guess ill go first :P

[Eru]

so this thread may wind up a flop...but eh...here goes:

Within the US, what do you guys think causes more disadvantage within society, race or zipcode?

In my experience teaching (college level) lower-income adults, I have seen many students of many races exhibit all ranges or drive, intelligence, and ability. However, what I see working against most of them is the fact they live in an impoverished area which seems to breed a certain sub-culture which is hard to escape.

The reason I question this against race, is that many of the students I work with claim that it is race which is holding them back. Being a white male I cant say I’ve ever felt much negative societal pressure, so I’m willing to admit there may be more to it than simply zipcode, but I still tend to think zipcode has more to do with the issue.

Also I realize this may be different in different areas inside the US (ie: Southern vs. Midwestern, vs. New England, vs. Western states)

I’m also interested in an international opinion as to how you see these two aspects working within *your* country.