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"We don’t make [choices] with our financial well-being in mind, though maybe we should." Uh, hello? The paragraph consists entirely of "I" statements about the

by rwc 10y ago

"We don’t make [choices] with our financial well-being in mind, though maybe we should." Uh, hello? The paragraph consists entirely of "I" statements about the bad choices he made and concludes with a "We". There's no "we" about it -- I made (make) choices to improve my financial wellbeing. If you don't, that's your problem.

KyleBrandt 10y ago
I think the author's idea is that he is representative of the 47% of Americans that don't have even a $400 dollar emergency fund. And that "We" is the people in that 47%. If survey is accurate, that large of a percentage of the population means that society has a problem. That does not just impact the individuals that don't follow good financial practices when they could. So it ends up being your (people that make wise financial decisions) problem to a degree.
- vintermann 10y ago
  It's a big assumption that the reason the GP isn't in trouble is that they make wise financial decisions.
- developer2 10y ago
  >> that large of a percentage of the population means that society has a problem. That does not just impact the individuals that don't follow good financial practices when they could Just because it's 47% does not mean that the majority of those 47% are not entirely responsible for their own situation. The things people are mentioning (children's college/university, weddings, houses, cars) are completely dependent on the individual's own decisions. That people actually go into debt or spend their entire life savings on a bloody wedding of all things is certainly not indicative of a problem with society. Nobody is forced to spend beyond their means to strive to place themselves above middle class. Spending is not justified because you fit the "middle class" demographic and should thus be entitled to "middle class things". There is no endemic here, only individuals making poor choices. There's no huge secret to stashing away some money. It's really not difficult. I can sympathize for someone making less than $50k/year who genuinely struggles with basics. The $50k/year earner who buys a new iPhone every year? Not so much. Someone making $150k/year who is unable to withdraw $2000 from their chequing account? Not a single ounce of sympathy for them. Unless one is in a truly sticky spot like having to pay ungodly amounts of money to manage a severe illness, there is no excuse other than an introspective look at one's priorities. Society cannot be used as a scapegoat here. The system is not flawed. The way people try to position themselves at a higher level within the system than they can afford? There's the issue.
- tamana 10y ago
  But the author is full of crap because the 47% includes actual working class poor people, not rich NY writers.
troydavis 10y ago
This would have been a pretty interesting story if he'd explained his decisions in detail (other options considered, what specifically he thought would happen, how much research he did then, etc) and taken responsibility for the option he chose. As written, when he finally gets to his own story, the negative outcomes all seem to be described as inevitable or circumstance. The alternative choices are so simplistic ("I knew how easily my girls could be marginalized in a society where nearly all the rewards go to a small, well-educated elite," "and cutting corners to turn them out faster, I knew, would be cutting off my career") that I think his argument would have been stronger with no explanations at all.
- typetypetype 10y ago
  His thought process was probably "I had X, so my family will have X", without realizing how X has become less affordable over the years due to stagnant wages and rising costs. X can represent: * Children going to a college of their choice * A catered formal wedding * Owning a home * Choosing a career based on interests rather then financial stability * Having a telecom connection (cable, internet, cell phone) etc, etc...
  - tamana 10y ago
    X is inflated over prevousr generation * an expensive private college * fancy catered wedding * owning a larger home * doing a white collar flex hours fun career * having lots of telecom options that didn't even exist before.
- true_religion 10y ago
  It's true, they could have gone to public school and had a afterschool tutor. It'd have been cheaper than private school by far, and gotten the same educational benefit without the 'rubbing shoulders with the elite' you get from private schooling. As someone who went to private school, I can say certainly it doesn't count until you go to university. It may count somewhat in highschool, but primary/grammar school isn't quite the place to make connections that people make it out to be.

by rwc 10y ago

KyleBrandt 10y ago

I think the author's idea is that he is representative of the 47% of Americans that don't have even a $400 dollar emergency fund. And that "We" is the people in that 47%. If survey is accurate, that large of a percentage of the population means that society has a problem. That does not just impact the individuals that don't follow good financial practices when they could. So it ends up being your (people that make wise financial decisions) problem to a degree.

vintermann 10y ago
It's a big assumption that the reason the GP isn't in trouble is that they make wise financial decisions.
developer2 10y ago
>> that large of a percentage of the population means that society has a problem. That does not just impact the individuals that don't follow good financial practices when they could Just because it's 47% does not mean that the majority of those 47% are not entirely responsible for their own situation. The things people are mentioning (children's college/university, weddings, houses, cars) are completely dependent on the individual's own decisions. That people actually go into debt or spend their entire life savings on a bloody wedding of all things is certainly not indicative of a problem with society. Nobody is forced to spend beyond their means to strive to place themselves above middle class. Spending is not justified because you fit the "middle class" demographic and should thus be entitled to "middle class things". There is no endemic here, only individuals making poor choices. There's no huge secret to stashing away some money. It's really not difficult. I can sympathize for someone making less than $50k/year who genuinely struggles with basics. The $50k/year earner who buys a new iPhone every year? Not so much. Someone making $150k/year who is unable to withdraw $2000 from their chequing account? Not a single ounce of sympathy for them. Unless one is in a truly sticky spot like having to pay ungodly amounts of money to manage a severe illness, there is no excuse other than an introspective look at one's priorities. Society cannot be used as a scapegoat here. The system is not flawed. The way people try to position themselves at a higher level within the system than they can afford? There's the issue.
tamana 10y ago
But the author is full of crap because the 47% includes actual working class poor people, not rich NY writers.

troydavis 10y ago

This would have been a pretty interesting story if he'd explained his decisions in detail (other options considered, what specifically he thought would happen, how much research he did then, etc) and taken responsibility for the option he chose. As written, when he finally gets to his own story, the negative outcomes all seem to be described as inevitable or circumstance. The alternative choices are so simplistic ("I knew how easily my girls could be marginalized in a society where nearly all the rewards go to a small, well-educated elite," "and cutting corners to turn them out faster, I knew, would be cutting off my career") that I think his argument would have been stronger with no explanations at all.

typetypetype 10y ago
His thought process was probably "I had X, so my family will have X", without realizing how X has become less affordable over the years due to stagnant wages and rising costs. X can represent: * Children going to a college of their choice * A catered formal wedding * Owning a home * Choosing a career based on interests rather then financial stability * Having a telecom connection (cable, internet, cell phone) etc, etc...
- tamana 10y ago
  X is inflated over prevousr generation * an expensive private college * fancy catered wedding * owning a larger home * doing a white collar flex hours fun career * having lots of telecom options that didn't even exist before.
true_religion 10y ago
It's true, they could have gone to public school and had a afterschool tutor. It'd have been cheaper than private school by far, and gotten the same educational benefit without the 'rubbing shoulders with the elite' you get from private schooling. As someone who went to private school, I can say certainly it doesn't count until you go to university. It may count somewhat in highschool, but primary/grammar school isn't quite the place to make connections that people make it out to be.