"Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or, poverty thoughts"

[01RedDX]

.

[revelations]

Originally posted by LollerBrader


This is a great sentiment for those who live in a sea of opportunity and are only limited by their own abilities and inhibitions.

For many, however, real limits exist outside of them. This also applies in third world countries, and the US.

I wasnt very good at explaining Hill's ideas so youve grossly simplified the concept.

His concepts were universal to race, income, location etc. They were born out of the 1930s depression-era when families lost everything and opportunities were (seemingly) gone. It didnt matter if you lived in slums or not, but people were able to affect positive change in their life, long term, by adopting some of these principles. Setbacks, while unavoidable, were seen as temporary pains of a long-term pattern of success.

[clem24]

Here's what's ironic: she's finally found out how people can become successful, and her next article will be to point out all the fallacies of the first.

[98brg2d]

The worst things I had to do were not that bad compared to what other people here have had to do but still were done in desperation and seemed like poor choices to others:

Quitting a high paying (relative to other available work) job because they took too long to issue my first check (actually issued it to the wrong location) and I needed something that would pay me cash that day or the next (credit card was maxed, zero cash, not even pennies, and no more goodwill with friends). Luckily they ended up cutting me a check after I told them I quit and they let me start back again.

Buying food based on the cheapest calories possible. This ends up being stuff like instant mashed potatoes, stove stop stuffing, bread, potato chips etc. This really screws up your body long term and it is very hard to get back to "normal".

All the choices that you have to make out of desperation can really break you mentally and physically and make you much more prone to mental illness which starts a nasty cycle that is hard to break.

[zhulander]

Originally posted by LollerBrader
[ This is simply a great read - But should be mandatory for those who believe that poor people are the architects of their own circumstances. The comments are a must-read companion to this post. ]




Continued at: http://killermartinis.kinja.com/why-...hts-1450123558

I believe truly poor people aren't the architects of their own circumstances but this girl is poor because of her terrible decisions. Go read her gofundme page, she's been more privileged than most beyonders.
http://www.gofundme.com/59yrak

I was raised middle class, by a factory worker and a teacher. They are my grandparents, and they are Mom and Dad

During the course of therapy, they tested my IQ. You have to understand that it isn't actually terribly impressive. It is higher than average, to be sure. But my mother grew up quite poor in Detroit and she is very impressed by these things and so she decided that I was a genius. And she nurtured it. She is a teacher. I was given music lessons and she learned languages with me. I have no aptitude for dance or art, but we tried those too. I was in competitions when I was five, and they lasted until college. And so that is how I know how to talk to people who are in the upper middle class. Because I got a partial scholarship to Cranbrook but we couldn't afford the other half. But my parents knew damn well what Cranbrook was and they were determined that I would have a chance at it. They gave up much to send me to private schools. Not expensive ones, I went to a small religious elementary.

When my parents came to be there for the birth and they saw what we were dealing with they moved us to Utah and gave us a trailer to live in. And then when we had our second and final daughter they helped us find a house to live in and now we have some space for once.

That is the sort of person I am. I chased dreams that I couldn't afford for longer than was strictly necessary, and only gave that up when children made life suddenly more stable.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by 98brg2d
(credit card was maxed

Unless if something completely outside of your control (sickness, family, layoff, etc) took you out of commission, this says it all. That doesn't mean you were poor, that means you made poor decisions.

Not to judge, but your example is a poor one.

[98brg2d]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Unless if something completely outside of your control (sickness, family, layoff, etc) took you out of commission, this says it all. That doesn't mean you were poor, that means you made poor decisions.

Not to judge, but your example is a poor one.

I think you may have missed the part where I said my decisions seemed like poor choices to others, I already admitted that lol! The point was that to me, they seemed like the best choice available.

Besides, credit card debt doesn't necessarily mean you made "the bad choice". When you are on the edge, the best choice still may not end up putting you in a "good" position, simply that you minimized the problems as best as possible.

Here is more info so that you can judge - I finished school and moved out with about $500. I scraped by on that for about three months until I started a full time job but it took them five weeks to get me my first check (they sent it to the wrong place). By then I had used my credit card to buy food, work boots and pay to drive to work (worked night shift with no transit nearby) because I didn't make enough to have any savings. It isn't like I had a huge line of credit either and bought luxuries, my card was maxed at $1000. My first pay check paid off the cc and left me a few hundred which was enough for rent and food until the next check.

When you are right on the edge it doesn't take much to push you over. Starting from zero is almost impossible to do. I was lucky that I paid so little in rent (I eventually moved in with friends who didn't ask for rent until I got paid because they knew I had already outstayed my welcome with my brother and another friend) but you still need to make a minimum amount of money in order to live and if it doesn't come in consistently it is really hard to move away from the poverty line. Nowadays kids don't leave home until they have a down payment, well that wasn't an option for me even if I had wanted it.

I had a lot of friends that finished school at the same time as me and ended up in similar positions. I actually pulled out of it a bit quicker that most since I got a job with a liveable wage much sooner than they did. I had friends that were evicted, lived in the shittiest places you can imagine, rented closets etc.

[Type_S1]

People in Canada complaining about this are just stupid, fk me this is disappointing. I can understand in the US its a bit different, but there is always a way out.

