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Adam Smith, the guy who pretty much defined capitalism, on relative poverty:
"'A linen shirt, for example, is, strictly speaking, not a necessary of life. The Greeks and Romans lived, I suppose, very comfortably, though they had no linen. But in the present times, through the greater part of Europe, a creditable day-labourer would be ashamed to appear in public without a linen shirt, the want of which would be supposed to denote that disgraceful degree of poverty, which, it is presumed, nobody can well fall into without extreme bad conduct."
But ... but ... surely no one in this country, in this day and age, EVER casts aspersions on poor people, or explains poverty as a character flaw! I mean, aside from the entire religious right and the Republican Party. Other than that, why would anyone be ashamed of suffering?
PS, Yes, I know this thread is actually about how poor people aren't suffering, and also that most of the posters here are convinced that we "takers" in the 47% aren't ashamed at all to be living on food stamps and welfare. But of course there IS a huge stigma -- even I have felt it having been laid off twice in the past 10 years -- and we know where it comes from.
People who do that are not necessarily what you'd call poor though. I have a relative that owns a nice house up north but was unemployed for some time, getting a nice unemployment check and he took a couple long vacation trips to Florida during the winter so he could lay on the beaches enjoying the scenery instead of snow.
He would do just that -- stay in rest areas, try to camp out in his car at a Walmart but was told he had to leave. He probably seemed homeless but wasn't homeless by any stretch, just a divorced guy with a good house he was still paying for but wanted to have lengthy vacation in the south too.
He said he was fine sleeping in his car -- and he knew how to get a free shower here and there -- for him a daily necessity and could eat at the casino buffets and have more than enough food. And enjoy himself at the beaches and fishing. If he stayed at hotels then his vacations on unemployment checks would be shorter.
You can't look at people in campers and travel trailers and staying in campgrounds in tents and assume they're poor -- people can have plenty of money and enjoy camping out. When I see people pulled over and sleeping in a rest stop, I don't assume they couldn't afford a motel -- because I do that same thing, I just don't want to spend my money on a motel if I only need a few hours of sleep.
Ah, except that I got out and actually talked to these people. I heard quite a few really heartbreaking stories I'm telling you.
Ah, except that I got out and actually talked to these people. I heard quite a few really heartbreaking stories I'm telling you.
Yes, that's often the case.
But fiction often sounds better and fits the preconceived notions of most in this thread. Poor, schmoor.
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