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Old 02-21-2009, 12:24 PM
 
24,834 posts, read 37,260,702 times
Reputation: 11538

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter B View Post
We moved to Northern Michigan 4 years ago and there is distinct class envy up here. God forbid you drive a foreign car! A couple up the block from us, husband is a dentist and wife is a nurse, moved here from suburban Chicago 3 years ago. They each drive late model Mercedes Benz vehicles and you wouldn't believe the snide remarks people make regarding them, people who are nice to their face but make remarks when they're not around. Very nice folks who have put their house up for sale and are moving back to Chicago as they miss the suburban amenities. Some folks up here who do not have are jealous of the one's that do.
And that is why I will only give to animal welfare groups. Those little remarks come back.
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Old 02-21-2009, 05:49 PM
 
850 posts, read 1,892,435 times
Reputation: 725
free wireless goes a long way, especially when you're a single mom making below poverty level:} (maybe its because i'm 'educated'? if i was not, i doubt i'd be able to figure out how to get on the internet)

i've noticed a bunch of generalizations and stereotypes in this thread....
and i hate to point out that the original poster typed, 'make ends meat'.......but someone had to:}
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Old 02-21-2009, 06:15 PM
 
Location: West Michigan
12,082 posts, read 38,767,240 times
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I was going to mention free wireless "hotspots" for connecting as well. In my little town the entire downtown is a hotspot thanks to a local ISP.
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Old 02-21-2009, 06:27 PM
 
999 posts, read 4,518,912 times
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I used to be poor. There was no way I could afford a laptop, let alone the leisure time to hang out in wireless hotspots. No kidding. Just about all my free time was spent trying to find more work. I guess there ARE places where poor people can get free laptops nowadays. Thanks to those of us who work........There ain't no free lunch. No Bridge card back then for me either.

Quote:
Some folks up here who do not have are jealous of the one's that do.
I prefer to think of it as people who don't earn being resentful of those who do. There are some really beautiful places in this country and most of them are that way because there aren't a ton of people around. And when there isn't a huge population center or when the natural resources dry up and the jobs go away, it's pretty hard for the people who stay to make a living. However, if they want to make more money, they can always do what I did: Move to a crappy area where there are lots of jobs but few pristine beaches or dramatic vistas and views of the Northern Lights, put in 25 or 30 years on a job they don't like, raise your kids around good schools and THEN move to those beautiful places when you can afford it, instead of trying to live below poverty level your whole life because you like the view more than you like making $30.00 an hour.

Nothing wrong with living below poverty level by choice, but don't whine when I can pay cash at 50 years old for the house you were born in, still live in and is about to be foreclosed on because you can't pay the taxes. Know what I mean? We all make choices and we all have to pay for them, or at least finance them.

Last edited by and the; 02-21-2009 at 06:36 PM..
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Old 02-21-2009, 06:37 PM
 
850 posts, read 1,892,435 times
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i paid for all my stuff when i worked full time, things are different now. the assumptions that are being made on here are sort of ridiculous....
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Old 02-21-2009, 07:10 PM
 
24,834 posts, read 37,260,702 times
Reputation: 11538
Quote:
Originally Posted by and the View Post
I used to be poor. There was no way I could afford a laptop, let alone the leisure time to hang out in wireless hotspots. No kidding. Just about all my free time was spent trying to find more work. I guess there ARE places where poor people can get free laptops nowadays. Thanks to those of us who work........There ain't no free lunch. No Bridge card back then for me either.



I prefer to think of it as people who don't earn being resentful of those who do. There are some really beautiful places in this country and most of them are that way because there aren't a ton of people around. And when there isn't a huge population center or when the natural resources dry up and the jobs go away, it's pretty hard for the people who stay to make a living. However, if they want to make more money, they can always do what I did: Move to a crappy area where there are lots of jobs but few pristine beaches or dramatic vistas and views of the Northern Lights, put in 25 or 30 years on a job they don't like, raise your kids around good schools and THEN move to those beautiful places when you can afford it, instead of trying to live below poverty level your whole life because you like the view more than you like making $30.00 an hour.

