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Thread: Is it easy to get out of poverty?

  1. #11
    I_royalty_I's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpaceyGirl View Post
    So many of your words resonated with me! I too have backup for my backups (waitressing for the rest of my life is fine with me; I miss those jobs..xD ), but I also have low expectations and expect things to go wrong pretty much everywhere, even though I've been so lucky in life.

    Oh noooooooooooooo, I think I am so content in my current position that I'm no longer looking to move up! Moving up in my career would mean becoming a lead / manager and I just don't think I can do that. Do you think it's okay to find a spot and stay there? xD There's room for me to grow, but I'm not sure I want to be in charge of managing anybody; I like someone telling me exactly what to do.
    Complacency can be a dangerous thing. If you're happy where you are now, then you don't have to take on that next step. There's nothing wrong with being comfortable where you are. BUT, there's also nothing wrong with stepping out of your comfort zone and taking on more responsibilities. Being management is entirely different than non management. YOu never know though... you may enjoy it! If the opportunity is there, I say grab on and take it!
    What's my definition of success?
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  3. #12
    Zer0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpaceyGirl View Post
    Good luck finding a job! Congrats on graduating! Aren't you glad school projects are over? I just woke up from a nightmare about forgetting to do one this morning.. T_T;;
    Thanks! Yes and no. I definitely have nightmares of school and had the odd dream of being in school again. And as they say there is always an appropriate xkcd so here you go:



    It is nice to have group projects over but you got to realize some of these people also make it out of school as well. Also, I've recently I had a bad issue working with clients.

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    Katie Mama Bear's Avatar
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    @(you need an account to see links) - I'm estranged from my sister now. She finished high school but did not go to uni. No judgement on that, but it does limit your options a bit more, particularly for women who are statistically less represented in trades. Anyway, she became a teen mother. She continued to bludge off my parents for whatever she could, using the new guilt card of her child. With my encouragement, she turned her skill for cake decoration into a small business, but turned into one of those militant vegans and drove away the customers. She became a receptionist for a white collar business and managed to sink her claws into a young, naive (virgin, religious) employee from a well-off family. They got married in Italy, having asked my mother to pay her way there so she could babysit...unsurprisingly, this plan didn't work since mum didn't have the money for it. The Italy thing is another bugbear of mine, as I'd studied the language in university and had a passion for the culture. She did not. But hey, destination wedding on the in-law's dime, so why not steal another part of my dream? They apparently had a kid last year, meaning he's even more trapped with her crazy ass (she used to lecture about over-population and how she'd never have a second child, blah blah blah). She hasn't changed at all. She'd always acted (and spent) as though she were so much better than the rest of us. Marrying up would have just confirmed that for her.

    So I guess she managed to get herself out of poverty in the end too, by manipulating a nice guy who deserved better. Definitely not the approach I took, nor one I respect.

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  7. #14
    Crazy Cat Lady PrettySarcastic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpaceyGirl View Post
    Sorry for the long intro, I guess the question is just: Do you think it's easy to get out of poverty? Why or why not?
    Also, I live in the USA if that changes anything.
    Not in the least bit, and your story alone is a perfect example and just one of countless others just like it.

    Part of the problem with poverty is that in a huge number of cases, it's more or less designed to be inescapable. It's called the Cycle of Poverty.

    Children who grow up in poverty are naturally disadvantaged in both education and skills. Because in a disproportionate number of cases these children are minorities, they'll also face the challenges that come with that. They'll typically live in bad neighborhoods, go to schools which receive less funding, have a parent or parents (or guardian/s) who are either unemployed, or underemployed -- forced to work multiple jobs at low wages to try to make ends meet and keep them out of a situation of homelessness. Their poor education leads to their eventual struggle to get a job, leading them to end up treading the same path as their parents -- raising a child or children in the same impoverished environment and struggling to overcome obstacles throughout their entire lives.

    And this is only people who are born into poverty. Anyone could find themselves in poverty through job loss, especially if coupled with medical bills. A tremendous number of people live more or less paycheck to paycheck with very little or absolutely no savings in reserve - losing a job is literally the difference between having a roof over their head and groceries in the fridge, and sleeping in their car.

    Is it possible to escape poverty? Absolutely! With dedication and hard work and luck, yes. But I would not agree that anyone can do it. The deck is stacked against a lot of people, minorities, people with disabilities, etc., to exceptional degree. The system is designed to be difficult climb out from.

    Since 1948, worker productivity has risen 69%, but overall compensation has only grown by 11.6%.

    Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour - an adult with two children who can only manage a minimum wage job will be thousands of dollars below poverty threshold. If we raised the minimum wage to only $12.00/hour, we could bring 4.5 million people out of poverty. I can't even find a number for what raising it further would do, because I've done so much research for this random post my eyes are tired.

