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America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
41–50 of 196 posts
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#42Isn't this in general normal for the poor? Poor are poor because they prefer instant gratification and don't think about what it means long term.
I'd say it's the general normal for people with low IQs, many of whom happen to be poor.
However, when a poor person wins the genetic lottery and is born with a high IQ, that's a predictor of moving up a socioeconomic quartile, as well as increased lifespan and lower chance of smoking.
Conversely, a child of a rich person that has inherited wealth but regressed to the mean tends to become poorer.
It seems that general intelligence is the driver behind both accumulating wealth and living longer.
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whereas rich are rich because their parents were rich.
There have been studies and the vast majority of millionaires in the United States are still self made, whereas Europe is largely old money.
And there is another study saying this is bullshit and rich people tend to be rich and keep it in there familie in US as well.
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a joke right? You don't _actually_ believe that's how poverty works?
I may be missing something on a larger scale, but that is definitely true about all poor people i know (for almost all of them, i see an easy way how they can quit poverty in a few years, apart from a couple very sad examples), and every rich person i know, too (while again, it may be just my perspective: i don't come from a rich family so i don't know anyone who was born rich). It doesn't work as easy for older poor…
So, nothing happens in your world to drive older people into poverty though no fault of their own? It all has to be because of what they did? No financial crises, stock market crashes, stolen pensions, healthcare related bankruptcies, etc?
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a joke right? You don't _actually_ believe that's how poverty works?
I may be missing something on a larger scale, but that is definitely true about all poor people i know (for almost all of them, i see an easy way how they can quit poverty in a few years, apart from a couple very sad examples), and every rich person i know, too (while again, it may be just my perspective: i don't come from a rich family so i don't know anyone who was born rich). It doesn't work as easy for older poor…
You may be mistaking cause and effect. Many poor people have grown up with such a dire outlook that instant gratification is all that's essentially worthwhile.
but it is only a result of their mistakes in younger age
This is just uncharitable Ayn Rand style sophistry. Environment and simple luck has a fantastically large multiplier on one's odds of being poor or not.
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a joke right? You don't _actually_ believe that's how poverty works?
I may be missing something on a larger scale, but that is definitely true about all poor people i know (for almost all of them, i see an easy way how they can quit poverty in a few years, apart from a couple very sad examples), and every rich person i know, too (while again, it may be just my perspective: i don't come from a rich family so i don't know anyone who was born rich). It doesn't work as easy for older poor…
The money they spend on cigarettes might be considerable but not enough to take them out of poverty.
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#47This, if correctly publicized, would be the best motivation in getting huge amounts of people to stop. Think of a slogan like "Only the poor still smoke" or "it's what losers do" and how it would impact people. Suddenly you'd be embarrassed of being seen smoking.
That's already more or less the attitude that prevails among those of moderate to high socioeconomic standing. Making it official doesn't seem likely to change anything, especially in light of the fact that you don't really find a lot of cases in which people from different situations mix like that - it's pretty difficult for social opprobrium to exert much pressure upon people who never actually experience firsthand because they're never around those who would express it, or vice versa.
Quite aside from which, as I mentioned before, this is already pretty much the attitude, and the natural response to contempt is resentment. I've gotten any number of sidelong looks and smartassed comments from people who seem to find it a trespass upon their persons that I happen to be smoking within their eyeshot, and I can't say it has made me any more inclined to quit than the perceptible effects of maintaining the habit already do.
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#48The decline of the middle class and the huge explosion of the riches of the rich class will ensure that rich and poor in 50 and 100 years look and live like different species...
Slum dwellers and "city trash" on one hand, and 150 year old clean shaven organic vegan genetically modified uberlords on the other.
Warlocks vs Elois all over again...
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#49This, if correctly publicized, would be the best motivation in getting huge amounts of people to stop. Think of a slogan like "Only the poor still smoke" or "it's what losers do" and how it would impact people. Suddenly you'd be embarrassed of being seen smoking.
Or how about a mandatory message like "drinking may decrease libido" on every alcohol-related commercial?
Re: America’s new tobacco crisis: The rich stopped smoking, the poor didn’t
#50This, if correctly publicized, would be the best motivation in getting huge amounts of people to stop. Think of a slogan like "Only the poor still smoke" or "it's what losers do" and how it would impact people. Suddenly you'd be embarrassed of being seen smoking.
>Suddenly you'd be embarrassed of being seen smoking.
Or, you know, even more determined than ever to smoke.
Psychology is not that simple.
(Some english guy, don't remember who, described the same reaction when someone like Princess Diana was on TV telling people to "Say no to drugs").