I maxed out student loans for 4 years resulting in over 30k in debt and worked 30-40 hours a week for 4 years to put myself through university. 3-4 nights a week I had to go off 2 hours sleep because I had to work a late night shift with early morning classes. I felt like shit more days than I can remember and at times I remember thinking I should take time off school because it would be easier but I didn't. I manned the fk up because I knew I wanted to have a better life and not worry about how I would fill up my gas tank or how I would afford my next meal.

Guess what happened for working my ass off and making a ton of sacrifices? I graduated with a great job and now do not have to worry about money at all.

The problem is that most people will not make sacrifices and fight for what they want in life. People just say meaningless things so people think they are working hard. They make excuses, blame other people, blame society, blame their family situation, blame anything possible to avoid taking responsibility for their future. Perfect example is all the fat people's New Years resolution to get in shape. They would love to be in shape but it takes hard work so they dont want to put the effort in, its easier to be fat. Poor people are the same way, they all say they want to make the big bucks but won't put in the effort and make sacrifices to do so.

Note: My comments are directed at people living in 1st world countries. I have had the oppurtunity to see how fked up 3rd world countries are and the people in these societies have so many problems it is saddening.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
She has already made over $50,000:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/3703...houghts-essay/

This is what's wrong with the world. People who work for their money donating it to help some who didn't want to change their way. If you want to change enough you can.

[bjstare]

^No kidding.

Plus, something I don't understand: somehow she's got the money for a laptop/internet (or time to spend sitting in a coffee shop using their internet) and the time to write that long post... and then long winded responses to a bunch of her critics in the comments.

I thought she had no money, and no time for anything but work/kids/sleep?

[googe]

I would just like to say I make quite a bit, relatively speaking, and it has fuck all to do with hard work. I meet people who work way harder than me all the time and I make multiples of what they do. In a just world that rewards hard work, I'd be broke and they would be well off. Simply put, I got lucky that the things I gave a shit about happened to be in high demand in the job market.

I bet some people legitimately worked hard to get into a top income bracket, but I bet most know they're full of shit. It just feels better when you tell yourself that you got where you are because of your own hard work.

My aunt has worked at Walmart stocking shelves on night shift for 20 years. That's hard work. I play on my computer.

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by cjblair
^No kidding.

Plus, something I don't understand: somehow she's got the money for a laptop/internet (or time to spend sitting in a coffee shop using their internet) and the time to write that long post... and then long winded responses to a bunch of her critics in the comments.

I thought she had no money, and no time for anything but work/kids/sleep?

This is just a scam to make money, shameless, and no different than the beggars that tell you they just need enough to get the next bus out of town. Panhandling 2013 style.

[Seth1968]

^This.

There's all sorts of evidence on the net proving she is a liar and a fraud.

A damn smart one though.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by 98brg2d

When you are on the edge, the best choice still may not end up putting you in a "good" position, simply that you minimized the problems as best as possible.

There are so many ways around the credit card debt it is absurd, not to mention not getting a part-time job to cover the bills (in a province where EVERYWHERE IS HIRING even during the "recession") for the 3 months you weren't working. Food banks etc.

I'm not trying to get on your shit dude, but I have been in the EXACT same position as you. It's no excuse. But the 3 months not working really takes the case. That is straight up bullshit. I can see not working for a month if you were getting a job in your related field, but THREE MONTHS?

Originally posted by googe

My aunt has worked at Walmart stocking shelves on night shift for 20 years. That's hard work. I play on my computer.

That's what I always tell my girlfriend; while I may bitch about my job, I earn pretty damn good coin for only working 7.67 hours per day (usually inside, and not manual labour) with 5 weeks of paid vacation. Life's rough I tell ya!

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Type_S1
Poor people are the same way, they all say they want to make the big bucks but won't put in the effort and make sacrifices to do so.

I agree with everything you said except this part.
Lazy poor people yes, but you can have a strong work ethic and make sacrifices but yet still be poor. That's life unfortunately.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by clem24


Fuck, so what you're saying is, I probably could've had a Veyron...

Well, I hear the per-unit cost drops the more children you have due to recycled resources, so you'd probably have to have settled for a Pagani.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[clem24]

Originally posted by GTS4tw


This is just a scam to make money, shameless, and no different than the beggars that tell you they just need enough to get the next bus out of town. Panhandling 2013 style.

She just has to call herself a writer of fiction and her job would be 100% legit.

[Unknown303]

Makes me want to start a donation page to fund a vacation for poor ol me.

[98brg2d]

(in a province where EVERYWHERE IS HIRING even during the "recession")

This did not occur even in the last ten years...very different economy back then. I guess you are too young to have been through multiple boom and bust cycles.

There are so many ways around the credit card debt it is absurd

That is kind of the point of this thread now isn't it...the poor choices that people make that hurt their chances of improving their lives, and the excuses they make regarding those choices.

I think you are missing the point that nobody is making excuses in this thread, simply relaying what they have done and why they thought it was reasonable at the time.

You, as someone who clearly was brought up with more information about how to make good choices, obviously do not sympathize and that is fine. I don't think anybody in this thread is asking for solutions, simply discussing their experiences, maybe it gives you insight into a world you do not empathize with, if not that is fine but understand to take people's words for what they are worth - possibly interesting (or not) anecdotes.

Edit: this is how this discussion is starting to go:

Me: I made a bad choice
You: You idiot, you made a bad choice
Me: I know, I admit that
You: But you made a bad choice you idiot
Me: As I said, I know
...to be continued where non-arguments live on