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I don't know why you're being downvoted, other than the fact that others can't comprehend what you said. There are a lot of people out there that don't feel th

I don't know why you're being downvoted, other than the fact that others can't comprehend what you said. There are a lot of people out there that don't feel the need to spend money to be happy.

necheffa 6y ago
Probably the thinly veiles "all it takes is a little hard work and grit, don't know why all these peasants complain about being poor" attitude.
- fullshark 6y ago
  aka it refutes the political point this piece is making that people want to agree with.
  - multjoy 6y ago
    An unsourced anecdote refutes nothing.
  - necheffa 6y ago
    It really doesn't. Proof by contradiction only goes so far on this topic. Particularly when you lean on anecdotes from your personal bubble. If we want to play that game, I can refute the refutal with my own anecdote. I grew up very poor but managed to get to a place several rungs up the socio-economic ladder higher than where I was as a kid. Sure, I worked hard and gritted my way through things like having to skip meals. But a good number of things had to line up just right for me to get where I am today. It was just as much about me seizing opportunities as it was just being lucky enough to have a shot at them in the first place. It is a lot easier to make opportunities for yourself when you aren't worried about where your next meal is coming from or when you can afford leisure activities that build out your network. When you start off at the bottom, there is no magic Disney formula you follow to reach success. It is entirely possible to do everything right and still end up stuck in destitution.
mikestew 6y ago
I don't know why you're being downvoted Here's a hint: the simplistic (I would even go as far as to say ignorant) argument that if you're not making it, you're just not responsible enough. It's just a talking point without having to actually talk about anything.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
throwaway98797 6y ago
If you focus on misery of the world you don’t have to look at your own life too critically. Bad luck happens to good people. The question is what mindset leads to better outcomes. In an unjust world is it better to focus on the injustice or is it better to keep trying to make your life better. It seems (selection bias and all) that those that have the better mindset (maybe self-centric to their own communities needs) do better regardless of income.
racl101 6y ago
Frankly I see both sides. As long as we're using anecdotal evidence ... many of the people I personally know who have suffered the worst during the pandemic, are people who never saved or put away money away when times are good. They also, never invested in additional education nor skills. Their disposable income went to vacations, new cars, daily coffee at Starbucks, and a bunch of other frivolities. Always carrying a near zero bank account from end of pay period to end of pay period. But hey, at least they met their responsibilities. They were functioning paycheck-to-paycheck people. Now many broke and really struggling even if they are still employed. Why? Because of reduced hours or salaries to adjust for the pandemic. Usually these kinds of people are susceptible to the slightest change in their salary. That's part and parcel of not saving and living strictly paycheck to paycheck. Do they deserve it? No of course not. Nobody deserves bad fortune like this. These people weren't trying to harm others and they were decent hard working people. However, ... it's not hard to see why they end up like this. These people were never taught to save away money when times were good, to live within their means, to invest, to do the math before buying a car and making modest decisions, heck, even to have the common sense to know that a daily coffee at Starbucks is a terrible financial decision. And many of of these people, even people who are still gainfully employed usually retort with: well I'm never gonna be able to own a home, so I buy what I want with my money now to make myself happy., but the thing is, many people who own homes now, also didn't just have all the money available and had to save up for the down payment and probably live a few years house poor. This expectation that we should all be able to own at least: one smartphone, one computer, one expensive game console, etc. etc. that wasn't a thing back then. Today there are so many things vying for our dollars, that it's hard to just make the choice to save up for a home. But nevertheless, it still needs to be done and especially now during times of a pandemic, the money we put away isn't for a home, but rather, to get through this crisis. It is not victim shaming / blaming to point out that stupid frivolous behavior / practices are a root cause of people's problems. However, it's imperative to understand that bad circumstances, such as COVID-19 can derail the plans of even the most thoughtful, budget conscious and financially savvy people. The thing is, to never take for granted that good times last indefinitely and not squander money earned.
- troupe 6y ago
  > Do they deserve it? No of course not. Nobody deserves bad fortune like this. Imagine two people that both earn $100k a year. Person A spends $50k and saves the rest. Person B, spends everything they possibly can. Person A is working toward a master's degree in their field investing an hour each evening toward it. Person B spends an hour each evening watching netflix. Then the pandemic hits. (or any other number of other things that are likely to result in job loss.) Both lose their jobs. Person A has savings to get by and ramps up finishing their master's degree. Person B is broke and facing eviction. Does B deserve to be in a worse situation than A? Well, yes, but by "deserve" I don't mean that I would wish anything ill on them, but A was willing to forgo spending in order to have more security in the future. It is kind of like asking if someone who buys 20k mile tires "deserves" to have them wear out at 20k miles when someone that spent significantly more on 90k mile tires has their's last much longer. It was just a matter of investing in different things with different consequences. Both buying the 20k tires and the 90k tires could be very rational depending on what the person was optimizing for.

