Being Poor: A real perspective

Liberano said:
Many people had electricity and plumbing in the 30's and 40's, but a lot of poor people did not. Yet there was less shoplifting.

I'm kind of surprised you'd argue this, just about all old people I know were raised with less than this generation and they always say how this generation is more lawbreaking.
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Dano in the 30's and 40's well over half of america did not have electricity.
Ever hear of the rural electrification act ?
 
I'm always amazed at how MANY anonymous message board posters claim to have either been dirt poor and had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, or who claim to be heroic military veterans of some war. Amazing.
 
Liberano said:
Did I say "all", where did I say "all"?
I said "of those I knew who stole".

Your argument is just based on lies.
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So you do know poor people who are stealing meat and not candy?

I would expect so, I'm glad you admitted it. Doesn't it feel good to be honest?
 
Liberano said:
LOL, if you can't debate the obvious - ask for stats!
I also think most posters on here are male, but since I have no proof of that it just can't be so.
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What is "the obvious"? Your idiotic rantings about what you "think" it's like to be poor, based on working at McDonald's & a pizzeria when you were in your late teens & early 20's?

You are such a simplistic person.
 
Liberano said:
Desh's silly list is so full of stereotypes, a few were true, but many were just plain wrong, not a big deal or needing some understanding.

So "Being Poor from a REAL poor person's perspective"

Being smart with your money is knowing exactly how much everything costs.

Being poor is being tough with your kids and not spoiling them for asking for all the things they want on TV.

Being poor is not being able to afford a car.

Being poor is making sure you brush your teeth so that you don't get cavities and have to pay the dentist.

Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends' houses but making sure when other kids come over to your house that they are careful with things because you don't have money to replace them.

Being poor is not taking welfare money.

Being poor is living whereever is the best deal, if it happens to be next to the freeway then BFD.

Being poor is buying non name brand food.

Being poor is off-brand toys.

Being poor is turning down the heat at night and wearing sweaters, then watching rich Liberals preach conservation from their mansions.

Being smart is knowing you can't leave $5 on the coffee table with teenagers around.

Being poor is having hand me down clothes.

Being poor is not stealing meat from the store or anything else for that matter.

Being poor is keep wearing raggedy underwear that no one will ever see anyway and not bother shelling out dough for not critical underwear.

Being anyone is wanting more space for everyone who lives with you.

Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground and then going "Crap, I'll have to glue them again."

Being poor is your kid's school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning, which is hardly a big deal.

Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is not a bad deal but more importantly a step up and in the right direction.

Being poor is not relying on people who don't give a damn about you, but relying on yourself.

Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights, which is fine.

Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support, which he should be forced to pay.

Being poor is not a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet, but having all kids use the same bathwater.

Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger's trash or anything else good you can get and then feeling good that you got something of value for free. :)

Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw. Then thinking it's no worse than a fly.

Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference. Um no.

Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall. Who got angry at me for that? LOL

Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids. BS, old ladies are a dime a dozen for babysitting.

Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours and getting rid of scum that you don't want your kid around anyway.

Being poor is not talking to that girl because she'll probably just laugh at your clothes. Girls shun on much more than this.

Being poor is not hoping you'll be invited for dinner, because poor people are not freeloaders.

Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it. True but what can you do?

Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk. Also true, many Liberals hear your tone and assume they need to be your saviour.

Being poor is WANTING that 35-cent raise.

Being poor is your kid's teacher assuming you don't have any books in your home. BS, cheap books are easy to come by.

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and then resolving to cut back something else or look for a better job.

Being poor is swearing when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor and then making some more.

Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually stupid.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.

Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.

Being poor and thrifty is never buying anything someone else hasn't bought first.

Being poor and thrifty is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that's two extra packages for every dollar.

Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old. No one is stuck, more BS.

Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful. Grateful for what, charity I never took? More BS.

Being poor is knowing you're being judged.

Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from the dollar store. Lots of fun.

Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by. I still do that sometimes. :)

Being poor is deciding that it's all right to base a relationship on shelter. Could be for some. People do marry for economic need, not the end of the world there.

Being poor is knowing you really shouldn't spend that buck on a Lotto ticket. Because you shouldn't.

Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime. No.

Being a parent is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won't listen to you beg them against doing so.

Being a smoker is a cough that doesn't go away.

Being poor is cleaning up the spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.

Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in. AHAHAHA, no such thing. You've obviously never done that.

Being stupid is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree knowing that there is a LOW chance of finding a job in that field.

Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.

Being poor is knowing where the shelter is. No.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so. No.

Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor. True, but it can be done with will.

Being poor is seeing how few options you have and using them to the best of your ability.

Being poor is running uphill slowly.
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ZOMFG TLDR
 
Onceler said:
What is "the obvious"? Your idiotic rantings about what you "think" it's like to be poor, based on working at McDonald's & a pizzeria when you were in your late teens & early 20's?

You are such a simplistic person.
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That's like calling Paris Hilton a bit shallow.
 
