--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In America, the poor have been…" description: "\"In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out to the world must not show the poor, it mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png" --- # In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because… ![“In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out to the world must not show the poor, it must not show the condition of black people. It can only the successful ones, basketball players, musicians, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell. But I…” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png) > “In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out to the world must not show the poor, it must not show the condition of black people. It can only the successful ones, basketball players, musicians, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell. But I think the time will come when the Occupy movement will have to somehow formulate something more than just anger.” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how mainstream narratives spotlight only a few successful Black individuals, rendering the broader poor invisible and perpetuating stereotypes. **In simple terms:** Success stories hide systemic poverty and racism. Key Takeaway Recognize and amplify diverse experiences of the poor. Themes inequality representation media race politics Mood critical urgent reflective Type political social commentary When to use this quote - Policy advocacy - community organizing - media reform - education curricula - grassroots storytelling Key Concepts Systemic racism visibility bias social narrative Questions to Reflect On - How can media broaden representation of marginalized groups? - What concrete steps can movements take beyond anger? A Different Perspective It may overlook individual agency and the complexity of success pathways. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-player/) [Basketball Players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-players/) [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Occupy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupy/) [Occupy movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupy-movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [President Bush has had an outstanding Secretary of State in Colin Powell and there are not many people who could replace him, making Condoleezza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-bush-has-had-an-outstanding-secretary-of-state-in-colin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The leaders of the empire, the imperial mafia-George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Cheney, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, et al.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-leaders-of-the-empire-the-imperial-mafia-george-w-bush-donald/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [You have to ask if the country would have been ready for Barack Obama if we hadn't been prepared by Colin Powell and Condoleezza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/you-have-to-ask-if-the-country-would-have-been-ready-for-barack-obama/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I think the Occupy movement will, or at least should, become a protean movement of ideas, as well as action, where the element of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-the-occupy-movement-will-or-at-least-should-become-a-protean/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I hope that that the people in the Occupy movement are politically aware enough to know that their being excluded from the obscene amassing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-hope-that-that-the-people-in-the-occupy-movement-are-politically/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The Occupy movement found places where people who were feeling that anger could come and share it - and that is, as we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-occupy-movement-found-places-where-people-who-were-feeling-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Where else but in America can a poor black man like Michael Jackson grow up to be a rich white woman?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/where-else-but-in-america-can-a-poor-black-man-like-michael-jackson/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [In reality, most of America's poor work hard, often in two or more jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/in-reality-most-of-america-s-poor-work-hard-often-in-two-or-more-jobs/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/socialism-never-took-root-in-america-because-the-poor-see-themselves/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [One of the most durable successes of the war on poverty was to dramatically reduce the number of elderly poor in America. That's still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-abramsky/one-of-the-most-durable-successes-of-the-war-on-poverty-was-to/) [Sasha Abramsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-abramsky/) > [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Today there are a huge number of think tanks working on poverty-related issues; there are books written on the topic; and university centers being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-abramsky/today-there-are-a-huge-number-of-think-tanks-working-on-poverty/) [Sasha Abramsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-abramsky/) > [“One of the biggest health problems facing America's poor is obesity. You know you live in a good place when overeating is a problem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/one-of-the-biggest-health-problems-facing-america-s-poor-is-obesity/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [In Obamas America, being 'poor' means having everything the middle class has, just not having to pay for it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-obamas-america-being-poor-means-having-everything-the-middle-class/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In America there are none poor, and none even that can be called peasants. Each citizen has some property, and all citizens have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-lafayette/in-america-there-are-none-poor-and-none-even-that-can-be-called/) [Marquis de Lafayette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-lafayette/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) [Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out to the world must not show the poor, it must not show the condition of black people. It can only the successful ones, basketball players, musicians, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell. But I think the time will come when the Occupy movement will have to somehow formulate something more than just anger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arundhati Roy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibilised-because-obviously-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibilised-because-obviously-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/arundhati-roy-346_america_in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibili_961193.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In America, the poor have been invisibilised, because obviously this model of success that has been held out…” — Arundhati Roy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arundhati Roy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In America, the poor have been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibilised-because-obviously-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-america-the-poor-have-been-invisibilised-because-obviously-this/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```