Biden's gaffe and the linguistics of value

One of the basic aspects of value is the way it transfers, within narrative assumptions, from one aspect of something to another. It could be from one part to another part: "his son was smart but his daughter...". Or it could be from one trait to another: "his skin was wrinkled but his blue eyes still twinkled with wit.". The transfer of value is called "Truism 4 C" and named after my wife Barbara who said: "If you like people you tend to see them as more good looking".

So recently Joe Biden said:

Poor kids are just as smart as white kids.

This is a great example for a couple reasons. Firstly it makes clear that to be poor is BAD. Also it transfers value from economic status to race, with whites being the race that is GOOD. It is inescapable that, in Joe Biden's narrative universe, to be Black is BAD. And that financial status and intelligence are of the same dimension, such that equating them does not stress the conversational assumptions. All of which is direct evidence that Joe Biden is operating with a number of depraved and in-appropriate mental categories:

[White, rich, smart, GOOD] [Black, poor, dumb, BAD].

You would think he would know enough to keep this to himself. So I guess I will speak "Joe Biden" for a moment and say: Joe is rich, stupid, and white.