6 ms·

>People ransacked Talia’s social media for clues to her lifestyle, seizing upon anything that hinted at extravagance, or concocting back stories. >Everywhere,

>People ransacked Talia’s social media for clues to her lifestyle, seizing upon anything that hinted at extravagance, or concocting back stories. >Everywhere, people questioned just how poor Talia was. She defended the prosciutto-and-brie biscuits in her Twitter feed to a Quartz reporter after critics interpreted it as a sign of secret wealth; she said the ingredients were a gift from a date. Vice wanted to know why she had a bottle of Bulleit bourbon — she explained she needed it for mint julep cupcakes for work. Yeesh. Poor people can't have nice things in more ways than one.

bane 11y ago
File under the "it's expensive to be poor". One observation from growing up poor, around lots of other poor people (but not something I noticed in people who I'd classify as falling into "true" poverty) is the crazy amount of money that gets spent on absolute bullshit in some desperate attempt to make the life-suck less awful. I could list some examples, but the stereotype of poor people with expensive shoes or lots of cheap jewelry or whatever is often partially true.
- drzaiusapelord 11y ago
  This is why so many people can't work their way out of it. $300 sneakers to look cool in the ghetto or a community college class? A $600 iphone or a laptop for your kids? A new tat or new clothes for your kids? When I lived in a 'up and coming' urban neighborhood, my unemployed/welfare neighbors had nicer shoes and phones than I did. But they partied until 2 or 3 while I had to go to bed early for work. Part of the problem of being poor is lack of self-control and lack of planning and how that all culminates into a endless party/bling lifestyle. This is why education is seen as the solution to being poor, not necessarily a lifetime of handouts. Income distribution hits the laws of diminishing returns pretty fast. Some people, unfortunately, can't accept this for political reasons, hence all my drive-by downvotes.
  - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
    That and family planning. Poor kids have babies that are guaranteed poverty from birth and likelier to deal with the same situation as (very young) adults. More unwanted children means more strain on the system that could otherwise more readily help the poor person trying to get a leg up and doesn't party till 2 in the morning. And that means double for people who have it hard as it is without having to be a parent as well. I can't imagine making birth control pills OTC and free of charge would be more expensive in the long run than a steadily increasing line for welfare checks and SNAP benefits. Edit: if one person can explain why they are downvoting me, I would love to listen. Otherwise I assume you all think I'm shitty because I think birth control should be available to everyone, especially people who aren't ready to have kids.
  - alistairSH 11y ago
    It's not just about looking cool. You're over-simplifying and trivializing the impact of poverty on a person's ability to live life in the way a not-poor person lives. And then there's the fact that being poor actually impairs IQ.[1] And that hopeless feeling that leads to immediate pleasures over long-term goals. [2] 1 http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/6716/ http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/... 2 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-poverty-why-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-bra...
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  The New York Times had an article a while back about how conspicuous consumption habits vary by region, and only sometimes by income. In out-and-about and status-conscious New York City, rich and poor alike spend a disproportionate amount of income on shoes in watches. An interesting takeaway was that in Cleveland, conspicuous consumption of premium sodas and cigarettes were far higher than anywhere in the nation. I suppose when you're really that poor, you'll do - or buy - anything to feel that you aren't. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-people-buy-where.html?referer= http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-peo...
- steveklabnik 11y ago
  I grew up "we don't have money for Christmas presents" poor, but not "we don't have money for food" poor. It's not even about that. It's that being poor is expensive. So, here's an example: when I would buy shoes, which were usually boots (I lived on a farm), you could get a pair at a place like Sears. They were maybe, I dunno, $20-$30 at the time. They would fall apart within a year. Every year, let's say, $30-$60, just on replacing my shoes. Then, one year, I decided to save up _all_ of my money, including gifts, and bought a pair of Doc Martens for $120. Those shoes lasted me for almost a decade, because they were significantly higher quality. $12/year, actually cheaper than the poorer quality boots. But that wouldn't help if I couldn't put the $120 together to actually buy them, which was true most of the time. A lot of being poor is like this. You can only afford cheap stuff, and cheap stuff breaks a lot and needs to be replaced often. It's expensive to be poor.
  - dgabriel 11y ago
    This is commonly known as the Sam Vines Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness. https://thebillfold.com/to-terry-pratchett-who-gave-us-sam-vimes-boots-theory-of-socioeconomic-unfairness-a33858c1c74c#.ywegtntsw https://thebillfold.com/to-terry-pratchett-who-gave-us-sam-v...
    - steveklabnik 11y ago
      Yes, I've always enjoyed this name, specifically because it relates directly to how I grew up.
  - drzaiusapelord 11y ago
    >They were maybe, I dunno, $20-$30 at the time. They would fall apart within a year. This is fairly bullshitty and something I question as to being real. My immigrant family has always bought cheap shit. $30 shoes from DSW or wherever lasted a long time. Our clothes from Sears lasted forever. The expensive stuff wasn't for quality, it was for brand and social signaling. That $800 Gucci purse isn't bought because its durable. There's simply not a price/durability relationship in fashion. >and bought a pair of Doc Martens Of course leather boots last longer, that's a serious edge case that has no bearing on the norm. I don't know anyone who regularly wears boots on a daily basis and its unrealistic to pretend its a normal footwear for most people. Heck, most people can't wear shoes that like long term as its uncomfortable and can cause foot issues. Middle class people don't sigh in relief about being able to afford hipster boots, they just buy the same sneakers they always did. In fact, its pisses me off that at my wealth level how easily shit breaks. My fancier clothing wears out faster, my more complex lifestyle means more handymen and repairs, etc. >It's expensive to be poor. Its really not. When we were poor we just didn't buy into the consumerist lifestyle. We just kept stuff forever. The problem is some of the poor people in my neighborhood would buy into it and bought all the blingy shit with their money instead of saving or trying to work their way out of the poor neighborhoods.
hnal943 11y ago
If you're going to demand someone else pay your rent, you invite scrutiny of your financial choices.
- beat 11y ago
  "She was asking for it! Look how she was dressed!"