Nothing wrong with living below poverty level by choice, but don't whine when I can pay cash at 50 years old for the house you were born in, still live in and is about to be foreclosed on because you can't pay the taxes. Know what I mean? We all make choices and we all have to pay for them, or at least finance them.
I 100% agree. The patches on my jeans were not designer.
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Old 02-22-2009, 08:41 AM
 
316 posts, read 1,178,920 times
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My thoughts on the OP's comments are welcome to the real world. You will find, for as long as you are productive that there is always someone resentful of you for trying to better yourself. I think I felt the same way when I was mid twenty's, but now have a little different twist on it. Don't spend so much time worrying about those people that want to use crutches or complain that the laptop you have is so expensive. Wasting any energy on those people is a waste of time! The cost of living in MI is so low compared to other parts of the country, a lot of people don't realize they are lucky to have that in an area that isn't a warzone yet.
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Old 02-23-2009, 10:40 AM
 
7,357 posts, read 11,712,878 times
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Scran, I do not know the final answer to your questrion. It sure seems as if a lot of people on this site believe the old racial stereotypes. I also know that Detroit remains the most segregated city in the North, and it used to be a hundred times worse than it is now. When I was growing up there was NO. SUCH. THING. as interracial relationships. The lines drawn between black and white neighborhoods were razor sharp and you weren't in danger when you crossed them, but people would look at you funny and even ask if you were lost if you went on the "wrong" side of the line. This happened to me all the time when I went into the "wrong" drugstore; there were two at an intersection, both facing on Mack Avenue near where I lived. The one on the left was Black and the one on the right was White. My mom didn't care which one we went into for a box of cough drops but the looks you'd get if you went into Arbor instead of Perry -- ! If this sounds like the Jim Crow South you're right, that's just what it was like, into the early Eighties at least when I went to college.

I have NO idea why this nonsense has held on so long. It is getting better, but very slowly.
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Old 02-24-2009, 02:47 PM
 
92,552 posts, read 122,822,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sike0000 View Post
I can understand where you are coming from, but there isn't a simple answer other than you never needed a degree before.

The long answer: We are talking about generations here. My parents never pushed college on me because they never needed it. And they were considered professionals. Unless you were going to be an engineer/ lawyer/doctor etc you didn't need one. And this isn't just a MI issue, this is everywhere. Because of all the factory jobs here it didn't make much sense to go to college only to end up making a lot less money than a blue collar worker. Not to mention, your parents, their parents, and all their brothers and sisters alreay had a factory job.

My wife's uncle makes near 100k on the line. What would he have to do to for a living to match that? 4 years in undergrad, plus two for his masters to become a lawyer, accountant, engineer etc. Not to mention years of XP. Plus he is in his 50's.

I spent 9 years in college, and have 15 year xp as a professional, and just now am passing the hourly rate of some of these workers. College is a hard sell. Do they deserve the money they make? Does anyone really?Doesn't matter if someone is willing to pay it.

Now, I will be much better off in the long run but I am young. But as I said this is a generational issue. It will not change overnight. This has been going on for 100 years.

Pushing college has it's own problems as well. Not just any old degree/training is going to help you. And we all can't be lawyers/doctors

As an engineer I know lots of people with degrees. But, I still know more without. In fact, people with degrees are few and far between in most areas. And even more rare are people with degrees that will actually benefit them.
I can totally see that and those are some good points.
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Old 02-24-2009, 02:55 PM
 
92,552 posts, read 122,822,263 times
Reputation: 18203
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliffie View Post
Scran, I do not know the final answer to your questrion. It sure seems as if a lot of people on this site believe the old racial stereotypes. I also know that Detroit remains the most segregated city in the North, and it used to be a hundred times worse than it is now. When I was growing up there was NO. SUCH. THING. as interracial relationships. The lines drawn between black and white neighborhoods were razor sharp and you weren't in danger when you crossed them, but people would look at you funny and even ask if you were lost if you went on the "wrong" side of the line. This happened to me all the time when I went into the "wrong" drugstore; there were two at an intersection, both facing on Mack Avenue near where I lived. The one on the left was Black and the one on the right was White. My mom didn't care which one we went into for a box of cough drops but the looks you'd get if you went into Arbor instead of Perry -- ! If this sounds like the Jim Crow South you're right, that's just what it was like, into the early Eighties at least when I went to college.

I have NO idea why this nonsense has held on so long. It is getting better, but very slowly.
I can understand, man. When I went to MSU from 1994-1997, I was so surprised to see how segregated it was there. I meant it was rare to see interracial groups of people there. what was odd was that my friends there came from in state, out of state, and even different countries. We would eat together at the dining hall and our group was rare for the dorm we were in. I will say, that it seemed like it was the case ususally with people from the Detroit area, but if you met up with people from other parts of the state, it was a bit different on those terms.

Even looking at the schools in Detroit, only Chadsey and the other SW Detroit schools seem to be the only truly integrated schools in the district. I guess if you count U of D Jesuit High, that might be the most integrated school in the city of Detroit.
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