote but statistic, to be particularly bad. It's the intersection of extremely expensive housing, a climate that makes sleeping rough less of a hardship, and poor government policy. And what you see on the streets doesn't show people who are doubled up, couch surfing, etc. New York City, by contrast, has a right to shelter. It's imperfect, but it makes a huge difference statistically.

There are definitely ways to tell.

Poverty in America looks like: a diet heavy in ultra-processed foods, substance abuse, bad teeth & hair, non-salaried jobs in things like care, food service, or retail, unstable family arrangements, old cars/clothes/furniture, medical debt, obesity, working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet, low educational attainment, ultra patriotism.

I read somewhere recently that part of the reason the poor/lower class Americans are so obsessed with the military is because the military has traditionally been one of the only roads out of generational poverty and/or black-hole small towns without prospects for
young people. I thought that was interesting.

And as regards ‘poor’, again it was maybe 10 years ago when we were attending niece’s graduation from Berkeley - an affluent looking city in California.

Niece had a p/t job in a restaurant where we ate, but at once point DSis and I nipped up the road for a quick fag next to a small public park.

I was amazed to see that the park was full of homeless people with sleeping bags etc. starting to settle down for the night - and a couple of whom came up to cadge a fag.

As Dsis said, ‘Well, at least it’s warm here,’ - unlike much of the year in Massachusetts, where she lived at the time.

My DSis, who’s lived in the US for over 40 years, once told me that hanging washing out is seen as a sign of either poverty or madness.

She’s generally very ‘green/eco’ but still tumble dries just about everything. And while once staying with her years ago, I nearly went mad trying to find an iron (not that I’m a fanatical ironer but some of my summer things are linen and do need it.)

When she eventually came home I was informed that the reason I couldn’t find it, was because she didn’t possess one!

Hillbilly Elegy is a terrible book that mostly seeks to push JD Vance's political agenda.

Hillbilly Elegy book or film shows how the poor neglected white working class live if you are interested.

I can confirm this: I lived there for two years and don’t have a driver’s license. People would look at me as if I had said I didn’t speak English or I had a sexually transmitted disease when I revealed that. It was so far outside their frame of reference to meet an educated person who didn’t drive that they thought you were crazy.

How is that any different than here in the UK?

Plenty of threads on here where women are told to not date a man who can’t/doesn’t drive, women need to learn to drive and anyone who doesn’t are likely users and expect other people to give them lifts. I’ve gotten the same reaction here when I say I don’t drive and being told I should despite having everything I need within walking distance and have good public transport that gets me all over the UK (and no I don’t live in London).

You’re the one continuously going on about putting the washing out because of your upbringing as if your way is the right way to do things and everyone else is lazy in your opinion. As you have said, it is not your electricity bill so why does it bother you so?

People do line dry in the States and many people don’t. People have the choice to live somewhere that allows them to line-dries or don’t, and if able, not to if they don’t want to.

I suppose here people vote for socialism so that some never get rich or go to private school god forbid. 🤣🤣🤣

I have not doubt some people are living like that in the 330 millions plus country it is. However, not many and some would be poor immigrants that never make it. Where did I heard there was a country with more than half of the population on benefits? 🇬🇧

As for urban poverty: I see more of that than rural poverty, and to be quite honest a lot of it looks rather like the UK. There's run down housing estates, run down terraced houses. The architecture is a bit different, but it's recognisably familiar. The Wire was filmed on the streets of Baltimore and although it's 15-20 years old now, a lot of the city looks the same.

Some Americans will literally back away from anyone who says they got here by bus. (Not applicable in New York).

I can confirm this: I lived there for two years and don’t have a driver’s license. People would look at me as if I had said I didn’t speak English or I had a sexually transmitted disease when I revealed that. It was so far outside their frame of reference to meet an educated person who didn’t drive that they thought you were crazy.