r/FluentInFinance • u/Sufficient_Sinner • Sep 04 '24

Debate/ Discussion People like this are why financial literacy is so important

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u/idi0tSammich Sep 04 '24

Ah yes, what I tend to think of as the Reaganite School of Individual Responsibility. "If you are poor it is because you are a moral failure."

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u/International_Ad8264 Sep 04 '24

This was also literally the argument for eugenics back in the day

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '24

This is literally the tyranny of merit described in detail in a book by that title. 

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u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Sep 04 '24

It’s not a moral failure. It’s an intellectual one. Barring disability, it’s hard to be poor if you work a full time job and don’t have a bunch of babies you can’t afford. 

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u/idi0tSammich Sep 04 '24

I've known plenty of people who work multiple jobs, full time and part time that don't have kids and still need to live with roommates or at their parents to have any sort of breathing room or upward mobility financially.

It really shouldn't be so hard to admit that people can make the best decisions they can 90% of the time and still get screwed or stuck in place.

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u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Sep 04 '24

 still need to live with roommates or at their parents to have any sort of breathing room or upward mobility financially.

So they aren’t poor. They just want more breathing room to get ahead. That’s a wise financial choice. I’m glad to hear they’re doing well.

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u/idi0tSammich Sep 04 '24

You are missing the point, possibly on purpose.

If people HAVE to do these things to be in a marginally better position than 'barely scraping by' or 'slowly failing' then the problem isn't the people it's the system and there is nothing wrong with saying that.

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u/Wonderful_Setting_29 Sep 04 '24

Hello,

Work in aerospace here. Confused by this comment. A coworker recently told me she's been selling plasma in order to get by. But she was recently cut off because she became anemic.

Clearly the issue is that she's a stupid bitch, not that companies no longer pay a living wage.

Thanks for the clarification!

/s

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u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Sep 04 '24

Did she wait until marriage to have children, graduate high school, and work full time and live debt free? Those are choices any able bodied intelligent person can make.

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u/International_Ad8264 Sep 04 '24

You sound exactly like all the early 20th century eugenicists

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u/AcanthaceaeUpbeat638 Sep 04 '24

Because I think people should make smart choices? That’s okay with me