101–110 of 164 posts
Alternate theories are that (some) poor people have weak impulse control, are bad at delayed gratification, and/or have low intelligence.
In reality the causes are very likely a mix of all these factors, but the article makes no attempt to even consider other explanations.
The true reality is, most poor people don't have the mental capacity to spend money appropriately. While we live in the fantasy land that they are quite smart, but happen to be poor we really can't move ahead and improve the situation, the two issues are linked. Someone well off might also may not have the mental capacity, but it will affect them less, I get that but that's an aside until the far future when everyone…
I've never been able to articulate my own feeling about wealth and poverty. I've been objectively poor at some points in my life. I became vegetarian in my early 20s when I was travelling because I couldn't afford meat. Even then there were some weeks where I didn't eat for a few days because I had spent all my money for the week. It sounds bad, but being hungry taught me how to prioritise and I don't regret it. In o…
You are "quit writing software and went to Japan" poor. There is also the "working 2 jobs to feed 3 kids" sort of poor. These are completely different kinds of "poor".
I should point out many poor people on EBT (new name for food stamps) do buy toilet paper in bulk once a month. I do wonder how many merchants raise some prices on the 1st of the month.
One day I needed to pick up a few things on the way to a party. Was passing through a bad part of town and figured I'd stop at the only grocery store. Surely they have the basics, beer, snacks, etc... To make a long story short, I left without buying anything because the prices were more than I was willing to pay. I ended up wandering around the store comparing the prices to what I pay in my neighborhood. Almost ever…
Since the crowd around here can't exist without an increase in poverty, the real question is how many poor people do we need to produce one Zuckerberg. If we want more Zuckerbergs we need more poor people, just as if we want more whales in the ocean we need more ocean. Pretty sure Trump can work out a nice formula to export the poor into the developing world, in return for an expansion of H1B visas or something. Give…
This comment is absolutely baffling to me - I can't even disagree because I don't understand what you are saying.
It seems some people think that there is no such thing as too much income inequality.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It would be fair to say that you have some technical skill not afforded to the truly poor. Most English teaching positions in Japan require a college education, which is the epitome of this study carried to an extreme. Anyone can learn to code or do Linux ops work, a skill that you have that keeps true poverty at bay. Most can go to school on grants if they are truly poor but there's a learning curve to being able to…
This is worth pointing out - education is human capital, an intangible form of wealth.
I've never been able to articulate my own feeling about wealth and poverty. I've been objectively poor at some points in my life. I became vegetarian in my early 20s when I was travelling because I couldn't afford meat. Even then there were some weeks where I didn't eat for a few days because I had spent all my money for the week. It sounds bad, but being hungry taught me how to prioritise and I don't regret it. In o…
> That kind of wealth is available to many people, but I think that most people can't see it, unfortunately. I don't much like beer. Something about the taste, maybe the hops, I dunno. Every time I tell someone I don't like beer, they say "Oh, you just haven't had _good_ beer! You should try this one!" And I try it, and I don't like it. Some folks can acquire a taste for beer, given enough exposure. I've given it ple…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It would be fair to say that you have some technical skill not afforded to the truly poor. Most English teaching positions in Japan require a college education, which is the epitome of this study carried to an extreme. Anyone can learn to code or do Linux ops work, a skill that you have that keeps true poverty at bay. Most can go to school on grants if they are truly poor but there's a learning curve to being able to…
This is worth pointing out - education is human capital, an intangible form of wealth.
I'm going to stop making excuses and go back to school, I think.
Some destitute-college-student friends were telling me that they lived on a $20/week of rice + beans + canned tomatoes; I suggested that I take them out to Costco and for $100 stuff their pantries with ~3 months of supplies. They patiently explained to idiot me that the reason they ate so poorly was because finding $100 was effectively impossible.
None of these college friends have any access to credit at all? I find that very hard to believe. How are they paying for college?