Poverty is the natural state if you do nothing. amirite?

and why is this "unpopular" again?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It's not even an opinion. "If you do nothing, you'll end up broke" is just a fact

by Faye07 2 days ago

While it is easier said than done, a handful of things can generally guarantee that you won't be "poor" in your 30s: Graduate from high-school. Don't have children outside of marriage. Don't get married before 25 years old. Work or go to school full time. Don't do drugs, alcohol, or gamble. Don't get a criminal record. Within each of these guidelines there are tons of pieces of advice that will enable you to get further ahead.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I was doing so well till end.

by Miserable_Abroad 2 days ago

You forgot Be a white straight man

by Puzzleheaded_Term 1 day ago

This isn't an unpopular opinion. You're just stating a series of high level observations.

by Hot-Sheepherder8800 1 day ago

Fair. Maybe it is just a hard thing to hear.

by Emergency-Bid-9867 1 day ago

It's not. This isn't a challenging observation to accept because it lacks any real nuance or point of view. There's no actual opinion in it.

by Hot-Sheepherder8800 1 day ago

But poverty and wealth are not natural states to begin with, at least not in the way you're describing.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That seems popular, methinks. People don't really like being reminded of that one, but I don't think many truly deny it.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That's true for the vast majority of people, but that's not a universal constant. As The saying goes, you first million is hard. Your second million is inevitable. The more money you have, the easier it is to make money, and the richest people in the world are rich specifically because they could do literally nothing for the rest of their lives and still make more in a day than any of us make in a year.

by merrittsenger 1 day ago

That's true for the vast majority of people, but that's not a universal constant. As The saying goes, your first million is hard. Your second million is inevitable. The more money you have, the easier it is to make money, and the richest people in the world are rich specifically because they could do literally nothing for the rest of their lives and still make more in a day than any of us make in a year.

by merrittsenger 1 day ago

I can think of plenty of incompetent scions who, based on their actions and inactions, should be -- according to this theory -- dirt poor. They are not.

by Ferne30 1 day ago

But they or their progeny will be without deliberate action.

by Emergency-Bid-9867 1 day ago

Sounds like you bought into the myth of meritocracy.

by Ferne30 1 day ago

Not "natural" because the concept of poverty is entirely constructed. Also, not universally true. If you are born into a mega-wealthy family, you can do absolutely nothing for your whole life and not end up in poverty. Also also, not an opinion. You are just saying "most people have to work for a living", which is a fact, but you're trying to make it sound more profound than it is.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

As someone who has spent his entire life in poverty, it literally does not matter how hard you work towards "avoiding it" anymore. People can work 3-4 full time jobs and still not make enough to eat every day. So, sorry but "picking yourself up by the bootstraps" only works when you can already afford boots.

by Donnyrussel 1 day ago

"Natural"? MBIC this entire system is artificial.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That take completely ignores systemic factors like racism, classism, and the way American capitalism is structured. Generational poverty, discriminatory housing and hiring practices, wage suppression, and lack of access to quality education or healthcare all create barriers that make 'just work against it' far from an equal playing field. Poverty isn't simply the result of individual inaction, it's often the outcome of structural systems designed to keep certain groups at a disadvantage

by Puzzleheaded_Term 1 day ago

Victimhood thinking like yours keeps people in poverty.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Acknowledging situational realities is not "victimhood thinking".

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Not victimhood, just the reality. To deny it is just plain ignorant.

by Puzzleheaded_Term 1 day ago

Nope. Look at the East Asian or Indian (from India) demographics in the US. They know what to do to get ahead.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

You're ignoring the starting point. A lot of Asian and Indian immigrants come in on skilled visas with degrees, money, and connections. Black and Hispanic communities here are still dealing with generational poverty, redlining, underfunded schools, wage discrimination, and the social barriers that come with systemic racism and classism. This is plain reality in America, not victim hood.

by Puzzleheaded_Term 1 day ago

Folks "getting ahead" isn't proof that factors beyond so-called "hard work" don't come into play when it comes to poverty.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Do you have family? If you do, change your mindset and give them all you have so they can get better than you, even just a little improvement. So many immigrant families are in poverty but they work hard to provide their children, they understand they themselves will not improve much but their children can. Generational poverty can be avoided if the adults put the next gen in priority. Our action definitely have it consequence, will you save $50 a month to invest or $50 spend on lottery ticket, soda or a pack of cigarette?

by gcollier 1 day ago

This isn't a mindset issue, it's the reality of living in a racist, capitalist system. We do work hard and can make progress, but the structures in place are built to keep us lesser than the white man, no matter how much effort we put in.

by Puzzleheaded_Term 1 day ago