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You make great points, i recently saw a 'beggar' on a median (hanging out near popular intersection) who looked homeless and downtrodden except he had on brand new sneakers. I was thinking to myself "dude".
There are quite a few statements of belief in this thread that begin with the words “everyone” or “anyone”. We could all benefit by learning to be wary of such statements, which masquerade as fact but can never be more than unfounded speculation. It is a simple fact that, aside from the inevitability of some aspects of material life such as aging and death, there is no statement beginning with "everyone" that could ever be proven. “Everyone” can get a job if they want to? Where is the proof and how could you ever get it? Does the speaker know the situation of “everyone”? Do they know all of their personal circumstances, including how hard they tried or failed to try? Such statements are political in origin and have no basis in fact.
As for the “sneaker” tale: you have no idea how the person in question acquired those sneakers. I can think of many ways that could happen, ways that support your viewpoint and ways that refute it. The difference is that I’d know I was using my imagination to come up with these ideas, whereas you seem to be confused between what you imagine or simply make up, and what is an established fact. The only actual fact that you have here is that the person was wearing new sneakers. Nevertheless, you feel perfectly comfortable and justified in making up a mental story about this person and then proceeding to a state of outrage, as if your mental meanderings were factual evidence rather than speculation based on your preconceptions. Ever hear of the scientific method?
To sum up my point, there are – as the old film narration said – “a million stories in the naked city”. No one knows all of them and every one of them is different from every other one. Yes, there are lazy people and hapless idiots and criminals. There are also people doing their best in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. You don’t know what those circumstances are, and you can’t possibly know just by looking at someone. But, as I’ve already said, many people feel that if they can label millions of other people as somehow lazy or worthless, it justifies their pitiless attitude toward others.
Its to put psychological distance between them and the "less fortunate".
Not to go OT, here, but I've found the same mindset towards those with disabilities (I am disabled). the attitude is your're lazy, unmotivated, if it were them, they wouldn't get in such shape. They would exercise, diet, take vitamins, etc. Many disabilities are beyond such measures, or such "self-help wouldn't have helped to begin with, like MS, RA, cancer, but if that were to be accepted, it would put others in similar potential risk categories.
Being sick/human is considered a crime by some. Esp. in corporate culture.
Work-houses from the Dickens era would be accepted by people with that type of skewed mentality.
Psychologically it is called:
Ex:
.... dysfunctional parents dance around the obvious real problems right before their eyes, they play a toxic game with the scapegoated child — the game is called, “You are the reason for anything and everything that is bad or wrong”. The whipping boy cannot escape this role, which is typically assigned in early childhood, long before a child can think objectively about messages given to them.
Because most people are unaware that "bums" and people leaching off the system only make up, at tops, 30% of the people on poverty. They also haven't heard of the working poor, people who have used up their health insurance while battling a life threatening illness, or any of the other issues that might send somebody into poverty.
In regards to the OP's original questions; because in many cases its true. Many of the poor are poor because of out of wedlock births, failure to get a good education, drug or alcohol abuse, being irresponsible and wasteful of the help they did get, criminal activity and in many cases, just plain laziness.
most people dont blame for the poor,,however , if you keep making the same destructive decisions that make you poor, then why should others-that work hard and play by the rules, get penalized??
over 45% is on some sort of welfare.... half is b.s.
most of us are willing to help THOSE THAT NEED IT-THE PROBLEM IS THIS- SO MUCH FRAUD IN THE SYSTEM, THAT THOSE THAT TRULY NEED THE HELP, DONT GET IT,,THERES NOT ENOUGH TO GO AROUND!!!
most people dont blame for the poor,,however , if you keep making the same destructive decisions that make you poor, then why should others-that work hard and play by the rules, get penalized??
Exactly. I'm living with one such self described "poor" who recently quit his THIRD job this year and is so poor that he had to resort to eating only 1 meal a day (not because he didn't have money for food as most of his meals consist of dining out on casinos' 19-25 dollars prime rib or AYCE Alaskan crab legs and oyster buffet and told me that he didn't feel like cooking) of an entire rack of New Zealand lamb chops in one sitting the last time he made me cook his dinner (cause apparently like my cat, he's an obligate carnivore and will die without meat) while working rich like myself subsist opulently on in season produces and beans for 95% of my meals. The most ironic thing is that he told me that he's tired of lobsters (his own words) and his father think *I'm* the poor one for not draping myself in Gucci and Louis Vuitton (well, duh. I have to save so I pay for all of your son's bills and his filet mignon). Almost all of my bosses cook their own meals and brown bags religiously while this poor wouldn't think twice before heading out in a sit in restaurant. No student loan, shiny business degree paid for by others, no rent, no bills, plenty of video games and tons of time to sit on his ass since job searching is something that he can do-well, tomorrow. So poor.
Please, somebody have a heart and take this poor under your wings and out of my unfeeling stingy hands.
I'm pretty poor right now. And, I am far from lazy. I have learned to live within my means, spend wisely, and live on much less than I did just 4 years ago. I know what it is like to be a minimalist ...
I worked in corporate for over 28 years, was laidoff, couldn't find another job, decided to make a change, and here I am back in college FT with 2 more years to go before I graduate. I don't mind the struggle right now, I know it's not forever. However, I have discovered people are so judgmental, critical, harsh, and malicious when it comes to things they are so ignorant about ... It's sad. Miserable people should turn their harsh eyes on themselves ...
Sometimes I listen to other people and I laugh ... for example: I have a friend that lives in a pretty wealthy town of Bergen County (NJ) and she and her husband have a pretty big house, they're currently doing renovations on it, adding several additions. And, she is always crying she and her husband are broke. YET, they go on 3 family vacations a year, and rent a beach house in the Summer for a week ...
I just wanted to find out why people who have found or made a better financial situation for themselves, and people with wealth or who grew up in wealth, always categorize everyone who's poor as being underachievers, or people who haven't tried hard enough in life? Why are the poor blamed for being poor? Are you the type of person who believes a poor person is always at fault for where they are in life financially? If so, do you ever think that thier path may have been more than you could have imagined to bare just to overcome poverty or do you think there are enough jobs and opportunities for each and every individual in society to be financially stable?
I grew up with a victim mentality. However, as I have matured in life, I have come to the realization that your life is what you make of it. Everyone has, essentially the same opportunities. You can be motivated to excel or you can complain about how "unfair" the world is.
There are legitimate reasons for being poor, of course. Being mentally or physically disabled to the point where you cannot work. But for most people, being poor is a result of not understanding that you are capable of changing your life by simply making up your mind to do so. 90 percent of the people in this country simply meander through life and never reach out and take it by the throat.
It's really not that difficult to lose it all ... People shouldn't assume because they have a great job, with a 6-figure salary, living in a big house, and driving a beautiful car that God forbid something happens, they could lose it all .... Easily.
After September 11th, I remember reading about wives who had lost their husbands, and they hadn't even planned for a "what if" - no wills, nothing ... 1 woman cried how she was losing her house, and she hadn't even worked. She was a housewife.
Your goal should be to maximize your choices in life. Everytime you don't graduate high school, hang out with the wrong crowd, marry a loser, do drugs, have kids out of wedlock, choose to be a housewife, etc., you diminish your choices down the road that will keep you from being poor. That's not all of the poor but I'm willing to guestimate it's at least 80 percent.
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