Melissa Harris-Perry Puts Guest In Her Place: “What Is Riskier Than Living Poor In America, Seriously!”

September 3rd, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: curlynikki.com

If you don’t love Melissa Harris-Perry already, you just might now. During a segment on her Saturday morning news show on MSNBC, the Tulane University professor gave the best on-air shut down since Tamron Hall had to put a guest in his place back in May.

Things got heated during a discussion of welfare benefits when business and finance expert Mehta Rose said the big thing that was missing from President Obama’s “You didn’t build that speech” was an emphasis on taking risks. This is the point at which Melissa Harris-Perry exploded:

“What is riskier than living poor in America? Seriously! What in the world is riskier than being a poor person in America?

“I live in a neighborhood where people are shot on my street corner. I live in a neighborhood where people have to figure out how to get their kid into school because maybe it will be a good school and maybe it won’t.

“I am sick of the idea that being wealthy is risky. No. There is a huge safety net that whenever you fail will catch you and catch you and catch you. Being poor is what is risky. We have to create a safety net for poor people. And when we won’t, because they happen to look different from us, it is the pervasive ugliness.”

Please check the screen still at the 0:30-0:32 second mark. Mehta Rose’s face was priceless.

Unfortunately, it’s clear Rose missed the point when she continued to talk about what separates entrepreneurs from other smart people, which she said is using the ropes we all (theoretically) have access to. Then, in a debate with other panelists on who really creates jobs, entrepreneurs or consumers, Rose snarkily said “some of us go to Dairy Queen and others start businesses.”

Later in the show Professor Harris-Perry apologized for losing her temper, saying that it had been a particularly difficult week for her with losing her home in New Orleans due to Hurricane Isaac. I personally didn’t see temper as much as I saw passion. Harris-Perry’s reaction reminds me of words President Obama said in one of his speeches during the 2008 election season when he criticized the whole bootstraps philosophy, saying something to the effect of how can one pull himself up by the bootstraps if they don’t even have boots.

What do you think about this debate and Melissa Harris-Perry’s response?

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mari-Mason/100000167675408 Mari Mason

    Hate to say it, but I agree with “are you serious?” on his/her second sentence regarding race.
    The only reason MHP is where she is today is because of race-baiting. She’s no better than Jackson and Sharpton.

    And since race-baiting seems to be her “forte”, I am wondering why she is so loud, rude and SCREAMING at her guests when her mother’s white…? Just asking… *sniggle* :)

    Gotta LOVE those stereotypes and she plays right into them, including the braids… yea.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PG2M7PIJZWOOXNBQL2HCUXRLHI Richard L

    As a host she should be ashamed and embarrassed. Her guest was that an invited guest with an opinion as well. MHP should go ask the lower middle class person over extended on loans trying to keep a family business afloat and not certain if in 3 months all they own and have worked for will be gone. As them if they are scared and living in risk worried for their family.
    She should also not discuss a topic to bash one party and do so based on a lie. She implies that those that have the image of a black being on welfare is unfair and a falsehood. Statistically more whites are on welfare, but only by 1 percent. Both black and white use about 40% of the pie. But blacks only make up 14% of the population. So proportionaly Blacks do use it much more.
    She was very knee jerk on the topic and it was uncalled for. Her rant was off base as well. Her neighborhood crime has nothing to do with poverty and welfare and should not have been brought into the topic. There are whole towns in old coal mine areas that live in government assistance and you do not see the crime she ranted about. So poverty is not what leads to urban crime.

  • tab brown

    Harris-Perry made a point? Did i miss it? Either way YOU chose your risk. I would have stuck this racist sack in her place.

  • Bruce

    She is wonderful and right on the mark.

  • Areyouserious

    Listening to Melissa Harris Perry and her panel was frustrating as an American. Why does race have to be the focal point of everything. Disagreeing with progressive ideas shouldn’t make you a racist. Being an entrepreneur in America is very risky. Most small business owners in America are not rich. The idea that they are and that the government has a right to take more of the income that small business owners make so they can give it to those that need it more, is wrong. The notion that consumers build businesses is way off base. Consumers would have no money if there were no businesses to work in. I run a small business and the economy has hit us hard. There aren’t enough words to describe at times the stress involved with just trying to make it through. Until one of those people on the panel have been in business owners shoes, they will never understand. The class warfare rhetoric being used by the liberal media and the President seem to be working.

  • BlackNGreen

    Everyone should Google, ”Unpacking the invisible knapsack”

  • James

    I just watched the show. Rose made several incredibly daft comments that were exasperating to all the guests on the show. Rose should have been pulled from the show but Perry and/or her staff forgot the adage “Don’t argue with idiots because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience”-Greg King

    At any rate Perry handled herself well. Her voice went pretty high but her education ensured that her point was well said. Overall good job on Perry’s part but next time PULL THE IDIOT GUEST!

    • James

      Oh one more thing – Perry should have *not* have apologized. Her voice may have gone a little high but she was speaking from the heart and didn’t say anything offensive that required an apology.
      Oh one more thing – Perry should have *not* have apologized. Her voice may have gone a little high but she was speaking from the heart and didn’t say anything offensive that required an apology.

  • http://www.facebook.com/karen.oden1 Karen Oden

    Love her she was spot on. I watch her each and every weekend on Msnbc.

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