bane 11y ago

File under the "it's expensive to be poor". One observation from growing up poor, around lots of other poor people (but not something I noticed in people who I'd classify as falling into "true" poverty) is the crazy amount of money that gets spent on absolute bullshit in some desperate attempt to make the life-suck less awful. I could list some examples, but the stereotype of poor people with expensive shoes or lots of cheap jewelry or whatever is often partially true.

drzaiusapelord 11y ago
This is why so many people can't work their way out of it. $300 sneakers to look cool in the ghetto or a community college class? A $600 iphone or a laptop for your kids? A new tat or new clothes for your kids? When I lived in a 'up and coming' urban neighborhood, my unemployed/welfare neighbors had nicer shoes and phones than I did. But they partied until 2 or 3 while I had to go to bed early for work. Part of the problem of being poor is lack of self-control and lack of planning and how that all culminates into a endless party/bling lifestyle. This is why education is seen as the solution to being poor, not necessarily a lifetime of handouts. Income distribution hits the laws of diminishing returns pretty fast. Some people, unfortunately, can't accept this for political reasons, hence all my drive-by downvotes.
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  That and family planning. Poor kids have babies that are guaranteed poverty from birth and likelier to deal with the same situation as (very young) adults. More unwanted children means more strain on the system that could otherwise more readily help the poor person trying to get a leg up and doesn't party till 2 in the morning. And that means double for people who have it hard as it is without having to be a parent as well. I can't imagine making birth control pills OTC and free of charge would be more expensive in the long run than a steadily increasing line for welfare checks and SNAP benefits. Edit: if one person can explain why they are downvoting me, I would love to listen. Otherwise I assume you all think I'm shitty because I think birth control should be available to everyone, especially people who aren't ready to have kids.
- alistairSH 11y ago
  It's not just about looking cool. You're over-simplifying and trivializing the impact of poverty on a person's ability to live life in the way a not-poor person lives. And then there's the fact that being poor actually impairs IQ.[1] And that hopeless feeling that leads to immediate pleasures over long-term goals. [2] 1 http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/6716/ http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/... 2 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-poverty-why-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-bra...
rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
The New York Times had an article a while back about how conspicuous consumption habits vary by region, and only sometimes by income. In out-and-about and status-conscious New York City, rich and poor alike spend a disproportionate amount of income on shoes in watches. An interesting takeaway was that in Cleveland, conspicuous consumption of premium sodas and cigarettes were far higher than anywhere in the nation. I suppose when you're really that poor, you'll do - or buy - anything to feel that you aren't. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-people-buy-where.html?referer= http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/what-peo...
steveklabnik 11y ago
I grew up "we don't have money for Christmas presents" poor, but not "we don't have money for food" poor. It's not even about that. It's that being poor is expensive. So, here's an example: when I would buy shoes, which were usually boots (I lived on a farm), you could get a pair at a place like Sears. They were maybe, I dunno, $20-$30 at the time. They would fall apart within a year. Every year, let's say, $30-$60, just on replacing my shoes. Then, one year, I decided to save up _all_ of my money, including gifts, and bought a pair of Doc Martens for $120. Those shoes lasted me for almost a decade, because they were significantly higher quality. $12/year, actually cheaper than the poorer quality boots. But that wouldn't help if I couldn't put the $120 together to actually buy them, which was true most of the time. A lot of being poor is like this. You can only afford cheap stuff, and cheap stuff breaks a lot and needs to be replaced often. It's expensive to be poor.
- dgabriel 11y ago
  This is commonly known as the Sam Vines Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness. https://thebillfold.com/to-terry-pratchett-who-gave-us-sam-vimes-boots-theory-of-socioeconomic-unfairness-a33858c1c74c#.ywegtntsw https://thebillfold.com/to-terry-pratchett-who-gave-us-sam-v...
  - steveklabnik 11y ago
    Yes, I've always enjoyed this name, specifically because it relates directly to how I grew up.
- drzaiusapelord 11y ago
  >They were maybe, I dunno, $20-$30 at the time. They would fall apart within a year. This is fairly bullshitty and something I question as to being real. My immigrant family has always bought cheap shit. $30 shoes from DSW or wherever lasted a long time. Our clothes from Sears lasted forever. The expensive stuff wasn't for quality, it was for brand and social signaling. That $800 Gucci purse isn't bought because its durable. There's simply not a price/durability relationship in fashion. >and bought a pair of Doc Martens Of course leather boots last longer, that's a serious edge case that has no bearing on the norm. I don't know anyone who regularly wears boots on a daily basis and its unrealistic to pretend its a normal footwear for most people. Heck, most people can't wear shoes that like long term as its uncomfortable and can cause foot issues. Middle class people don't sigh in relief about being able to afford hipster boots, they just buy the same sneakers they always did. In fact, its pisses me off that at my wealth level how easily shit breaks. My fancier clothing wears out faster, my more complex lifestyle means more handymen and repairs, etc. >It's expensive to be poor. Its really not. When we were poor we just didn't buy into the consumerist lifestyle. We just kept stuff forever. The problem is some of the poor people in my neighborhood would buy into it and bought all the blingy shit with their money instead of saving or trying to work their way out of the poor neighborhoods.

hnal943 11y ago

If you're going to demand someone else pay your rent, you invite scrutiny of your financial choices.

beat 11y ago
"She was asking for it! Look how she was dressed!"