You likely have an opinion about the poor.
You may have even served the poor.
Do you have an understanding of the poor, though?
“When you are broke, you can’t plan ahead or shop sales or buy in bulk. Poor people wait to buy something until they absolutely need it, so they have to pay whatever the going price is at that moment. If ten-packs of paper towels are on sale for half price, that’s great, but you can only afford one roll anyway. In this way, poor people actually pay more than others for common staple goods.”
That quote was spotlighted in a Washington Post article that compiles a Reddit thread discussing this very topic.
It’s worth a read, even if it’s for insights on things in youth culture you’ve never fully understood:
“I just learned this from a teenage burglar a couple years ago. Baseball caps with a completely straight brim and the sticker still on it were made popular because inner city kids wanted to prove they could afford brand new name brand things. It’s kind of sad that’s how some trends start.”
So…
what is something you wish you or others understood more about poverty?
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Being a child of immigrant, I see this too often. Parents came to the US for a better life, translate to better education. However, to be truth to themselves, they refused to adapt to the ways of life in the US or allow the new generation to pass lesson learned so their life can improve. The image of cash advance above is a perfect example of wasting their hard earn dollars, they pay a few dollars for every transaction. It would be easier to pay their bills online, that move would allow them to save money. They do not trust the devices. Yet, they use the same device to listen to radio online from their home country. I could go on and on. Churches most address to their members to propel them out of poverty.
That’s a powerful insight… especially how the fear of technology can keep one from growing into a “richer” understanding of life.
Being a child of immigrant, I see this too often. Parents came to the US for a better life, translate to better education. However, to be truth to themselves, they refused to adapt to the ways of life in the US or allow the new generation to pass lesson learned so their life can improve. The image of cash advance above is a perfect example of wasting their hard earn dollars, they pay a few dollars for every transaction. It would be easier to pay their bills online, that move would allow them to save money. They do not trust the devices. Yet, they use the same device to listen to radio online from their home country. I could go on and on. Churches most address to their members to propel them out of poverty.
That’s a powerful insight… especially how the fear of technology can keep one from growing into a “richer” understanding of life.