Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There's a huge difference between the working poor and the welfare poor.
I have much empathy for the working poor and no sympathy for the welfare poor.
I've worked with both groups while teaching in the public schools.
That's a great way to break out the definition. I too have worked with both groups and there is a tremendous difference in how they approach personal responsibility.
I've always been too hard on myself in general so maybe that bias filter is at work.
I just feel like we've all known that person that makes bad choices and mistakes and it's always not their fault for a myriad of reasons.
Just think how your life would have been if you were raised in a situation that was "less" than what you had. What if you were born a woman who got pregnant in their teens, or a minority in poverty, a hillbilly (I'm sure there is a better term).in the Appalachians, born in a small town that is only coal miners, etc.
Insert "whatever" and just THINK about that for awhile.
Chow, when you share your ideas, think about whether your words are tearing people down, or helping to lift them up.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
Just think how your life would have been if you were raised in a situation that was "less" than what you had. What if you were born a woman who got pregnant in their teens, or a minority in poverty, a hillbilly (I'm sure there is a better term).in the Appalachians, born in a small town that is only coal miners, etc.
Insert "whatever" and just THINK about that for awhile.
Chow, when you share your ideas, think about whether your words are tearing people down, or helping to lift them up.
I don't know if you saw the post here where I did walk back some of my comments. Like I said I was cranky when I wrote it and didn't frame it well.
I'm talking about the folks that continually make the wrong choices and never acknowledge their side and take ownership of their portion.
I'm not talking about people here that come from poverty or other bad situations or having some catastrophic event, I'm talking about the crowd like I mentioned earlier, it's always someone else's fault without realizing that we can control certain parts of our actions and again, take ownership of our stuff.
I don't know if you saw the post here where I did walk back some of my comments. Like I said I was cranky when I wrote it and didn't frame it well.
I'm talking about the folks that continually make the wrong choices and never acknowledge their side and take ownership of their portion.
I'm not talking about people here that come from poverty or other bad situations or having some catastrophic event, I'm talking about the crowd like I mentioned earlier, it's always someone else's fault without realizing that we can control certain parts of our actions and again, take ownership of our stuff.
In general, those people irk me too.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
That's a great way to break out the definition. I too have worked with both groups and there is a tremendous difference in how they approach personal responsibility.
One could argue that if they were instilled with a different set of values, their approach might be different.
This is not an excuse, but an understanding of the root cause.
With this understanding, it may aid mentors and social workers build the value set that places higher weight on personal responsibility. Some who are taught these values might catch on while some will never catch on.
There is also the reality where, if one feels like they're stuck in a never ending loop of feeling disadvantaged, they fully embrace the victim mentality. How does one shake this mentality when it feels like they've been served up a dung sandwich in life? Maybe it starts with assistance in achieving small wins and building on that...However, there isn't a lot of incentive in society to be the one that dedicates their life to this purpose. Social workers are paid poorly and a lot of citizens feel little obligation to help the disadvantaged.
One's adult life is a chain of decisions, the quality of which is based on the level and amount of preparation (upbringing, wealth, education, etc.) they had, tempered and influenced by significant events that they encounter. There are events well beyond our control -- genetics, war, natural disaster, economic swings, relationships, deaths -- and some we can predict. We have to make good decisions to succeed even in the face of unpredicted adversity.
In recent times there has been a heightened tendency to blame others for personal failures. The self-defined victim is often blind to their own poor decisions and very willing to assign blame to other individuals or groups. We see that every day over on the POC forum. For some, reality is a zero-sum world where their self-worth or level of privilege or status accomplishment is threatened and diminished by the successes and achievements of others that they deem to be unworthy. Of course, that is foolishness and simply a way of making excuses for their poor decisions or imagined victimhood.
There's a huge difference between the working poor and the welfare poor. I have much empathy for the working poor and no sympathy for the welfare poor.
I've worked with both groups while teaching in the public schools.
There is no great divide keeping the "working poor" from falling into the "welfare poor" if a tenuous situation or existence takes a turn for the worse. The catalyst might be illness or injury. It could be economic or a natural disaster. The house burns down. It could be death or disability of a wage-earner or maybe mental illness. Maybe a factory shuts down.
Sometimes, but not always, it is a poor decision. Poor decisions tend to cascade one to another to another because better options and alternatives are unreachable after a point.
I'm pretty old and from my observation, most people are exactly where they belong, based on the decisions they have made along the way. Yes, some people have to start from more difficult circumstances but overcoming obstacles builds character. I grew up in lower middle class, blue collar area. The people were salt of the earth. That said, they had no ambition beyond going to work in the steel mill as their parents and grandparents did. In turn, this attitude was passed down to their children. The steel mills closed and they were left with nothing, most of them found a way to live off the government for years but unfortunately never improved their skill set to make them valuable to other employers. On the other hand, my parents valued education. I was expected to go on to an institute of higher learning and doing so allowed me to leave that hell hole (Youngstown, Ohio). Of all my friends, only one (and he was the one who appeared to be the most unlikely) made the same choice, others pretty much became bums by the time they were 25. We all had exactly the same opportunities for an education....we all went to the same schools, had the same teachers, same guidance councilors, etc. But they decided to work in the steel mills and make that good money right out of high school. 6-7 years later the mills were gone. All of them chose to hold fast....stay in the area and the ones that are still alive are still there today.....and still complaining about how unfair things have been. Fact is, their life would have turned out very different had they got an education above high school and left a dying area! They made their choices and they suffer the consequences. Do I have empathy? Not really these days. For years I tried to encourage them to get an education/trade and it fell on deaf ears.
Now along the way, like most other people, I faced a lot of obstacles. I worked 2 jobs and went to University full time and......had a wife and children. The sacrifice was hard as hell.....but not impossible. It was a choice that paid long-term dividends. My friends could never see the big picture. We make choices and choices have consequences. For the most part you make your own breaks by the decisions you make!
I'm not talking about people here that come from poverty or other bad situations or having some catastrophic event...
It’s good that you realize this. Also keep in mind that when people (I mean mainly conservative white people) use buzz words like the one in your title, they’re typically taking shots at impoverished people. It’s their own fault that they’re poor, while wealthy white people born into upper/middle class environments have nothing to do with the distribution of wealth throughout society. If poor people would just “work harder”, especially poor Blacks and Latinos, they would be well off just like people like you.
For those people, yes it IS someone else’s fault. The fault lies with those taking advantage of the system and lying about it being fair, all while acquiring all the money and resources in their good ole boy networks and preaching to others about learning “personal responsibility”.
Last edited by SerlingHitchcockJPeele; 03-14-2024 at 06:31 PM..
For those people, yes it IS someone else’s fault. The fault lies with those taking advantage of the system and lying about it being fair, all while acquiring all the money and resources in their good ole boy networks and preaching to others about learning “personal responsibility”.
Right. There are systemic faults. Sometimes we talk about uneven playing fields and some people pretend that is not the case. I worked in criminal justice for decades and know that the CJ system has many faults, among them are legal defenses hindered due to poverty and unbridled discretion at multiple official levels.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
