You've almost put your finger on it, but I think you've missed the reason a remark like this is unacceptable. When an individual says to another individual, pe

You've almost put your finger on it, but I think you've missed the reason a remark like this is unacceptable. When an individual says to another individual, personally, "you know, coal mining is dead - you should learn to code" - then that is nothing but a helpful suggestion; it's not insensitive or rude. Whatever social problems led to that situation are not your concern, or theirs. It is supposed to be the concern of a politician, however. When a politician 'advises' an entire class of people that way, it implies that they view the problem that affects that entire class as fundamentally not their responsibility to solve. As a person (aspiring to be) in charge, you need to take responsibility for social problems, and that means providing class-based solutions to class-based problems. Suggest individual action as a solution is effectively victim-blaming. An acceptable thing for Biden to have said would be to have mooted the idea of government subsidized retraining initiatives. Other examples include: women need to wear less slutty clothing to avoid rape; poor people need to work harder; racial minorities should avoid mostly-white areas to avoid abuse; etc....