> It has been postulated that American welfare assistantship programs are somewhat to blame. I don't know how significant such aid was with the folks that I kn

> It has been postulated that American welfare assistantship programs are somewhat to blame. I don't know how significant such aid was with the folks that I knew. I think that a bigger factor was the culture. In most cases, they got their basics from family, so the assistance went for "luxuries". It's not enough for real luxuries, but it's enough to buy "stuff". I don't think that the "stuff" was a big motivation, but its unclear why society should provide it.