--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I sat in rooms with middle-aged…" description: "\"When I sat in rooms with middle-aged white men, I heard them speaking like young black men in America. They had been solidly middle class for the major..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/lynn-nottage-4259_america_when-i-sat-in-rooms-with-middle-aged-whi_2603391.png" --- # When I sat in rooms with middle-aged white men, I heard… ![“When I sat in rooms with middle-aged white men, I heard them speaking like young black men in America. They had been solidly middle class for the majority of their working careers, but now they were feeling angry, disaffected, and in some cases, they actually had tears in their eyes.” quote by Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/lynn-nottage-4259_america_when-i-sat-in-rooms-with-middle-aged-whi_2603391.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/lynn-nottage-4259_america_when-i-sat-in-rooms-with-middle-aged-whi_2603391.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/lynn-nottage-4259_america_when-i-sat-in-rooms-with-middle-aged-whi_2603391.png) > “When I sat in rooms with middle-aged white men, I heard them speaking like young black men in America. They had been solidly middle class for the majority of their working careers, but now they were feeling angry, disaffected, and in some cases, they actually had tears in their eyes.” [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Middle-aged white men express frustration and vulnerability similar to younger black men, revealing shared emotional struggles across demographics. **In simple terms:** White men feel angry and tearful like younger black men. Key Takeaway Recognize common humanity behind surface differences. Themes empathy class race emotional expression Mood reflective somber Type social observational When to use this quote - workplace meetings - community forums - intergenerational dialogues - mental health discussions Key Concepts social identity intersectionality class consciousness Questions to Reflect On - How do class and race intersect in emotional expression? - What can foster genuine empathy across demographic lines? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic factors influencing emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Feeling angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-angry/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-heard-561792/) [Middle aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-aged/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [White Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-men/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [So live with men as if God saw you and speak to God, as if men heard you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-live-with-men-as-if-god-saw-you-and-speak-to-god-as-if-men-heard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Live with men as if God saw you; converse with God as if men heard you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/live-with-men-as-if-god-saw-you-converse-with-god-as-if-men-heard-you/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“Yes, sir. I went downstairs to' - a blurry moment when no words come to me, then it passes and I continue - 'to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-bingham/yes-sir-i-went-downstairs-to-a-blurry-moment-when-no-words-come-to-me/) [Harry Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-bingham/) > [“Democracy meant all men were to be heard, and a decision was taken together as a people. Majority rule was a foreign notion. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/democracy-meant-all-men-were-to-be-heard-and-a-decision-was-taken/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“They've got him!" squealed the Duke. "Eleven men to one!" "You may have heard of Galahad," said Hark, "whose strength was as the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/they-ve-got-him-squealed-the-duke-eleven-men-to-one-you-may-have/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [I think it's hilarious when middle-aged white men try to take themselves seriously. It makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bauer/i-think-it-s-hilarious-when-middle-aged-white-men-try-to-take/) [Chris Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bauer/) > [Those who are truly decrepit, living corpses, so to speak, are the middle-aged, middle-class men and woman who are stuck in their comfortable grooves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/those-who-are-truly-decrepit-living-corpses-so-to-speak-are-the/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Yoga will uplift you if you are feeling sluggish or down, relax you if you feel high-strung, and soften your edges if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-ingber/yoga-will-uplift-you-if-you-are-feeling-sluggish-or-down-relax-you-if/) [Mandy Ingber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-ingber/) > [“are not accustomed to the emotional upheaval that accompanies a loss. People experience a wide array of emotions after a loss, from not caring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/are-not-accustomed-to-the-emotional-upheaval-that-accompanies-a-loss/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [The roller-coaster is my life; life is a fast, dizzying game; life is a parachute jump; its taking chances, falling over and getting up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-roller-coaster-is-my-life-life-is-a-fast-dizzying-game-life-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Lately, she found herself thinking about Brent a lot, and for the first time, feeling angry. Because she had been twelve years old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-braffet/lately-she-found-herself-thinking-about-brent-a-lot-and-for-the-first/) [Kelly Braffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-braffet/) > [My chest tightens: seeing him so upset breaks my own heart. 'Don't you ever wish you could make that bit go away?" I say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-potter/my-chest-tightens-seeing-him-so-upset-breaks-my-own-heart-don-t-you/) [Alexandra Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-potter/) > [What makes you so lavish that you can afford to spend every sober moment feeling angry and bored?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/what-makes-you-so-lavish-that-you-can-afford-to-spend-every-sober/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [“You know, some people say grief is like an ocean,” I said. “I think that’s true. It’s deep and dark and bigger than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-rothert/you-know-some-people-say-grief-is-like-an-ocean-i-said-i-think-that-s/) [Brenda Rothert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-rothert/) > [“When I focus on the way "men" or "husbands" generally behave, I start to lump Jamie along with half of humanity. I find myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/when-i-focus-on-the-way-men-or-husbands-generally-behave-i-start-to/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More by Lynn Nottage > [There's never any ebb in human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/there-s-never-any-ebb-in-human-misery/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I think that human beings were incredibly resilient; otherwise, we wouldn't keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-think-that-human-beings-were-incredibly-resilient-otherwise-we/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [We need to diversify the people who are backstage and producing and marketing these shows. It's the limitations of these people that are holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/we-need-to-diversify-the-people-who-are-backstage-and-producing-and/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I am a storyteller by trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-am-a-storyteller-by-trade/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The essence of creativity is to look beyond where you can actually see. I don't want to dwell in same place too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-essence-of-creativity-is-to-look-beyond-where-you-can-actually/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [African American women in particular have incredible buying power. Statistically, we go to the movies more than anyone. We have made Tyler Perrys career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/african-american-women-in-particular-have-incredible-buying-power/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [What I often do when I'm writing, if I can't find that story, I go out and I hunt for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/what-i-often-do-when-i-m-writing-if-i-can-t-find-that-story-i-go-out/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Broadway is a closed ecosystem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/broadway-is-a-closed-ecosystem/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Replace judgment with curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/replace-judgment-with-curiosity/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [A play that forces us to question our moral responsibility to the victims of human rights abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/a-play-that-forces-us-to-question-our-moral-responsibility-to-the/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [My fears about where theater is going - it's the Hollywood model, where people are chasing the almighty dollar and making commercial decisions based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/my-fears-about-where-theater-is-going-it-s-the-hollywood-model-where/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The presence of a bed changes the way people interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-presence-of-a-bed-changes-the-way-people-interact/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I wonder: Would there be a black president if people hadn't already begun imagining, through film and television, that a black man is president?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-wonder-would-there-be-a-black-president-if-people-hadn-t-already/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The great thing about 'Vera Stark' is that my research was watching movies, screwball comedies, so I could literally sit back and relax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-great-thing-about-vera-stark-is-that-my-research-was-watching/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Before I start, I create a set list that I listen to while I'm writing. For 'Intimate Apparel,' I loaded Erik Satie, Scott Joplin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/before-i-start-i-create-a-set-list-that-i-listen-to-while-i-m-writing/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) [Explore all 113 Lynn Nottage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## 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": "When I sat in rooms with middle-aged white men, I heard them speaking like young black men in America. 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