Being Poor (1 Viewer)

[Charlie Brizzown]

Are you really pretending that racism does not exist and doesn't have any effect on how hard it is for someone to be successful?

I think he was acknowledging it exists but he doesn’t care since it advantages him.

And women are beneath him too.

 

[MLU]

Being poor is getting $900 per month in food stamps.
Being poor is getting $1150 per month in welfare.
Being poor is not knowing the daddy's that fathered your 6 kids.
Being poor is waking up, chilling, hanging with friends until your kids get home from school, as opposed to waking up, catching the bus to spend the day filling out job applications.

I understand that there are always exceptions, but most people that are truly poor are that way because they choose, or they've never been taught better. Either way, the fastest way out of poverty involves getting up off that ***. If your couch is the best investment you've ever made, you've just figured out the bulk of the issue.

been poor. decided i didn't want to be poor, so worked hard, made good decisions, and didn't waste my resources. That's how you become un-poor. And that's not even addressing the fact that the US has the richest poor of the world. Most people are poor, because they blew all the chances they had.

Every once in a while I will click the ignored content link out of curiosity. It usually doesn't take long to recall why I placed someone on the ignore list. I read this **** and am grateful that at the very least the two of you are expelling carbon dioxide that contributes to photosynthesis and eventually your bodies will decompose and fertilize something. Outside of that, I can't tell exactly what your contributions are to society.

 

[Dago]

Every once in a while I will click the ignored content link out of curiosity. It usually doesn't take long to recall why I placed someone on the ignore list. I read this **** and am grateful that at the very least the two of you are expelling carbon dioxide that contributes to photosynthesis and eventually your bodies will decompose and fertilize something. Outside of that, I can't tell exactly what your contributions are to society.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Just read article that said over 600K people are about to lose their food stamp benefits

 

[FLEA]

There but for the grace of God go I.....We are all just that one step away from being at that bottom rung of the ladder.

 

[Jeff Miller]

I think he was acknowledging it exists but he doesn’t care since it advantages him.

And women are beneath him too.

Don't forget children, someone's gotta run the sweat shops you know.

 

[Jeff Miller]

Every once in a while I will click the ignored content link out of curiosity. It usually doesn't take long to recall why I placed someone on the ignore list. I read this **** and am grateful that at the very least the two of you are expelling carbon dioxide that contributes to photosynthesis and eventually your bodies will decompose and fertilize something. Outside of that, I can't tell exactly what your contributions are to society.

pay taxes that pay for programs for the poor. that and doing everything i can to accelerate global warming. Oh, and when i can, I kick puppies too.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

If you've never been terrifingly poor, you won't understand. Words are inadequate.

40+ years later I'm absolutely terrified of being homeless again. The fear affected every part of my life. There's no getting away from it. Everything reminds you that you're poor. I can't imagine how scared my mom was to be a homeless, mother, responsible for a child.

Here's a small example of where my head's at. When the bar of soap is too small to rub on a washcloth and is completely useless... I save those. I don't even think about it. I have about four years worth of them in a box in one of my bathrooms. I'm not a hoarder. My house is orderly, but some things trigger fear in me. The thought of throwing them away isn't much different than the feeling that I get when standing on the edge of a high place.

Was that too much shampoo?
This toothbrush is still good, right?
If I take the deodorant container apart, there's still a useful amount in there.
If I save this jar, I can put bacon grease in it.
Why am I saving all of this bacon grease?
This shirt has holes in it but I can wear it under my work clothes.

This. So much this.

Thanks for sharing. I will never shake the sound in my mom's voice when she told me (over the phone) that the bottom had fallen out for her (with my sister still in high school) and she was going on food stamps. And this was definitely not because she was "wasting all of her opportunities".

She was able to recover but she absolutely hasn't shaken out of some of those habits you mentioned. Heck, even I picked up some of those same traits.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Just to add to this, his fourth point is just idiocy.

Fourth, immigrants as a group are exceptionally motivated. Almost daily, we learn about individuals who are willing to risk their lives for an opportunity at a better economic life. They are willing to board unseaworthy rafts and boats to cross an ocean, while armed with the knowledge that many others before them have died attempting such a voyage. Some will climb border fences, swim rivers and even risk encountering right-wing border militias in search of better economic opportunities. It has probably always been the case that those who were willing to leave the country, or the farm, or the village and come to the “promised land” of opportunity have been more ambitious and motivated than their counterparts who elected to stay behind.


Well duh....motivation and ambition are two requirements for success (excepting the rare instances of those who are extraordinarily lucky). Really all this does is agree with what I already stated. How does the author propose that those who are not motivated to take action achieve success?

