5 ms·
> When I was poor, I never thought I didn't have control over my future, this is likely luck on my part. I think this feeling of lack of control is way more a p
by torstenvl 5y ago
> When I was poor, I never thought I didn't have control over my future, this is likely luck on my part. I think this feeling of lack of control is way more a product of your parents and upbringing than anything else.
Yes, exactly what I am thinking (and much more succinct than my draft response).
And it follows that, while an individual may not be able easily to change their mindset, helping children grow up with a sense of agency can reduce intergenerational poverty.
- yobbo 5y ago> helping children grow up with a sense of agency can reduce intergenerational poverty. "Sense of agency" is tricky without actually having agency. Bad parents is part of it, whether rich or poor.
- bradlys 5y agoAs the other commenter said - you need a sense of agency with the actual agency itself. Intergenerational poverty like mine was able to be overcome because I was given a full ride to college. I took that and rode it all the way to 7-figure jobs. But many in the US aren’t given anywhere near what I was given even if they get assistance. (Tuition waived, monthly stipend, insurance.) I’ve already put someone else through college and can tell you that changing intergenerational poverty is an incredibly hard thing to overcome. If it wasn’t for me working with my spouse so closely for years - there’s no way she would’ve gotten anywhere near where she is now. That and I poured well north of $100k+ on her for it. I firmly believe the overwhelming majority of people need a strong positive influence in their life. Normally this would be the parents but poor parents typically ain’t that. I’m an exception - someone who made it out without any positive influences. But I should be treated as that - an exception. (It’s why when I tell my stories they seem unbelievable and unrelatable. It’s just not like any kind of common narrative that exists.)
- chernevik 5y agoThis is exactly the problem. Something like 72% of black kids are born out of wedlock. There is just no way that is going to work.
- epicureanideal 5y agoAll demographic categories are catching up quickly to that number. The social connections between people and families are breaking, although to the least extent among the upper classes. It would be great if we would invest in restoring communities and families but it seems there isn’t much interest in that.
- chernevik 5y agoThat's true, and I think it bodes ill. We might have to rethink the sexual revolution, but I don't expect there will be much enthusiasm for that.
- bradlys 5y ago> We might have to rethink the sexual revolution, but I don't expect there will be much enthusiasm for that. This is hardly the issue... If the upper class part not being as affected by this didn't make it obvious - it's money that is the issue. And - trust me - the upper class are not prudes.
- chernevik 5y agoIt's hardly a reach to say that the upper class has tools, among them money, that enable behaviors that are disastrous for those without those tools. There is a bad habit among the upper class to say "we should normalize X because it's harmless" because X is harmless for _them_, and terribly dangerous for others not so fortunate.
- epicureanideal 5y agoI heard a new term used recently for beliefs that the rich can afford to have but are harmful for most other people.. “luxury beliefs”.
- drekipus 5y ago> helping children grow up with a sense of agency can reduce intergenerational poverty. between this post and that "we banned lego bricks in school" posts, this needs to be a banner that remains at the top of the page