Disdain for "the poors"

[catherine]

I have lived next door to public housing for decades. That experience turned me from a Democratic voter to a
Republican voter. The chronically poor…it is more than lack of money. But that isn’t new, everyone knows that.

It is more than lack of money. You raise great questions. And I do think about this a lot. I do sometimes get angry and frustrated even in the context of my own family--people who look to me for help who, honestly, didn't follow that maxim: "God helps those that help themselves." I have hung up from calls from them, walking away singing Bille Holiday's song, "God Bless the Child (That's Got His Own)."I have certainly veered over the center line to considering being a Republican (not often).

But then I think about how the VA has saved one family member, and I thank God. I think about how lucky I am to earn enough money to help out hapless family members who grew up without any life skills through no fault of their own, and I thank God for that.

I also think about the fishing concept of "bycatch." When fishermen throw their nets in the water, they expect some "bycatch"--fish that are caught in the nets but who aren't the fish they want. I feel like I'm willing to accept some "bycatch" (the "fish" who are taking advantage of the system) in order to benefit the people who truly need it (the "fish" I want).

I thank God also for having had the experience of the shame of poverty and family addiction. It helps me empathize.

And, as a postscript, I think it's the system that's messed up mostly. It perpetrates the societal problems we have. But that's a whole other conversation.

[JaneV2.0]

Among other influences, chronic malnutrition from conception on, non-stop stress, and endemic depression have to play a part.

I mostly amuse myself online with YouTube, and I don't see much discussion of the poor either, except from one Bellevue swell who rails endlessly about the homeless*. I mostly see Ukrainian battles and POW interviews, and heated discussions between vegans and keto/carnivores. And, of course, Australian tarot...

*There are very few homeless people in Bellevue.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---for whatever reason, our western culture has un-naturally subverted natural selection. See? The military won't accept people below a certain standard of um, sociability. . Yet, we still have these practice-wars going on in some nowhere hot-spot to keep in shape. So yeah--I advocate creating a draft, to put lowlife, aggressive, violence-prone, uneducable thugs in uniform, equip them with reconditioned, confiscated AR-15's and parachutes packed and ammo loaded by their conscripted baby-mommas back home. Kind of like the concept in the moooveee: ;'Dirty Dozen" Let Those People Protect Our Freedom! There are no other jobs that match their natural skillset, other than foobaw, homeless, or being a meth head thief. You betcha. Yup. Thank mee.

[iris lilies]

Among other influences, chronic malnutrition from conception on, non-stop stress, and endemic depression have to play a part.

...

yes, I very much agree that malnutrition and stress influences start in the womb. Depression of all grades is a huge factor in our society, often unrecognized among poorer people.

[littlebittybobby]

yes, I very much agree that malnutrition and stress influences start in the womb. Depression of all grades is a huge factor in our society, often unrecognized among poorer people.

Yeah, but even with that, they can still pull the trigger on an assault rifle, to Fight For Your Freedom. Or whatever. I have read umpteen articles about how humains remains have been disinterred from around the globe, identified after much painstaking work as the Hero who died in action for the Freedom you take for granted, and casketed in a nice, shiny, NEW casket, and marched by a mill-0-terry color guard to the Hero's final resting spot, in one of our National Cemeteries. Cost a LOTTA dough, but it is worth it. Cheaper than supporting the so-called justice system. Right? Yup. See--I'm proposing an alternative, to thugs dying in a gang war, or an overdose, car chase, po-leese confron-tay-shun, etc.. Instead---they die for Your Freedom! Yup. Case Closed. Enough said.

[flowerseverywhere]

Another thing about the poor is poverty of spirit. Kids grow up raised by drug addicts or by grandparents who are too worn out by life to give them a good start. They are failures from the first day of school as they have never had books read to them and so on. They may have lower IQ’s and have no skills to pull themselves up by the bootstraps or mentors to help them. Some teachers are overwhelmed or may have given up due to the futility of it all. How can society possibly make up for what these kids lack? Of course some kids break through but it is an uphill climb.
Iris gave some great suggestions on handling money, but if you have nothing to look forward to it might seem futile to think about saving for the future if you have a future with no hope.

as for rich people, of course the overwhelming majority work hard, manage their money honestly, pay taxes, are loving parents and spouses and are good honest citizens. But they are not click bait. The cheaters, liars, greedy and so on are what we are bombarded with. Our internet/social media/24 hour news cycle world has bought out the worst in many people.

[catherine]

Another thing about the poor is poverty of spirit. Kids grow up raised by drug addicts or by grandparents who are too worn out by life to give them a good start. They are failures from the first day of school as they have never had books read to them and so on. They may have lower IQ’s and have no skills to pull themselves up by the bootstraps or mentors to help them. Some teachers are overwhelmed or may have given up due to the futility of it all. How can society possibly make up for what these kids lack? Of course some kids break through but it is an uphill climb.

Absolutely. On the education front in poor, urban areas, it's a war between the teachers who are honestly trying to do good and all the other societal forces kids are faced with. Even the kids with promise are constantly on the edge of making it or not.

One great book on education in a poor urban environment is Small Victories by Samuel Freedman (I think). It's an old book, published in the 90s, so there are no references to the damaging influence of social media, but it does shine a light on the difficulty teachers have for holding on to hope for the majority of their students