the conclusion of the linked article that people are still poor because they keep on buying lottery tickets is naive and condescending. Indeed. It is difficult

the conclusion of the linked article that people are still poor because they keep on buying lottery tickets is naive and condescending. Indeed. It is difficult to understand the mind set of the poor without understanding the screaming room: http://rortybomb.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/persistence-of-poverty-and-increasing-marginal-utility/ http://rortybomb.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/persistence-of-pov... With that shift in perspective, a number of behaviors that seem irrational start to make a lot more sense.