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The working poor not only lack money, they also lack time. In addition to possibly having to juggle multiple jobs and responsibilities and having to waste time
by hnbad 5y ago
The working poor not only lack money, they also lack time. In addition to possibly having to juggle multiple jobs and responsibilities and having to waste time on maintenance problems rich people either can delegate or avoid entirely (e.g. car breaking down because you can't afford a nice car and regular maintenance) poor people also spend a lot more time simply waiting/queueing where sufficiently rich people can either avoid the wait entirely or get preferential treatment.
Cooking requires both time and resources. Most healthy ingredients have a limited shelf life and are bulkier (low calorie density) so you need to do your shopping more often. You then need to store them so they don't spoil too quickly (which is harder if you have a small kitchen and no pantry). Then you need to prepare meals in advance and cook them, both of which requires not only dedicated time but also time available on a somewhat predictable schedule, not to mention making meal plans in the first place to organize your shopping, which not only takes time but also mental energy.
Compare this to simply stocking up on cheap meals and throwing one in the microwave for a few minutes at dinner time.
- Mediterraneo10 5y agoI question the claim that the poor in the US lack the ability to cook for themselves. Central American immigrants in the US are often even poorer than the native poor (and have longer working hours), but they manage precisely by cooking for themselves: they eat lots of beans and rice, which can be bought in big bulk bags to last many weeks, and the vegetables for which (onions, red peppers) can easily last a couple of weeks in a fridge.
- amanaplanacanal 5y agoI suspect immigrants already had those skills before they came to the US. Natives might never have learned them.
- sangnoir 5y agoIts not just about ability - motivation is also a factor, immigrants do not have the hope for a better life beaten out of them, so delayed gratification is possible vs "enjoy while/when you can" attitude that's fostered by poverty. Immigrants also occasionally to have support networks that born-american poor do not. Additionally, while some immigrants appear to be barely scraping by, sometimes its an improvement of circumstances compared to the okd country. That resilience is borne out of environments no American should be subjected to, IMO.
- hnbad 5y agoFWIW if you consider what happened to "Black Wallstreet" it's easy to see why certain domestic groups might see any prospects of a better life as ultimately futile, especially when that's not the only example -- the Black Panthers are a great example for trying for a better life via neighborhood outreach and mutual aid instead of capitalism and they too were violently shut down and their leaders assassinated. The problem isn't just poverty, it's generational poverty. Immigration is expensive and time consuming, whether you take the legal route or not. If you managed to immigrate to another country, that's already a huge achievement regardless of how much money you'll make there. Also even cheap/easy unhealthy food can mean different things depending on your circumstances. There are plenty of tales of startup founders living on ramen before their company turned a profit or landed the investment but their situations are very different from those of the working generationally poor. The ramen is always a temporary thing, a cost-cutting measure on your way to becoming a millionaire (or at least falling back onto your family's safety net of free rent and food if you fail). The Saturday McDonald's on the other hand is the highlight of the week because there's literally nothing to look forward to and you're already on the last dimes of your payday loan.