    So, I guess I return to a couple sentences ago. Yes, it's possible -- but no, it is not easy, not everyone can do it. The ones who do are the hardest working, the most dedicated and stubborn, and I clearly see examples of us here. (Did you also put plastic sheeting & duct tape over your trailer windows? Just wondering.)

    Thanks for enduring my disorganized ramblings, if you did.


    Some poverty facts (for the US):
    ----> "Poverty" means a single person had an income at or under just $13,011 per year -- for couples, families, etc., check the table below. It's very enlightening.
    * In 2019, 10.5% of the US population lived in poverty - about 34 million people.
    * 5.3% of the population�or 17.3 million people�live in deep poverty - that means their incomes are below 50% of the poverty threshold -- so less than half of the number in the table.
    * 29.9% of the population� or 93.6 million� live close to poverty, with incomes less than two times that of their poverty thresholds.
    ----> Isn't that interesting, and also terrifying? Doubling the poverty threshold is still considered close to poverty.
    * In 2017, 26% of disabled people were living in poverty
    * In 2017, 11.6% of people 80 years of age or older lived in poverty
    * 11.1% of households were food insecure in 2018 - this means more than 14 million households had difficulty providing enough food for their members due to a lack of resources.
    * Any given night, more than half a million people are homeless; about 20% of that number represents children under the age of 18






    -------------
    Sources (go learn you some stuff):
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    graphics by Flordibel & Menine <3

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  9. #15
    jellybelly's Avatar
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    This is a great discussion! You should be really proud of what you've achieved so far! It definitely is hard work and perseverance. Well done.

    Excuse all the grammatical errors and other mistakes!

    I would say, no it definitely is not easy to get out of poverty, especially if you are born into it. Yes too, if you work hard, but sometimes working hard to remove yourself out of poverty/'that life' is something people in poverty can't afford to think about; I think their main thoughts are just living day to day; finding food and surviving.

    I think the cause of poverty in certain countries is definitely not always that persons fault, it is a multitude of things including family, beliefs, background, government/overall management of the country they are residing in. I think it's much harder to get out of poverty if you were born into it/don't know anything better and just aim to survive by finding work if they are able to, food and shelter. Generational poverty is difficult as the children learn what the parents learn and from there it is passed down and down.

    I remember watching a YouTuber who, from time to time visits families and people in poverty. Sometimes he just brings a long small gifts for the family such as food and snacks they probably haven't tried and very large bags of rice. Other times the person has rented a street food vendor so he could give the neighbourhood kids living in the slums some street food snacks. Another video he helped one family build a basic house so they could have a proper roof over their head. The YouTuber received many hate comments and questions on his videos such as, 'Doing this won't get them out of poverty...why don't you xxxxx (suggesting something else)?', 'Why do you always help the same people??', 'Why are you helping these people??? Why don't you help the people back in your home country?' etc.

    The YouTuber said he knows he can't help everyone and that he is just one person. He also knows the things he does won't really directly help them escape poverty but he just wanted them to feel happy, give them some encouragement for their goals in life and hope when they grow up they can be good people who think about others as well (as there are many people in poverty often resort to more criminal activities). He occasionally teaches them little things like remembering to put your rubbish in one place/a bin as the kids would just throw rubbish anywhere, like there would be rubbish everywhere on the ground (rubbish bins don't exist, there is no proper waste system. anywhere is a rubbish bin lol) as they weren't taught it. The YouTuber asked where one of the girls wanted to go when the restrictions ease so he could take the kids out on a small trip, she said with excitement, "I really want to go to the big shopping mall!".

    One time he purchased a portable gas stove for the family but the mother has still never used it and still prefers to light a fire outside with the sticks as she wants to 'save the gas' even though it will be much more convenient although a bit more costly. The mother had to borrow some money from the neighbours so she could buy 3 kilos of rice (for a family of 2 adults and 5 kids). She was so overjoyed when the YouTuber told her he brought a big sack of rice in his car for her, "Oh thank you so so much, we were nearly out of rice. I had to borrow some money from the lady next door to buy 3 kilos." This brings me onto generational poverty, if you grew up in these conditions and your parents and parent's parents grew up in these same conditions it is really hard to break out of it. You'll want to save everything and don't want to waste anything.

    Beliefs also come into play, for example some countries have very strict laws on abortion and contraception. There is a lack of sex education in schools already. No sex education for people in poverty. Due to this, there are too many young mothers (shy of teens) who are already in poverty themselves but now have to raise children.

    I read a story on teen mums not too long ago, girls then now mothers didn't even know they could get pregnant. I also read one man in the story made his 'mark' by impregnating the female so no one else would court her, to quote, "He really wanted a baby, so no one else could court me." A sense of ownership, stemming from a countries certain beliefs and history. Speaking about sex or using words that could be related to sex was something laughable/a joke (I suppose similar to how western children think of the term, "cooties") and sex is something that is not to be seriously spoken of).

