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"...and faced yet another nasty choice between need and want. Should she go to the dentist, or take a guided tour of buildings designed by her favorite architec

"...and faced yet another nasty choice between need and want. Should she go to the dentist, or take a guided tour of buildings designed by her favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright? Each cost $100. She picked Frank Lloyd Wright. Her teeth could wait." Wow, with decisions like that it's no wonder that woman is in a bad position. Honestly, though - am I supposed to feel bad for someone like this? You can bet that if I was barely scraping by I would not be spending $100 on a guided tour of a building, or at a restaurant getting prime rib (something the article mentions she also did). I wouldn't be eating out at all or doing anything that involved any sort of discretionary income because I didn't have any. She doesn't have any but she act like she does. It's not rocket science that the numbers don't add up in the end. Gee, I wonder...should I go to Peter Luger's for dinner this Friday or pay my gas and electric? Tough call.

jstarfish 9y ago
At the time the article was written, she was in the last few years of her life. If they're spent doing nothing but hustling to pay bills, and there is no enjoyment to be afforded outside of that, why bother finishing the last few? Being old sucks enough as it is, with all your faculties failing and everybody abandoning you. She's dead now. She got to enjoy the museum and a steak while she still had a chance. I don't begrudge her that.
- Balgair 9y ago
  I'm not sure there is a name for the GP's 'fallacy', but I think there should be. The idea is that one person in the whole history of the world had the worst, most painful, most terrible, most suffered, most miserable life that ever happened anywhere and for all time. All other people are just griping and moaning; they could have had it worse, so shut-up. Like, how mean is that thought process? We need to be helping each other out, not comparing the size of our scars and the length of our therapy sessions. So what if someone hasn't had it was bad as you or some hypothetical person? Be kind.
  - derekp7 9y ago
    That is the fallacy of relative priation, I think.
frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
Why are we so determined to remove any joy from the lives of the poor? Unless you've exorcised all fun, discretionary activities from your life you're obviously just a bad decision-maker. This kind of thing is about one step from this sort of crap: http://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/0/4/8/603048_v2.jpg http://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/0/4/8/603048_v2.j...
- turc1656 9y ago
  That link/picture isn't crap, even if it is Fox News. That photo goes to the whole concept of what "poor" actually is. Poor can be defined as relative or absolute. We normally use it in the relative sense, so there are always poor people, but over the last 200+ years the standard of living of even the poorest among us has risen dramatically. Case in point - how many people who are poor somehow manage to own smartphones? That's basically the updated version of the fridge concept but it is still an extremely valid point. The woman in the article was able to become a "road gypsy". Would that have ever been possible prior to the 21st century in any scenario where she wasn't possibly facing starvation or at least malnutrition as she traveled the country? No.
JustSomeNobody 9y ago
Never forget to pay yourself. It is morally crushing to work and work and never have any enjoyment. It's wrong to have the attitude that she makes bad decisions so of course she's poor.
- turc1656 9y ago
  Why is that wrong? Surely I am entitled to my opinion, however judgmental it may be. Also, it's barely an opinion at all. It's practically a fact based on the information in the article alone that a number of extremely bad decisions led to that woman's unfortunate situation. Let me put it another way - I personally have never met a single person who was responsible, level-headed, and made rational decisions with their money ever wind up in a scenario even remotely like this woman's.
  - JustSomeNobody 9y ago
    > Let me put it another way - I personally have never met a single person who was responsible, level-headed, and made rational decisions with their money ever wind up in a scenario even remotely like this woman's. What does this prove? Those people wouldn't be hanging out on HN for sure! Edit: But you're right, you're not wrong for having your opinion.
    - turc1656 9y ago
      It goes to show that what I said isn't an "attitude" or mindset, but rather a simple observation of reality. Mainly that decisions have consequences. What I said is nothing new, yet you say that it is wrong to have that attitude. Meanwhile basically everything we have ever seen supports the claim that if you prepare and plan for the future you are in nearly every circumstance far better off in the long run.
      - frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
        Well no, it shows that your reality is rather small. Maybe you should meet people outside of the normal circles you hang in. There are plenty of people who are responsible with their monety and yet have been crushed by circumstance.

jstarfish 9y ago

At the time the article was written, she was in the last few years of her life. If they're spent doing nothing but hustling to pay bills, and there is no enjoyment to be afforded outside of that, why bother finishing the last few? Being old sucks enough as it is, with all your faculties failing and everybody abandoning you. She's dead now. She got to enjoy the museum and a steak while she still had a chance. I don't begrudge her that.

Balgair 9y ago
I'm not sure there is a name for the GP's 'fallacy', but I think there should be. The idea is that one person in the whole history of the world had the worst, most painful, most terrible, most suffered, most miserable life that ever happened anywhere and for all time. All other people are just griping and moaning; they could have had it worse, so shut-up. Like, how mean is that thought process? We need to be helping each other out, not comparing the size of our scars and the length of our therapy sessions. So what if someone hasn't had it was bad as you or some hypothetical person? Be kind.
- derekp7 9y ago
  That is the fallacy of relative priation, I think.

frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago

Why are we so determined to remove any joy from the lives of the poor? Unless you've exorcised all fun, discretionary activities from your life you're obviously just a bad decision-maker. This kind of thing is about one step from this sort of crap: http://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/0/4/8/603048_v2.jpg http://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/0/4/8/603048_v2.j...

turc1656 9y ago
That link/picture isn't crap, even if it is Fox News. That photo goes to the whole concept of what "poor" actually is. Poor can be defined as relative or absolute. We normally use it in the relative sense, so there are always poor people, but over the last 200+ years the standard of living of even the poorest among us has risen dramatically. Case in point - how many people who are poor somehow manage to own smartphones? That's basically the updated version of the fridge concept but it is still an extremely valid point. The woman in the article was able to become a "road gypsy". Would that have ever been possible prior to the 21st century in any scenario where she wasn't possibly facing starvation or at least malnutrition as she traveled the country? No.

JustSomeNobody 9y ago

Never forget to pay yourself. It is morally crushing to work and work and never have any enjoyment. It's wrong to have the attitude that she makes bad decisions so of course she's poor.

turc1656 9y ago
Why is that wrong? Surely I am entitled to my opinion, however judgmental it may be. Also, it's barely an opinion at all. It's practically a fact based on the information in the article alone that a number of extremely bad decisions led to that woman's unfortunate situation. Let me put it another way - I personally have never met a single person who was responsible, level-headed, and made rational decisions with their money ever wind up in a scenario even remotely like this woman's.
- JustSomeNobody 9y ago
  > Let me put it another way - I personally have never met a single person who was responsible, level-headed, and made rational decisions with their money ever wind up in a scenario even remotely like this woman's. What does this prove? Those people wouldn't be hanging out on HN for sure! Edit: But you're right, you're not wrong for having your opinion.
  - turc1656 9y ago
    It goes to show that what I said isn't an "attitude" or mindset, but rather a simple observation of reality. Mainly that decisions have consequences. What I said is nothing new, yet you say that it is wrong to have that attitude. Meanwhile basically everything we have ever seen supports the claim that if you prepare and plan for the future you are in nearly every circumstance far better off in the long run.
    - frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
      Well no, it shows that your reality is rather small. Maybe you should meet people outside of the normal circles you hang in. There are plenty of people who are responsible with their monety and yet have been crushed by circumstance.