I don't know why you're being downvoted, other than the fact that others can't comprehend what you said. There are a lot of people out there that don't feel the need to spend money to be happy.

necheffa 6y ago

Probably the thinly veiles "all it takes is a little hard work and grit, don't know why all these peasants complain about being poor" attitude.

fullshark 6y ago
aka it refutes the political point this piece is making that people want to agree with.
- multjoy 6y ago
  An unsourced anecdote refutes nothing.
- necheffa 6y ago
  It really doesn't. Proof by contradiction only goes so far on this topic. Particularly when you lean on anecdotes from your personal bubble. If we want to play that game, I can refute the refutal with my own anecdote. I grew up very poor but managed to get to a place several rungs up the socio-economic ladder higher than where I was as a kid. Sure, I worked hard and gritted my way through things like having to skip meals. But a good number of things had to line up just right for me to get where I am today. It was just as much about me seizing opportunities as it was just being lucky enough to have a shot at them in the first place. It is a lot easier to make opportunities for yourself when you aren't worried about where your next meal is coming from or when you can afford leisure activities that build out your network. When you start off at the bottom, there is no magic Disney formula you follow to reach success. It is entirely possible to do everything right and still end up stuck in destitution.

mikestew 6y ago

I don't know why you're being downvoted Here's a hint: the simplistic (I would even go as far as to say ignorant) argument that if you're not making it, you're just not responsible enough. It's just a talking point without having to actually talk about anything.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

throwaway98797 6y ago

If you focus on misery of the world you don’t have to look at your own life too critically. Bad luck happens to good people. The question is what mindset leads to better outcomes. In an unjust world is it better to focus on the injustice or is it better to keep trying to make your life better. It seems (selection bias and all) that those that have the better mindset (maybe self-centric to their own communities needs) do better regardless of income.

racl101 6y ago

Frankly I see both sides. As long as we're using anecdotal evidence ... many of the people I personally know who have suffered the worst during the pandemic, are people who never saved or put away money away when times are good. They also, never invested in additional education nor skills. Their disposable income went to vacations, new cars, daily coffee at Starbucks, and a bunch of other frivolities. Always carrying a near zero bank account from end of pay period to end of pay period. But hey, at least they met their responsibilities. They were functioning paycheck-to-paycheck people. Now many broke and really struggling even if they are still employed. Why? Because of reduced hours or salaries to adjust for the pandemic. Usually these kinds of people are susceptible to the slightest change in their salary. That's part and parcel of not saving and living strictly paycheck to paycheck. Do they deserve it? No of course not. Nobody deserves bad fortune like this. These people weren't trying to harm others and they were decent hard working people. However, ... it's not hard to see why they end up like this. These people were never taught to save away money when times were good, to live within their means, to invest, to do the math before buying a car and making modest decisions, heck, even to have the common sense to know that a daily coffee at Starbucks is a terrible financial decision. And many of of these people, even people who are still gainfully employed usually retort with: well I'm never gonna be able to own a home, so I buy what I want with my money now to make myself happy., but the thing is, many people who own homes now, also didn't just have all the money available and had to save up for the down payment and probably live a few years house poor. This expectation that we should all be able to own at least: one smartphone, one computer, one expensive game console, etc. etc. that wasn't a thing back then. Today there are so many things vying for our dollars, that it's hard to just make the choice to save up for a home. But nevertheless, it still needs to be done and especially now during times of a pandemic, the money we put away isn't for a home, but rather, to get through this crisis. It is not victim shaming / blaming to point out that stupid frivolous behavior / practices are a root cause of people's problems. However, it's imperative to understand that bad circumstances, such as COVID-19 can derail the plans of even the most thoughtful, budget conscious and financially savvy people. The thing is, to never take for granted that good times last indefinitely and not squander money earned.

troupe 6y ago
> Do they deserve it? No of course not. Nobody deserves bad fortune like this. Imagine two people that both earn $100k a year. Person A spends $50k and saves the rest. Person B, spends everything they possibly can. Person A is working toward a master's degree in their field investing an hour each evening toward it. Person B spends an hour each evening watching netflix. Then the pandemic hits. (or any other number of other things that are likely to result in job loss.) Both lose their jobs. Person A has savings to get by and ramps up finishing their master's degree. Person B is broke and facing eviction. Does B deserve to be in a worse situation than A? Well, yes, but by "deserve" I don't mean that I would wish anything ill on them, but A was willing to forgo spending in order to have more security in the future. It is kind of like asking if someone who buys 20k mile tires "deserves" to have them wear out at 20k miles when someone that spent significantly more on 90k mile tires has their's last much longer. It was just a matter of investing in different things with different consequences. Both buying the 20k tires and the 90k tires could be very rational depending on what the person was optimizing for.