Why is "money management" always brought up and used against the poor?
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Anonymous
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No idea - the poor I know manage their money very well. They're poor because they're disabled (one is mentally impaired) and can't find jobs. My ILs were war refugees who left all their wealth in their native land, were terribly poor for a while, and slowly clawed their way up to the middle class, through wise financial decisions. Only nasty people ascribe lack of morals or incompetence to the poor. |
Anonymous
Where do they get the money? Are they buying on credit? I am UMC, or according to some threads here, rich. While I have thought about buying an ipad, it seems like an unnecessary luxury unless I learn of a compelling justification. |
Anonymous
Well they pay very very little for housing or food, and save nothing. |
Anonymous
Tax credits/refund |
Anonymous
Another reason I don't want Section 8 in my neighborhood. Sorry but people like that ruin the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
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I suppose the difference is with the newly poor and those who have been poor for a long time.
If you had the iPhone before you got laid off, had to go on disability, then is that ok? Also culture has changed, how do you keep up without access to internet? Most people want to see evidence of long term poverty, like beat up old furniture, not a home with an item that was purchased when times were better. I would never judge a person for their luxuries, if reading the newspaper is what you do daily and cannot imagine your life without it, then I have no need to judge you for your newspaper subscription If you can and only do drink expensive coffee, then please go ahead We all need our little luxuries, whatever they may be |
Anonymous
| The poor people I know spend money like a drunken sailor in port. They waste money going to Starbucks, dining out constantly, liquor, expensive phones and then wonder why they don't have money to fix their 15 year old car and pay the rent |
Anonymous
Somehow I doubt the honesty of your post. Very few can rent a home if the rent is more than a 1/3 of their income. A 15 year old car is a money pit that will break down after you fixed it. |
Anonymous
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Wow, this is an incredibly demoralizing thread. Go ahead and villainize poor people if it makes you feel superior!
Why is "money management" always brought up and used against the poor? Because it's a form of class warfare that distracts from the systemic obstacles that really stand in the way of poor people getting ahead. There are huge advantages to being middle class and above, everything from being able to write off your mortgage interest if you own a home, to getting your kids in a better school because of where you can afford to live, to having health insurance and sick days through your job (more than a third of U. S. workers get NO sick leave!), and on and on and on. Being able to buy the larger size of soap at the store (and thus get a discount per ounce) is just the tip of the iceberg. Have you ever lived with anyone on food stamps? I have. Have you ever watched someone try to juggle child care, low-wage job, community college courses? I have. These people are not out there blowing money on luxuries. They are hoping their car doesn't break down and counting every penny for rice and beans. They spend an appalling amount of their income on rent. With no savings or credit, every setback that would be minor to you is a huge emergency. Do they make some lame economic decisions? Of course! But is that the main thing keeping them down? Of course not. Give me a break. |
Anonymous
Some are. Some aren't. But I agree its not fair to stereotype. |
Anonymous
Then be honest with yourselves and live like the poor like you are. Pretending to live middle class when you cannot afford it is the biggest error. |
Anonymous
Stop. Just stop making flimsy excuses. Many lazy bums game the systems and work, if at all, under the table. They live on the sweaty backs of middle class workers. |
Anonymous
Apparently reading and comprehending aren't your strong suits. Did we say every poor person or did we say "some"? In every socio-economic group, there will always be those who do and those who don't. |
Anonymous
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Bizarre how PP is obsessed with people dissing the poor for money management. Doesn't happen all that often in real life. Usually people criticize life choices or comment on how hard it is to break intergenerational poverty.
Bad money management does come up often with people making middle class/UMC salaries who can't seem to save a dime. |
Anonymous
People want to feel good about themselves and therefore the poor are easy pickings. They made poor life choices, are stupid at handling money I do not know that many wealthy that have made wise life choices or have never been stupid with money |