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People can also be quite optimistic. You may think that in X months you'll have a better job, better pay, etc. "It will all work itself out." In many cases yo

by oalders 12y ago

People can also be quite optimistic. You may think that in X months you'll have a better job, better pay, etc. "It will all work itself out." In many cases your situation doesn't improve and you're saddled with the debts, but I wouldn't necessarily say that people in debt are all bad at math. In some cases they're just not good at projecting future income.

andrewstuart2 12y ago
> Optimisic Aka shortsighted. And I'm definitely not saying I haven't been there.
opendais 12y ago
Yes. People are unwisely optimistic. I wish people weren't so encouraged to engage in wishful thinking but that would require a certain level of cruelty to get that point across. No one wants to go to people and say "Hey, your life is going to go into the shitter eventually, are you ready for it?" and keep pointing out that happens to everyone eventually, sometimes more than once.
- pluma 12y ago
  Sure, but if you tell them that their life will be shit anyway, how's that helping their planning? They don't live in isolation. They're bombarded with a consumerist culture that tells them to live outside the standard they can reasonably afford. It takes an iron will to ignore all outside influences and be content with the stable level of poverty you can afford.
  - opendais 12y ago
    > Sure, but if you tell them that their life will be shit anyway, how's that helping their planning? I mean "shit" as in something goes wrong that makes things unpleasant. If you have the financial cushion, in the US, it isn't that bad [unless its medical, in which case you'll end up bankrupt much of the time although hopefully ACA will reduce that issue]. > They don't live in isolation. They're bombarded with a consumerist culture that tells them to live outside the standard they can reasonably afford. It takes an iron will to ignore all outside influences and be content with the stable level of poverty you can afford. Tbh, I agree with you. I want to go back to renting a room so I can save more money and my friends/family all openly attack me on the idea because "No woman will want you, blah blah", etc. The hilarious part is the same ones mock me for "consuming too much" even tho the handful of things they mock me about collectively cost less than $50/month compared to saving $1k/month by renting a room. I'm single now and I don't need that much space.

by oalders 12y ago

andrewstuart2 12y ago

> Optimisic Aka shortsighted. And I'm definitely not saying I haven't been there.

opendais 12y ago

Yes. People are unwisely optimistic. I wish people weren't so encouraged to engage in wishful thinking but that would require a certain level of cruelty to get that point across. No one wants to go to people and say "Hey, your life is going to go into the shitter eventually, are you ready for it?" and keep pointing out that happens to everyone eventually, sometimes more than once.

pluma 12y ago
Sure, but if you tell them that their life will be shit anyway, how's that helping their planning? They don't live in isolation. They're bombarded with a consumerist culture that tells them to live outside the standard they can reasonably afford. It takes an iron will to ignore all outside influences and be content with the stable level of poverty you can afford.
- opendais 12y ago
  > Sure, but if you tell them that their life will be shit anyway, how's that helping their planning? I mean "shit" as in something goes wrong that makes things unpleasant. If you have the financial cushion, in the US, it isn't that bad [unless its medical, in which case you'll end up bankrupt much of the time although hopefully ACA will reduce that issue]. > They don't live in isolation. They're bombarded with a consumerist culture that tells them to live outside the standard they can reasonably afford. It takes an iron will to ignore all outside influences and be content with the stable level of poverty you can afford. Tbh, I agree with you. I want to go back to renting a room so I can save more money and my friends/family all openly attack me on the idea because "No woman will want you, blah blah", etc. The hilarious part is the same ones mock me for "consuming too much" even tho the handful of things they mock me about collectively cost less than $50/month compared to saving $1k/month by renting a room. I'm single now and I don't need that much space.