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"New cars" is obviously poor decision making, but aren't cell phones cheaper than food nowadays? It should not be surprising that poor people have cell phones.
by mcculley 7y ago
"New cars" is obviously poor decision making, but aren't cell phones cheaper than food nowadays? It should not be surprising that poor people have cell phones. The gadgets we once thought of as luxuries will continue to decrease in real cost.
- lonelappde 7y agoAnd they aren't buying new cars. They are more often buying junk used cars with predatory financing contracts (https://youtu.be/4U2eDJnwz_s https://youtu.be/4U2eDJnwz_s) Parent poster was just spreading Fox "News" propaganda.
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoI dont think there was any link to Fox News. Can you source why you think that is the case?
- jlokier 7y agoI think "Fox News" is being used here as code for right-wing propaganda, masquerading as journalism. And that the type of right-wing propaganda is that associated with the word "scrounger" in the UK, which is code for "poverty isn't real, it's fakers and stupid people wasting their copious money, people make themselves poor (so we don't have to care)". Represented in this case by someone saying poor people buy new cars, when the reality is poor people buy extremely cheap second hand cars, and cannot afford new cars. And even that is out of a sense of necessity - in many places in the UK you need a car to get to work. Related right-wing propaganda in the UK says that poor people have loads of money but pretend they don't, and spend it stupidly on alcohol, cigarettes and luxury holidays, and that any financial worries or, say, hunger, is their own fault. While many people do spend occasionally on those things, many poor people in the UK (who I know) spend nothing on any of those things, and couldn't afford it if they wanted to; so it is galling to see it implied in newspaper stories regularly. Not so much of that at the moment though. TLDR "Fox News propaganda" is code for "poor people aren't really poor, so we don't have to care".
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoOk, so no sources, just biases about an opposing ideology that can only be filled with evil and irrational people (because if they were good people they would align with you) MIGHT think. Got it.
- jlokier 7y agoI'm describing how the phrase "Fox News propaganda" is used as a codephrase by many for a perceived ideology and messaging. Not what I think of Fox. I don't have a stake in that game; I'm not in the USA and don't watch any of the channels there. You don't have to agree, but you did specifically ask why Fox was mentioned in the parent comment, and your question sounded similar to those by people who don't understand English well and deserve a simple explanation of a perplexing phrase. I attempted to provide my best guess to help you.
- austincheney 7y agoI am not right wing and I am not sure how you came that conclusion since you don’t know me and are unfamiliar with observations of my child’s school.
- bengale 7y agoThey also take the place of a computer for many people. I know several people who no longer have a computer or laptop at home because their cell phone does everything they need.
- austincheney 7y agoPerhaps but price regression doesn’t make anything more imperative to survival, such as feeding your children. Given the comparison of purchasing an additional cell phone and plan for your child versus feeding your child which is more important? Especially considering the price of school lunch is already so heavily subsidized.