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(edit: I finished it,as I should have the first time. Not that i change my point of view though) <s>I couldn't finish the article, not because it was too heartb

(edit: I finished it,as I should have the first time. Not that i change my point of view though) <s>I couldn't finish the article, not because it was too heartbreaking, but because of the stupidity of the author.</s> ..."went to the already-crowded Dollar Store and Dollar General and bought dog food, dog treats, Slim Jims, three six-packs of Milwaukee’s Best, pruners for digging roots and a backpack to carry it all." I have been on the poverty line, I'm damn close to being there again. You have money for dog food and beer? Also earlier noted in the article smoking. I'm not sorry to say, fucking pull your head in. I have had to grow my own vegetables and cut lawns to feed my family (when I was 14!), None of us had money to mnoke, drink or have pets. Oh you spent your day digging up roots? Why not plant something then?(if you're already stealing from public land, why not at least try and utilise it somehow?) “I worked underground until I started having anxiety and I couldn’t stand to go back underground,”, I sure hope that doesn't deserve a disability payment, there are many more deserving than that. Shit I don't like underground either, doesn't mean I'm disabled, just means that I don't like the idea of that much mass over my head. I can still do other work. My opinion on this piece is that the author was trying to pull heart strings without actually being objective.

marak830 9y ago
So to the downvoters, do you actually have a logical response, or just a knee jerk reaction? I have been there, I grew up not knowing where each meal was coming from. I have lived next to and interacted with people who can't make logical decisions about what to do. I have seen people pull themselves from there, to actually attain something worthwhile, (I'd like to believe I am one of those people), and I have seen and interacted with those who will use any excuse to avoid actually working, or bettering themselves. So again, would you like to have a discussion about it? I'm more than willing. I am disappointed about the downvotes without a good reason though, this is why we come to hn after all.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- hestipod 9y ago
  So what about those of us, who are despite common belief the majority, who are in between? Those too old or broken or indebted to work like a 14yo and hope for a future? Those who lost everything after doing what you did and building a life. Those of us who WANT to better ourselves and be independent but cannot get the support to do so? What do you expect US to do? You are falling victim to survivorship bias and victim blaming when you say "I did it and know others who have therefore anyone can". Do you really think I would CHOOSE to live like this if I had an alternative? You need to believe it's all bored, lazy people so you can hold on to your point of view and feel safe yourself. You are afraid and you take it out on those suffering. I have seen this over and over. Any "discussion" people with such views ever have is full of blame and assumption.
bcook 9y ago
>Oh you spent your day digging up roots? Why not lant something then? I'm just guessing but the author may be referring to ginseng roots, which my low-income friends occasionally collect here in Appalachia. They could make hundreds of dollars in a single day. Planted ginseng takes 2+ years until you can harvest it. I asked them about planting/cultivating, which they said wasn't really viable but they did try to harvest the wild ginseng in a sustainable way.
- marak830 9y ago
  Yet, from the articles writing, that isn't what they were aquiring, Bor was there a mention of that. I argue that the author of the piece is either being dishonest(if they were regularly digging up ginseng or similar), not performing enough research or just plain not actually researching for his article. (Although there was a part about how much the root purchaser had spent that day, and it does seem as if they had either purchased massively under market value(for ginseng), or the roots were all low value. Also planting for sale is different than planting for consumption, a few dozen fast growing consumption based plants would have a much better outcome if you were concerned about health and saving money. It does take effort and planning though.
nikdaheratik 9y ago
Your opinion is BS, because you didn't RTFA, at best you skimmed it. How about the part where the woman is a heart patient who had a quadruple bypass? And you're arguing about $20 for dog food and beer, but ignoring the fact that half her meager income is spent renting a shed? The bottom line is that, if the people in the article were mentally and physically able to do what they needed to do to get out of poverty, they probably would have done so already. But they aren't so they're stuck trying and failing to meet very basic needs.

marak830 9y ago

So to the downvoters, do you actually have a logical response, or just a knee jerk reaction? I have been there, I grew up not knowing where each meal was coming from. I have lived next to and interacted with people who can't make logical decisions about what to do. I have seen people pull themselves from there, to actually attain something worthwhile, (I'd like to believe I am one of those people), and I have seen and interacted with those who will use any excuse to avoid actually working, or bettering themselves. So again, would you like to have a discussion about it? I'm more than willing. I am disappointed about the downvotes without a good reason though, this is why we come to hn after all.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
hestipod 9y ago
So what about those of us, who are despite common belief the majority, who are in between? Those too old or broken or indebted to work like a 14yo and hope for a future? Those who lost everything after doing what you did and building a life. Those of us who WANT to better ourselves and be independent but cannot get the support to do so? What do you expect US to do? You are falling victim to survivorship bias and victim blaming when you say "I did it and know others who have therefore anyone can". Do you really think I would CHOOSE to live like this if I had an alternative? You need to believe it's all bored, lazy people so you can hold on to your point of view and feel safe yourself. You are afraid and you take it out on those suffering. I have seen this over and over. Any "discussion" people with such views ever have is full of blame and assumption.

bcook 9y ago

>Oh you spent your day digging up roots? Why not lant something then? I'm just guessing but the author may be referring to ginseng roots, which my low-income friends occasionally collect here in Appalachia. They could make hundreds of dollars in a single day. Planted ginseng takes 2+ years until you can harvest it. I asked them about planting/cultivating, which they said wasn't really viable but they did try to harvest the wild ginseng in a sustainable way.

marak830 9y ago
Yet, from the articles writing, that isn't what they were aquiring, Bor was there a mention of that. I argue that the author of the piece is either being dishonest(if they were regularly digging up ginseng or similar), not performing enough research or just plain not actually researching for his article. (Although there was a part about how much the root purchaser had spent that day, and it does seem as if they had either purchased massively under market value(for ginseng), or the roots were all low value. Also planting for sale is different than planting for consumption, a few dozen fast growing consumption based plants would have a much better outcome if you were concerned about health and saving money. It does take effort and planning though.

nikdaheratik 9y ago

Your opinion is BS, because you didn't RTFA, at best you skimmed it. How about the part where the woman is a heart patient who had a quadruple bypass? And you're arguing about $20 for dog food and beer, but ignoring the fact that half her meager income is spent renting a shed? The bottom line is that, if the people in the article were mentally and physically able to do what they needed to do to get out of poverty, they probably would have done so already. But they aren't so they're stuck trying and failing to meet very basic needs.