Are people poor in the United States for the most part based upon their bad life

1. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

   Are people poor in the United States for the most part based upon their bad life choices?
   
   Not addressing those who are challenged emotionally, intellectually, & physically.  Nor is addressing those who have fallen on TEMPORARY hard times.  This question is addressing those who are emotionally, intellectually, & physically healthy.
   
   

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2. 69

   lisavollrathposted 8 years ago

   Think of a person living in poverty. They were born into the US, with all the rights and privileges of any other person. Surely, they have the same opportunities, right?
   
   But, they're born into a family that's poor. Maybe they have a single mother raising them. Maybe she's working two jobs, or three, because that's what it takes to make it at minimum wages. So, the new child spends formative years being watched by whoever is available, because there's no extra money for formal day care. Who is teaching this child their ABCs? Who is teaching them to read before they go to school? There's no preschool, because funding for those types of programs doesn't allow every child in the neighborhood to attend, and Mom was at work the day she could apply. There's no socialization, either, because kids in this poor neighborhood aren't allowed to play outside. It's not safe.
   
   There's also no grocery store in walking distance, and no money for a car, or taking the bus when it's not absolutely necessary. The child isn't fed fresh fruits and vegetables as often as they should be, and eats whatever is available, and affordable: processed foods, filled with sugar, salt and additives. Bring on the health issues associated with this type of diet.
   
   So, the kid is finally old enough to go to school. Have you been to an elementary school in a poor neighborhood? They're old, in need of repair, and understaffed. There are way too many kids in each class for the teacher to notice that this child doesn't know their ABCs yet, and can't read. Maybe the kid is dyslexic, or autistic, but that is never diagnosed. The child is simply passed along, or failed, and forced to repeat the grade, until they're finally graduated, or drop out. Poor neighborhoods have a higher dropout rate than average in every state.
   
   Our kid has now dropped out of high school, because their dyslexia has gone undiagnosed. They also can't read very well. They have, mercifully, avoided being killed, joining a gang, or falling prey to a drug addition. All of those things are statistically higher in teens in poor neighborhoods than the national average, but our kid has a Mom who managed to keep them on the straight and narrow.
   
   Where does a 16 year old without the ability to read well, and no high school education, go?
   
   I'm running out of space to write, but I could keep going all day, because I used to work in an outreach program in this neighborhood. Poverty is a snowball, rolling downhill.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's is what I am saying, the parents made stupid choices.  They know that they couldn't afford children but elect to have them nevertheless.  Such actions are selfish, thoughtless, & uncaring bordering on stupid.

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   2. 69

      lisavollrathposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      So, having children is yet another privilege reserved for the rich? How 'bout not defunding Planned Parenthood, so poor people have access to affordable birth control, instead of just telling them not to have kids, like it's that simple?

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3. 81

   wba108@yahoo.composted 8 years ago

   Yes I generally do and I know this to be the case in my own life and those close to me.
   
   Now emotional health may be difficult to assess and often effects poor decisions, so I do have some sympathy for issues people face that are not right out in the open. But for the most part its better for people to have the pressure to work through issues rather than using them as a crutch.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      +++++++++++++

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4. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 7 years ago

   
   
   In the majority of cases, people are poor to impoverished in the United States because of their unintelligent life choices.  Poor to impoverished people have a vastly different culture, mindset, philosophy, & psychology than those who are middle & upper classes.  Yes, culture, mindset, philosophy, & psychology are instrumental to the poor &/or impoverished person's relation to his/her attitude & view of society.
   
   Poor to impoverished people constantly make unintelligent life choices.  They also are impulsive, even instinctual.  They oftentimes act first & think later.  They have no concept of the future ramifications of their actions.  They do what feels good to them even if the consequences to themselves & to their families are negative.  They live for present & believe that thinking about & planning for the future are exercises in utter futility.  They have a philosophy of immediacy- that is having instant gratification.
   
   The idea of instant gratification permeates the consciousness of lower income people.  They feel that their life is so bleak, they intend to grab as much pleasure as they can, forget about the consequences.   In relation to poor to impoverished people not being concerned about the future, they feel that the future is so far off that it is totally irrelevant in their lives.
   
   Poor people's search for immediacy oftentimes lead to them disregarding & denigrating beliefs & concepts which have no instant results.  That is why poor to impoverished people are suspicious of education & achievement.  They see these things as irrelevant.  They want things.....& results....NOW, not later.
   
   Poor people are constant seekers of pleasure.  They want to feel good as their lives are continuous uphill struggles.  They also have very little avenues for constructive activities so they mindlessly engage in the most primitive pleasures.  Poor people have an inverse mindset & psychology in which good is considered to be bad & bad is considered to be good.  For the average poor to impoverished person, being poor is quite normative & there is nothing that can be done about it.  They have an extremely limited mindset as a result of their lower socioeconomic condition, viewing anything outside it as totally fantastical & not realistic.
   
   There are lifestyles which are endemic to poor to impoverished people.  They date & marry unintelligently.  They marry FAR TOO YOUNG. They also have children before they are educationally, emotionally, & psychologically ready.

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