> Why can’t I just walk away from social strata to begin with, and live my life happily as a “lower class” citizen living in the woods if I want? That's certai

> Why can’t I just walk away from social strata to begin with, and live my life happily as a “lower class” citizen living in the woods if I want? That's certainly an idealistic or romantic idea but it's not in any way realistic. Being poor, depending on where you live, also means having no social safety net. It means you can't educate your children, it means you and your family are vulnerable to all the social ills that afflict those who are in poverty. Being poor gives you the short end of the stick in almost every way that matters. It's not like everyone (or anyone, really) can live like the family in the film "Captain Fantastic", isolated in the woods, yet somehow thriving, more fit, and better educated. There's a documentary about people that lived for generations in the woods in Siberia for religious reasons. It was fanatic Christian sect called "True Believers" (can't find the documentary, but here's the Vice News story, https://youtu.be/tt2AYafET68 https://youtu.be/tt2AYafET68). Definitely not an attractive lifestyle!