Why do poor people make stupid, illogical decisions to buy status symbols?- Page 2

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 8:39am

Oh Addison, I love you.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 9:55am

If any child is dumb enough to be born to an underprivileged family, they have only themselves to blame.

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 9:56am

oh so now "charity" is one of those unPC words now? what is this world coming to.
Give me a break.

This countries greatest gift and you can ask any immigrant, whether they be Eastern Block, Asia, Caribbean or South America is if you work hard, if you study hard, if you apply yourself you have opportunities here that no where else in the world can provide. Our President, love him or not is a great example of that.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 9:56am

The poor can make stupid decisions; that choice is not reserved only for the rich, nor should usually be legislated. Ironically, it is the right who scream for a lack of regulation in everything who are the first to call for regulation of profligate choices.... as long as they are those made by the poor. The right can get crazy about a $300 pair of sneakers but won't bat an eye over a subprime mortgage; curiously, the second can destroy the economy for all, where the first, if anything, helps it (well forgetting for a second how many poor people are exploited or even enslaved in the production of a $300 pair of sneakers).

But air conditioning is not a luxury. Living without it, esp. in an age of global warming, can and has led to death, and routinely leads to major discomfort and sleeplessness which only Dickensian plutocrats would begrudge the poor.



Updated On: 11/1/13 at 09:56 AM

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 10:38am

""The poor can make stupid decisions; that choice is not reserved only for the rich, nor should usually be legislated.""

OMG Yes Agreed Henrik!! You just nailed the Victim mentality to the WALL!!!!

Good decisions and thinking of your future is something that parents, teachers should try and instill not the Govt.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 10:40am

The worst phrase in the English language is 'prosperity gospel.'

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 10:45am

Our President, love him or not is a great example of that.

Wrong...our President is not an immigrant. In order to prove your point you might want to choose an actual "immigrant".

Updated On: 11/1/13 at 10:45 AM

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 10:49am

correct he is not an immigrant. but he came from a broken home with no father and hard work has become what was unthinkable only a decade ago. POTUS

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 10:57am

Which has nothing to do with your initial statement. And the fallacy in it that I addressed.

This countries greatest gift and you can ask any immigrant, whether they be Eastern Block, Asia, Caribbean or South America is if you work hard, if you study hard, if you apply yourself you have opportunities here that no where else in the world can provide. Our President, love him or not is a great example of that.

There is no mention of broken homes or fatherless children in that statement.

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:01am

OMG seriously JUSTA?

i guess you missed this very next line, though i think you deliberately left that out just to play games

"" if you work hard, if you study hard, if you apply yourself you have opportunities here that no where else in the world can provide. Our President, love him or not is a great example of that. ""

Me thinks you did see it, youre just want to fight, but i dont.

Updated On: 11/1/13 at 11:01 AM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:06am

No...I didn't miss any lines, I actually quoted the entire paragraph which clearly refers to immigrants. You can attempt to spin it all you want. But, I missed nothing.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:09am

"Prosperity Christianity"! HA!

I'm not religious, but I am familiar with Christ's work. He said people should give everything they have to the poor. EVERYTHING. So this debate about limits and lines in the sand and "common sense" are profoundly unchristian. No surprise one of the biggest loudmouth trolls on this site who crows about being "a believer" is profoundly unchristian.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:20am

Three fathers of presidents died before their sons were even born...all more than a decade ago: Andrew Jackson, Rutherford B. Hayes and Bill Clinton.
And many others died at an early age. James Garfield was one year old when his father died. Andrew Johnson was three, Herbert Hoover six, George Washington eleven, and Thomas Jefferson fourteen.

Since the absence of a father has a long history among Presidents, it can't be the thing this President overcame that makes his accomplishment "unthinkable even a decade ago."

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:23am

Thats interesting Art.

I guess we can scratch the use of "come from a broken home" as a reason for someones lot in life.

And i can guarantee you NAMO that my family donates more to charities both in and out of this country than you did. Time, money and clothing

Updated On: 11/1/13 at 11:23 AM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:34am

"Spin What? You are ridiculous...So Justa, when you read you just go paragraph by paragraph, you cant or dont understand the article/post/book as a whole? just line by line?"


You write a paragraph...that refers to immigration. I point out to you that the President, is NOT an immigrant. You then attempt to say that the paragraph could also refer to persons coming from broken homes when it clearly did nothing of the kind. And then you accuse me of ignoring or leaving something out...when I did neither...because there was NOTHING to ignore.

Why should I have to guess what your writing is supposed to say...as opposed to actually reading what it says?

Keep spinning!

Updated On: 11/1/13 at 11:34 AM

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 11:48am

it clearly states that if you work hard and study hard you get results, i dont see why you cant or choose not to understand that

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 12:09pm

it clearly states that if you work hard and study hard you get results, i dont see why you cant or choose not to understand that

I can understand that perfectly, and I've never questioned you on that particular opinion that you've offered up as fact.

If you go back and actually read the thread you see that I've 1st challenged you on the President being an immigrant. And then challenged you again...when you offered up some ridiculous spin about broken homes and fatherless children. Neither of which you spoke about in your original statement.

If you're going to make fallacious statements...expect to be challenged on them. And if you're going to try to spin those statements. Expect to be called out for it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 12:27pm

Jesus Christ, with Whose work I am familiar, said to give everything you have to the poor. He did not say anything about the magic way for the poor to get there needs met is to "study hard". He said to GIVE them what they need. IF you want to follow Him.

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 2:31pm

Arent you an atheist Namo? Odd that you would quote someone you don't believe in.

Anyway, no one said don't help the poor.lets be honest, if the rich didnt give to all the charities to help the poor, America would look like Calcutta. all that was said is that maybe the poor can help their children get a good education.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 2:34pm

My objection to the word "charity" had absolutely nothing to do with concerns about 'political correctness'.

My point was that in the context of--and in combination with--the other words in your post, you suggest that you pity the poor, even as you judge them harshly for the lack of gumption that leads them--inevitably--to poverty and dependence upon the "charity" which you and your family dole out in such great, big, generous handfuls.

I applaud generosity and charity. I would not, however, confuse them with empathy--which requires the effort of honestly trying to understand the experience of another person so thoroughly that you can authentically "feel" their emotional reality.

I suspect that once a thoughtful and intelligent person makes that effort, they would recognize the futility of simplistic, judgmental solutions like "work harder".

But--as I said earlier--empathy sucks. You have to work hard at it and THEN all you get is the realization that the problems are more complex than you thought and require real effort and systemic change to even begin to address. Pity, charity and sanctimonious sound bites about bootstraps are much more satisfying.

[suestorm]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 3:29pm

Addison, OK, i kinda see what you mean, but i wouldnt say i judge them. Its just my opinion that most healthy people if they apply themselves, will better themselves. Im not one of those people who think if something bad happened to me its someone elses fault.

Maybe its just being an optimist, or naive, but i truly believe that. So do many great men like Bill Cosby, President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/1/13 at 6:23pm

Why are we right back to where we were a few months ago?

Block the damn fool.