5 Things That Piss Me Off About People Who've Never Known What It's Like to be Poor
http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-things-piss-me-about-people-whove-never-known-what-its-be-poor
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1. Travel
Or rather, when people talk about it like everyone's gone to Europe, and everyone is going to Europe this year, because going to Europe annually is what people do. If you grew up poor, you likely missed the 9th grade trip to France, or the year abroad in Japan, or the post-college year of travel and wild times backpacking through India. So when you have to endure another conversation about how everyone is getting over to St. Maarten this year, your class rage might heat to a nice, sunny simmer.
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2. Education
They say where you went to school doesn't really matter, it's what you do with your education that counts. But "Where'd you go?" is still a question I'm asked more often than I would have ever guessed in my life. People who ask this question typically, I find, went to really fucking good schools, which is why they are so into talking about it. Hell, I would too if I, or someone I was related to, paid $50k a year for me to do it. But when this tired but totally useful (to people who went to good schools) social game comes up yet again at another party or meeting, you can find yourself silently boiling with your mixer-wine-infused class rage while backs are patted and shared jokes are made.
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3. Media/Political Portrayals
When the discussion isn't abstract and academic, it is pitying and sentimental. When it isn't demonizing, it's overly mythologizing. Poor people are lazy, they are dumb, they are the salt of the earth, they are heroes, they are noble. Or worse, they could totally just choose out of it but they won't. When you hear, read or see another safely distant, ignorant take on poverty or struggle, it can make your class rage agitate to a steamy rolling scald.
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4. When Middle Class People "Slum It"
Oh god, the thing where the people whose parents pay their cellphones, college tuition, health insurance and car payment love going to dive bars so they can feel authentically gritty. If you had to endure your entire twenties with zero safety net, surrounded by trustafarians with an affection for faux-poor minimalism or suburban kids who called themselves poor while they drank freely at the shittiest pool halls in town, the ones they drove up to in their parent's Saabm all in their quest to feel real danger without actually risking their safety — then you've likely felt your class rage bubble up like a cauldron of annoyance.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Especially the "bad Choices" thing.... 
There are dozens & dozens of reasons that one seems to make a 'bad choice' that can effect your life for years to come, and yes, sometimes it is just one choice, sometimes a cascade... but there should never be that sense of BLAME that those in poverty are saddled with...
Not merely priorities, many, many unexpected thing happen in life.
Those unexpected things being one reason that medical costs are the number one reason for families to declare bankruptcy.
Priorities, indeed... 
education does NOT equal intelligence 
experience as an example which you are mocking because it isn't your experience. Your responsibilities are not the fault of the poster. Missionary families with no money travel, homeless people travel, people quit their jobs and sell all of their belongings to backpack through Europe while picking up jobs on the road. There are a multitude of options that may not include what you personally are willing to give up to accomplish the goal of traveling.
If you want to go to Europe you can regardless of money. There is a way, maybe not the way you are willing to take. Do rich people have it easier in the travel department, sure, they don't have to make any choices just what country to visit.
You are very angry and your posts are getting more aggressive. Sorry we don't agree with you, but it is obvious that our
experiences have taught us where there is a will there is a way. ( how is that for trite life lessons)
Omg i am new here i thought he had me on ignore too! I was like what did i do?
The article in the OP talked about experiences/encounters that can be frustrating for people without a lot of money. (And it followed the explanation of those experiences, in the article itself, with often constructive advice for dealing with that difficulty in productive and understanding ways.)
That's hardly evidence that the OP (and/or original author) is one of those people you claim are never happy no matter their circumstances.
"Some people are never happy no matter what their circumstance...."
While others may yet extrapolate the measure of happiness of a person from merely one conversation on one day about one topic, regardless of how little they may know about the person they indict...
Seems to me that both are locales inhabited by idiots, dolts and nincompoops, yet the second instance takes it a step further by pretending knowledge.
There is no harder job than surviving without resources. Every day is an exhausting grind trying to find food, scrabbling for shelter. Trying to just stay alive takes every single ounce of strength you can muster.. and, sadly for so many, even that isn't enough.
finally had to buy a tent-trailer, sleeping on the ground got to difficult. What we learned over those
years in tents was that we were questioned over and over as to why we would we not be in some sort
of tin box camping. Most often the follow up would be..."Well, they're not THAT expensive."
We did meet those living rough from time to time when we went camping, seemed like they would
approach the tent campers only, mostly just to shoot-the-breeze.
Sometimes the trailer and motor home travelers would walk right by our tent camp site
and go introduce themselves to the next available 5th wheel or motor home.
The Tikkis
camp sites, but there were definitely those who looked down on tent campers.
And that is a shame.
Tikki
ps...plus a lot of tent campers are what I call purists..and money has nothing to do with their
camping experience. Plus you always get those at social gatherings who will proudly
exclaim that their idea of camping is staying at a three star hotel....bah. .
Seems some in this thread would prefer if we would do just that.....shut forever. 
Also: have a great trip to Iceland!
So I think you're still in the clear. 
Unless you're liable to say, when in conversation with vague acquaintances or random colleagues or complete strangers you're likely to say things like "I'm going to Iceland. What beautiful overseas destination will you be travelling to this year?"
(on a message forum, mind you) whether or not someone reading what I type can or cannot afford a similar trip in simply not a consideration?
BTW, I had a reindeer burger for lunch.
Odd way to advertise one's character by stating it's nifty to piss people off. Insightful, but still odd...
Person-who's-never-been-poor: "Milk is expensive? You should buy the 2-gallon packs at CostCo - the savings really add up!"
Last edited Mon Mar 11, 2013, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)
For people who have been banging their heads up against a brick wall for years, the message that they could do it if they were better people isn't helpful. Our economy sucks, and it sucks on purpose. Read Shock Doctrine (or even just read a bit about it online.) People are poor because our economy is set up so only a small percentage of people will do well. It doesn't help people to tell them it's their fault when it isn't.
(Sorry for typo that caused confusion. I didn't mean "Future Shock"
Excellent word! 