TheDanold said:
I know you think you're smart but really what are you now? Peanut gallery support for a dumbass like Lorax? Pathetic.
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I agree with Lorax far more often than I do with you so your pitiful attempt at a jibe was completely ineffective. Next you'll accuse me of being too compassionate or, perhaps, too well educated. :rolleyes:
 
OrnotBitwise said:
I agree with Lorax far more often than I do with you so your pitiful attempt at a jibe was completely ineffective. Next you'll accuse me of being too compassionate or, perhaps, too well educated. :rolleyes:
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Oh yes, so incredibly ineffective you actually took the time to respond, which is very rare for you to respond to ANY right wing point.
Just admit it got to you, you'll sleep better, alone, but better.

The only thing I think you are better educated on is how best to sneer at working class America over a cup of fanciest flavor fair trade java and maybe some modern art works. Other than that, I kick your ass. :BKick:
 
Liberano said:
Again, of the kids I knew that stole, they'd steal candy, chips and music. But meat? LOL. Just so oblivious to poor people.
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I have represented at least a dozen people who have been busted for shoplifting meat. A dozen at the very least. You don't know what the fuck you are talking about.
 
Liberano said:
You know what I mean. 2 or 3 generations ago, people were more desperately poor with often no electricity or plumbing or what have you - YET that generation did not shoplift like this one does.

We are less poor than previous generations but there is more stealing. A lot of stealing is just bored middle class teenagers.
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YOu are absolutely right, those that grew up poor with no electricity or plumbing POACHED game and fished without a license. They ate beans not two or three days in a row but two or three weeks in a row. They stole deposite bottles out of the racks at one supermarket and then took them to another so they could get their 10 cent ramen. You tell me you know about being poor but you don't sound to me like you have any sympathy for the people that still live there.
 
Socrtease said:
I have represented at least a dozen people who have been busted for shoplifting meat. A dozen at the very least. You don't know what the fuck you are talking about.
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I believe you, but that doesn't change the fact that most poor people do not fucking steal meat like Desh's dumb list implies. They are good people who find stealing wrong like any of us.
What kind of meat did they steal? Some meat like liver, tripe, etc... is very cheap, I bet it was steak or something no?
I suppose I could also picture cypriss trying to shoplift some polish sausage for reasons left unsaid here...
 
TheDanold said:
I believe you, but that doesn't change the fact that most poor people do not fucking steal meat like Desh's dumb list implies. They are good people who find stealing wrong like any of us.
What kind of meat did they steal? Some meat like liver, tripe, etc... is very cheap, I bet it was steak or something no?
I suppose I could also picture cypriss trying to shoplift some polish sausage for reasons left unsaid here...
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Everything from Chicken to hamburger to hotdogs and yes a few steaks. Now I am ROFL about the polish sausage comment
 
Socrtease said:
YOu are absolutely right, those that grew up poor with no electricity or plumbing POACHED game and fished without a license. They ate beans not two or three days in a row but two or three weeks in a row. They stole deposite bottles out of the racks at one supermarket and then took them to another so they could get their 10 cent ramen. You tell me you know about being poor but you don't sound to me like you have any sympathy for the people that still live there.
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I don't believe that most poor people steal and I don't have sympathy for thieves. I have a huge amount of hope for poor people to do better, but I don't see why I would care MORE than the people who are poor and don't care about doing better.
I tell you this much, most car regulations, food regulations, gun regulations and so on hurt the poor the most as they price a lot of goods out of their reach and I fight like hell on here everyday to keep life less expensive for them.
 
I have no idea what anyone else's perspective of being poor is, but I grew up poor and I know how that affected me and my family .. and I know being poor doesn't have to have anything to do with addiction or poor life choices.

LIVING POOR means dealing with the hand you are dealt while trying to keep your family alive and together.

LIVING POOR is a different experience for everybody trapped there based on their circumstances. There is no universal one size fits all "this is what poor people do" other than they all try to stay alive and deal with what they do not have.

LIVING POOR teaches its own unique set of life lessons that those who don't have to live there may never understand or grasp.

LIVING POOR makes imagination, creativity, and resilience all necessary components of life and sanity. My own chldren, who have never experienced poverty, never gone to bed hungry, never had to put a piece of cardboard in their shoes to keep the snow out, and never had to watch a parent crying in shame of their dispair, do not have the same level of resilience or toughness that I have. They do not share the same level of imagination that I had to have as a child.

My brothers, sisters, and I used to make "wish" sandwiches. Take two pieces of bread and wish you had some meat. We'd tell each other what wish meat we had in our sandwiches .. and if you're hungry enough, that sandwich would taste just like the meat you imagined was in it.

We often had rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast we'd put a bit of Pet milk, butter (oleo), and sugar (when available) in it. Whole milk was too expensive, so when we had cereal we'd put a small amount of Pet milk in the bowl (1/4th), add water (3/4ths), mix it up, then add the cereal.

Thank God for Pet milk.

When commodities (USDA food for poor people) were available, we'd get powered eggs, spam, and peanut butter that was so thick it was like mortar. The peanut butter would come in a big ass can that had a thick layer of oil on the top. Before you could eat it you had to stir the oil into the peanut butter .. for about an hour. Trying to eat it before the oil was completely mixed in would choke you to death.

Fond memories today, but desperate times then.

Living poor is no joke, not for the parents, not for the children. It just seems odd and tragic to me listening to flippant, almost comical characterizations of being poor that are far removed from reality .. like those posted by "Liberano."

In a land of oppulence, somehow being poor is supposed to be funny.
 
Being poor is a matter of perspective, just ask a starving Somali if you disagree.
 
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