So now teach in a school with a large AA population as well as a sizable Latin population
( If you don’t want to consider institutional poverty and disenfranchisement maybe stop here- but I don’t think you’re that guy)
- some of the newer Latin students are literal ‘walk across miles of dessert to get here’ type families
And let me tell you those parents are STUNNED that other Latin (and even AA) students aren’t super 100% grateful for the educational opportunity
And from their POV, of course, it’s tons better than whatever/wherever they left
For the students who are a few generations into the city, the disparity is what they see the most, and have many examples of people who tried hard but were not rewarded (not all obviously) and started to lose sight of the point

Now let’s take the immigrants that you’re talking about - let’s say there are 20 of them and they are all hard working- do you think all 20 will become successful?
I dont
I think there will be 3-5 doors that could open for the 20
20 will work very hard and 5 will succeed
The 15 left behind and the kids of those 15 will have a very different idea of the value of that original hard work

....
Last year I taught at one of the most privileged school in the city - the ostensible difference that I saw was access
One group starts the year telling me about their European trips (which I don’t begrudge them at all), the other about life guarding for NORD
It’s no hard to imagine which group will have more doors open for them

 

[Dago]

So now teach in a school with a large AA population as well as a sizable Latin population
( If you don’t want to consider institutional poverty and disenfranchisement maybe stop here- but I don’t think you’re that guy)
- some of the newer Latin students are literal ‘walk across miles of dessert to get here’ type families
And let me tell you those parents are STUNNED that other Latin (and even AA) students aren’t super 100% grateful for the educational opportunity
And from their POV, of course, it’s tons better than whatever/wherever they left
For the students who are a few generations into the city, the disparity is what they see the most, and have many examples of people who tried hard but were not rewarded (not all obviously) and started to lose sight of the point

Now let’s take the immigrants that you’re talking about - let’s say there are 20 of them and they are all hard working- do you think all 20 will become successful?
I dont
I think there will be 3-5 doors that could open for the 20
20 will work very hard and 5 will succeed
The 15 left behind and the kids of those 15 will have a very different idea of the value of that original hard work

....
Last year I taught at one of the most privileged school in the city - the ostensible difference that I saw was access
One group starts the year telling me about their European trips (which I don’t begrudge them at all), the other about life guarding for NORD
It’s no hard to imagine which group will have more doors open for them

I have said many times that our society is sick and that it values instant gratification and selfishness while empathy is an afterthought at best. We take what we have in this country for granted.

And i never guaranteed success for all...there is no such thing. Is that an excuse for not taking actions that give higher chances of success?

 

[saintmdterps]

been poor. decided i didn't want to be poor, so worked hard, made good decisions, and didn't waste my resources. That's how you become un-poor. And that's not even addressing the fact that the US has the richest poor of the world. Most people are poor, because they blew all the chances they had.

Simply not true. You like to pretend the playing field is level when it is not level at all.

Things that tilt the field:
1) The US health care system which causes 49% of all bankruptcies, and created the opioid crisis
2) A broken public education system which under serves our rural and inner-city populations
3) School-to-prison and for-profit prison system that incarcerate a higher percentage of blacks than were incarcerated in South Africa under aparteid
4) Wholesale corporate bribery of "our" legislators
5) The TrumpTax plot by allowing corporate America to engage in record stock buybacks as opposed to increasing wages.
6)The ongoing travesty of trickle-down economics
7) Student loans--I'll say no more

But damn, if "those people" would just make better choices they wouldn't be poor, right?

Yeah, whatever. If it eases your guilt then go ahead and indulge yourself in a little economic fantasy.

 

[saintmdterps]

IMO, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I have seen too many people who have immigrated here from other countries become middle and upper middle class to completely discount the effect of working hard. One of the major differences I see is the value of the family unit in those cultures.....their ability to live in one home and pool resources to purchase businesses. Americans, in general, are spoiled, lazy, and entitled by comparison. In my limited experience, it seems like immigrants have a stronger work ethic than a lot of Americans

But you have to recognize that it is also getting harder to move up in class as our country becomes more like an oligarchy. Also, when we do get workable fusion and 3D printing reaches its apex it will eliminate a large percentage of blue collar jobs

Economic mobility is at an all-time low in the US, and puts the US in the "low" category internationally.

 

[Dago]

Jesus....and there is this. I suppose white people have an unfair advantage in baseball because the ball is white

49ers suspend broadcaster for comment about Lamar Jackson's "dark skin"

The 49ers have suspended radio commentator Tim Ryan for saying on a radio show on Monday that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is good at at faking handoffs because of his “dark skin with a dark football.”

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Jesus....and there is this. I suppose white people have an unfair advantage in baseball because the ball is white

49ers suspend broadcaster for comment about Lamar Jackson's "dark skin"

The 49ers have suspended radio commentator Tim Ryan for saying on a radio show on Monday that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is good at at faking handoffs because of his “dark skin with a dark football.”

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

How did a “poor” thread become a general “race” thread?

 

[Dago]

Simply not true. You like to pretend the playing field is level when it is not level at all.

Things that tilt the field:
1) The US health care system which causes 49% of all bankruptcies, and created the opioid crisis
2) A broken public education system which under serves our rural and inner-city populations
3) School-to-prison and for-profit prison system that incarcerate a higher percentage of blacks than were incarcerated in South Africa under aparteid
4) Wholesale corporate bribery of "our" legislators
5) The TrumpTax plot by allowing corporate America to engage in record stock buybacks as opposed to increasing wages.
6)The ongoing travesty of trickle-down economics
7) Student loans--I'll say no more

But damn, if "those people" would just make better choices they wouldn't be poor, right?

Yeah, whatever. If it eases your guilt then go ahead and indulge yourself in a little economic fantasy.

All true. The issue I have is people not realizing that it doesnt much matter what political -ism we adopt as long as our societal values suck