--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time I went to West Virginia I…" description: "\"The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by how poor it was. It was like north India, there's kids running around in bare feet. The white..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg" --- # The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by… ![“The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by how poor it was. It was like north India, there's kids running around in bare feet. The white working class has been disenfranchised as well. It's been disenfranchised by the liberal-left as well as the conservative-right. You really have…” quote by Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg) > “The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by how poor it was. It was like north India, there's kids running around in bare feet. The white working class has been disenfranchised as well. It's been disenfranchised by the liberal-left as well as the conservative-right. You really have to get people right across America and Britain and Europe and the world as a whole concentrating on the economic issues that affect them, because when you don't have that, you have all these phony, racist and cultural wars, and sexist wars.” [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic disparity fuels cultural conflicts, and focusing on shared material concerns can reduce divisive identity politics. **In simple terms:** Economic inequality drives cultural wars; addressing it can unite people. Key Takeaway Prioritize economic issues over identity battles. Themes economics politics social justice Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - policy debates - community organizing - media analysis - education curricula Key Concepts class disenfranchisement political polarization media narratives Questions to Reflect On - How can economic policies be framed to address both class and identity concerns? - What role does media play in amplifying cultural wars? A Different Perspective Economic focus may overlook systemic oppression rooted in identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Bare feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bare-feet/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Economic issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-issues/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virginia/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [West virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-virginia/) [Working class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I think that there are just so many people that can't afford not to have Obama win. He's gotten so many disenfranchised people back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-think-that-there-are-just-so-many-people-that-can-t-afford-not-to/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [We have to concentrate back on: Where is the money going? Where's it been going for the last thirty years? How do we start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/we-have-to-concentrate-back-on-where-is-the-money-going-where-s-it/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My work about corruption is to get people to see it less as a moral issue (right/wrong) and more as an economic issue (economies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/my-work-about-corruption-is-to-get-people-to-see-it-less-as-a-moral/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [“Traditional progressive bread and butter economic issues are the heart of the solution. It's about ensuring decent jobs with a good wage. It's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wellstone/traditional-progressive-bread-and-butter-economic-issues-are-the/) [Paul Wellstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wellstone/) > [I think people cast their votes for a number of reasons. I think if you look at your polls, you'll probably find that many,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-think-people-cast-their-votes-for-a-number-of-reasons-i-think-if/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country saying 'Well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-you-have-is-mitt-romney-running-around-the-country-saying-well/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What animates me in politics are the economic issues of opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/what-animates-me-in-politics-are-the-economic-issues-of-opportunity/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [On social questions, national defense, economic issues, I'm a strong conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/on-social-questions-national-defense-economic-issues-i-m-a-strong/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) > [If we're going to talk about economic fairness, or about fairness, one of the most pressing economic issues facing families, seniors, and job creators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blunt/if-we-re-going-to-talk-about-economic-fairness-or-about-fairness-one/) [Roy Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blunt/) > [What we are going to do as Democrats is put together a really strong platform that focuses on jobs and economic issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/what-we-are-going-to-do-as-democrats-is-put-together-a-really-strong/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [Thus far we have considered the problem of conservation of land purely as an economic issue. A false front of exclusively economic determinism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/thus-far-we-have-considered-the-problem-of-conservation-of-land/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [That's unfortunately common - to blame immigrants, to blame the African-Americans who are being helped by federal programs, to blame anyone available, to direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/that-s-unfortunately-common-to-blame-immigrants-to-blame-the-african/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Liberals have one solution for every economic issue; eat the seed corn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/liberals-have-one-solution-for-every-economic-issue-eat-the-seed-corn/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [The economic issues are most vital for us and it is of the highest importance that we should fight our biggest enemies - Poverty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lal-bahadur-shastri/the-economic-issues-are-most-vital-for-us-and-it-is-of-the-highest/) [Lal Bahadur Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lal-bahadur-shastri/) > [It is like using a smoke screen, the same thing for an individual. The topic here is Islam. If French politicians are no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/it-is-like-using-a-smoke-screen-the-same-thing-for-an-individual-the/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) ## More by Irvine Welsh > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“Without this kickstart to my day, I'd be lost. A day without a morning run is a day you fumble through, rather than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/without-this-kickstart-to-my-day-i-d-be-lost-a-day-without-a-morning/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“There's nae reasoning wi some cats. You say 'reason', they mew 'treason'. Ken?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nae-reasoning-wi-some-cats-you-say-reason-they-mew-treason-ken/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If it's something that I feel uncomfortable with, that's a reason for me to write it. I kind of like to make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-it-s-something-that-i-feel-uncomfortable-with-that-s-a-reason-for/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [There's nothing worse than a violent beating from an unremarkable person. Physical violence with someone is too much like shagging them. Too much id…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-violent-beating-from-an-unremarkable/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If I stop working and publishing, and TV, and film and all that, I would be dead within a couple of weeks. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-i-stop-working-and-publishing-and-tv-and-film-and-all-that-i-would/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I can see why the Russians love Robert Burns, I think that Russians and Koreans have a very similar outlook to Scots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-can-see-why-the-russians-love-robert-burns-i-think-that-russians/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If you continue to transfer the wealth of the population of the planet to a very small amount of people, it becomes untenable at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-you-continue-to-transfer-the-wealth-of-the-population-of-the/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Most middle-class people I know don't really live like me. Middle-class people worry a lot about money. They worry a lot about job security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/most-middle-class-people-i-know-don-t-really-live-like-me-middle/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [As soon as you've written it, you're thinking about how it can move into different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/as-soon-as-you-ve-written-it-you-re-thinking-about-how-it-can-move/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“Begbie doesnae even notice; he's in his element, particularly good at funerals in the way a lot ay psychopaths tend tae be. Ah suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/begbie-doesnae-even-notice-he-s-in-his-element-particularly-good-at/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I'm more of a warrior than you'll ever be. I believe in the class war. I believe in the battle of the sexes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-more-of-a-warrior-than-you-ll-ever-be-i-believe-in-the-class-war/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) [Explore all 348 Irvine Welsh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## 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": "The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by how poor it was. It was like north India, there's kids running around in bare feet. The white working class has been disenfranchised as well. It's been disenfranchised by the liberal-left as well as the conservative-right. You really have to get people right across America and Britain and Europe and the world as a whole concentrating on the economic issues that affect them, because when you don't have that, you have all these phony, racist and cultural wars, and sexist wars.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irvine Welsh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i-was-surprised-by-how-poor-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i-was-surprised-by-how-poor-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/irvine-welsh-843_america_the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i_2852626.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first time I went to West Virginia I was surprised by how poor it was. It was like north India, there's…” — Irvine Welsh", "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": "Irvine Welsh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first time I went to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i-was-surprised-by-how-poor-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/the-first-time-i-went-to-west-virginia-i-was-surprised-by-how-poor-it/#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 } } ] } ```