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If only the poor stopped being so stupid and irresponsible, maybe they could pull themselves up by the bootstraps.

by Dewie 12y ago

sosborn 12y ago
I know you jest, but there is a subset of the poor that absolutely could pull themselves out of it if they stopped being stupid and irresponsible. Certainly not a large subset, but a subset nonetheless.
- Natsu 12y ago
  From the small cross-section of lower income people I personally knew while working for a factory, there were several people held back by their record, several held back by various substance abuse issues (including some issues which were ongoing and others that led to direct problems at work/getting fired), and at least one person born to a well-off family who was completely unable to support himself due to various anger/substance issues. The longer-term employees (i.e. the most responsible of the bunch, due to selection effects) were, in general, able to move up a little. Their kids have some hope of ending up with much better jobs than their parents. They really were moving on up and I did what I could to help those I could help that happen. The less responsible folks were drinking away their paychecks for the most part. Several of them migrated to other, similar jobs after weeks or months after failing to show up to work after getting paid a few times. This is a common enough occurrence that people have little doubt about what a no-call, no-show means in those circumstances on average and they do not permit such things to become regular. I'm hopeful that better access to internet education will allow the more industrious among those who have been trapped by their circumstances to move beyond them. But education is part of the problem for most of them. In spite of having completed high school, for the most part, a lot of them were simply unaware of all the great things on the internet these days that could help them. But... that's true for a lot of people, not just the working poor. I mean, just the other day, I was telling a lifestyle business owner of all the simple things he could do to expand his business online (most of which I learned from reading patio11). It's surprising what teaching someone a few searches might enable.

If only the poor stopped being so stupid and irresponsible, maybe they could pull themselves up by the bootstraps.

by Dewie 12y ago

If only the poor stopped being so stupid and irresponsible, maybe they could pull themselves up by the bootstraps.

I know you jest, but there is a subset of the poor that absolutely could pull themselves out of it if they stopped being stupid and irresponsible. Certainly not a large subset, but a subset nonetheless.

Natsu 12y ago
From the small cross-section of lower income people I personally knew while working for a factory, there were several people held back by their record, several held back by various substance abuse issues (including some issues which were ongoing and others that led to direct problems at work/getting fired), and at least one person born to a well-off family who was completely unable to support himself due to various anger/substance issues. The longer-term employees (i.e. the most responsible of the bunch, due to selection effects) were, in general, able to move up a little. Their kids have some hope of ending up with much better jobs than their parents. They really were moving on up and I did what I could to help those I could help that happen. The less responsible folks were drinking away their paychecks for the most part. Several of them migrated to other, similar jobs after weeks or months after failing to show up to work after getting paid a few times. This is a common enough occurrence that people have little doubt about what a no-call, no-show means in those circumstances on average and they do not permit such things to become regular. I'm hopeful that better access to internet education will allow the more industrious among those who have been trapped by their circumstances to move beyond them. But education is part of the problem for most of them. In spite of having completed high school, for the most part, a lot of them were simply unaware of all the great things on the internet these days that could help them. But... that's true for a lot of people, not just the working poor. I mean, just the other day, I was telling a lifestyle business owner of all the simple things he could do to expand his business online (most of which I learned from reading patio11). It's surprising what teaching someone a few searches might enable.