    It just made me realise these families don't have time to do anything other than to try and live and care for their kids. These mothers spoke about how they too, had goals in life such as finishing school and becoming a police offer but now they have responsibilities of caring for children instead. Of course they love their children (these children are not at fault too) but cannot deny it is a challenge.

    Just thinking about how they could get out of poverty seemed likely impossible and just a dream they can't afford : (.

    Soo...lack of contraception, no education and abortion being illegal = more children that need to be looked after by people who can't even afford and care for themselves yet = continual cycle of poverty.

    Then if you have a country who's government isn't doing much to combat the issue of poverty....it really is difficult. Instead of caring for their nation as a whole so it can thrive and therefore overall make the country richer (long term), they just become corrupt and selfish (short term).

    So in my opinion, in this case it lies on the country itself and if the management of the country was improved in areas such as general education, sex education including contraception and abortion, decent shelter and services that could assist people with this it will be one step forward to reducing the percentage of poverty. If I were in this situation and trying to get out of poverty completely on my own it would be very very difficult and I would definitely need help.

    If you were interested in reading that story it is here: (you need an account to see links)
    It was a good read and the photographs were taken by one of my fav photographers haha
    Last edited by jellybelly; 09-28-2020 at 08:22 AM.

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    I would say no, it is not easy. I never got out of poverty, my family's still in it and so am I. Anyone who gets out of it is either super lucky, or super skilled in the path they took in life, and even then it's a bit down to luck when it comes down to getting a job in your field. And even worse if you have educational debt.

    My dad and I are both disabled. he finally got his disability benefits so we're surviving now, I'm still fighting for mine. I don't think I'll ever get out of poverty but I think one day I'll be just above the line and can live at least somewhat comfortably without worrying. Things are better though, I got my first smart phone last year and I still have it. Can't pay the bill on it but I do have a phone now when I didn't used to.

    I'm also out of medical debt which is another boost to my life.

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    With the internet i Would say it would be 110% possible.

    There are soo many oppertunities with having web access that with a little hard work and dedication you can really earn some proper cash!

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    AyBeCee's Avatar
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    Not easy at all. It's a relentless cycle. I worked in a psychiatric facility for a few months and it fucking broke my heart to hear stories of people who grew up with poor socioeconomic backgrounds and how disadvantaged they were. With the cards they're dealt with, it's so hard to get out of the poverty cycle. With that said, it is possible, just ridiculously difficult.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mama Bear View Post
    @(you need an account to see links) - I'm estranged from my sister now. She finished high school but did not go to uni. No judgement on that, but it does limit your options a bit more, particularly for women who are statistically less represented in trades. Anyway, she became a teen mother. She continued to bludge off my parents for whatever she could, using the new guilt card of her child. With my encouragement, she turned her skill for cake decoration into a small business, but turned into one of those militant vegans and drove away the customers. She became a receptionist for a white collar business and managed to sink her claws into a young, naive (virgin, religious) employee from a well-off family. They got married in Italy, having asked my mother to pay her way there so she could babysit...unsurprisingly, this plan didn't work since mum didn't have the money for it. The Italy thing is another bugbear of mine, as I'd studied the language in university and had a passion for the culture. She did not. But hey, destination wedding on the in-law's dime, so why not steal another part of my dream? They apparently had a kid last year, meaning he's even more trapped with her crazy ass (she used to lecture about over-population and how she'd never have a second child, blah blah blah). She hasn't changed at all. She'd always acted (and spent) as though she were so much better than the rest of us. Marrying up would have just confirmed that for her.

    So I guess she managed to get herself out of poverty in the end too, by manipulating a nice guy who deserved better. Definitely not the approach I took, nor one I respect.
    Just want to say that I sincerely hope for your Italy wish to come true.



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    I was born well below the poverty line to two disabled parents who couldn't work (or drive for that matter). They were homeless before they had me. I grew up considering anything beyond basic cable a luxury. Internet we were lucky to have for ~2 years before our ISP screwed us, which was how I got introduced to Neopets, but up until about age 12 that was a luxury too.

    Now I'm in my mid 20s. One of my parents passed on, another is in long term care, and I'm STILL getting out of it. I'm making 12k a year doing part time work, on top of school, on top of managing care for the aforementioned family member, on top of being $20,000 in debt because of school thanks to... *checks notepad* being born to parents who couldn't afford a college fund. Anyone who says I need to "just work harder uwu" is seriously out of touch--hell, I worked all Sunday night, stayed up the following Monday to hand in an assignment, went to sleep at 11pm that day for ~7 hours, and woke up bright and early to do more chores. All I DO is work at this point!

    I have a good GPA that's going to take a beating this semester due to a family emergency, so I'm hoping I'll still be hireable by the time I do graduate. By then I'll make $30,000 a year in an entry level position in a field I'm good at, which by my standards may as well be living like a king. Can I get out of it? Yes. Is it easy? No. Absolutely not!
    Last edited by Nightingale; 12-08-2020 at 07:21 PM. Reason: 30k a year, even

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