Your poor it must be your fault

Your poor it must be your fault. I survive on less then $10k a year and I rely on the government for my lively hood. It's not by choice I was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 20. I started coming down with the illness when I was 17 so I was never able to finish school.

My whole life I've been surrounded by poor people some were better off then others. I grew up in a all white area 2 miles from the Detroit city limit. The poor people I grew up around never had a chance in this world. It's hard to focus on greater education when your fighting just to survive.

I had a friend named Nick whose mom use to come home drunk and beat the daylights out him. One day she pushed him down a flight of stairs and he broke both of his legs. It was never reported to the authorities or anything.

Another friend of mine named Jesse had a mom that was a crack head and she would leave him alone for weeks at a time. He didn't even have food in the fridge. Once in a while his dad would stay at home but when he did he dove to the bottom of a bottle of vodka. His dad ended up hanging himself naked in the front yard. Jesse's older brother bought him a gameboy one year for Xmas. It was the only thing Jesse owned. One day he came home to find his mother had stolen it.

I had another friend named Tony. His house burned down because the laundry basket got to close to the hot water tank. His family lost everything. They were forced to move into a trailer. Two adults and five kids lived in a small two bedroom trailer.

My buddy Jon graduated high school 4 years ago. He got good marks in school and really could have made something of himself. Instead he works at a job making $8 an hour. He supports his mother that has cancer and his younger brother that is still in school. He's 22 years old and never driven a car. Somedays his mother can't pick him up from work so he walks six miles home. Sometimes in 90 dig heat and sometime in 10 dig cold snow.

I hear it so often that this is the land of opertunity. Many people have the attitude I made it so can you.

I live 2 blocks from the city of Detroit. I see poverty every day. Half of the inner city is illiterate. Many people around me never stood a chance. It's hard to plan for the future when your fighting for survival from day to day.

Many people I've known became drug addicts are dead or in prison. Why care when you have no future.

I've known a lot of people who have had similar upbringings and come from similar backgrounds, who have fought against the odds and have become successful. You just have to decide to not let the past define you. The future hasn't been written yet; sure you have limited choices, but the ones you do have are yours for the taking.

I have a friend who is schitzophrenic. She is probably the most intelligent, well spoken woman I have ever met, and am every likely to meet. She has a lovely little boy.

My brother never finished school. He had ADHD, and my mum dragged him overseas, where she then proceeded to go to Africa for months on end and left my brother in France on his own, with no passport, so he couldn't come back to England to finish his schooling.
Now my brother is back in England, he's enrolled on an engineering course.

I think no matter how bad things are, you should never stop striving for better things. Never accept that "this is your lot in life".

I've been out of work nearly 5 years. I'm still applying for jobs, even though in this climate, the chances of me being hired are slim; mainly due to me being out of work for so long (I've been raising my son), not being as flexible with my available hours (due to school runs etc).
We live on one wage which is not even average for the area.

Don't give up. Unless your schitzophrenia really impairs your day to day life, there is no reason why you can't try to improve your life in other ways

Some people may start out in cra***er situations than others, but they still have the same chances and opportunities.

It's easy to blame your unhappiness with your life n others, but that doesn't make it true.

Your circumstances, your upbringing, your health are not what completely defines who you are.
I understand it's very easy to fall into the trap of hopelessness and that nothing will ever change or get better.
But you did wake up this morning correct?
You still have a roof over your head and food to eat, correct?
You have internet and the right to voice your opinion for us to read without fear of persecution, correct?
It may be meager, but your government does give you money to survive instead of you fending solely for yourself on the street, correct?
You are already ahead of a majority of the population of this world.
One small step at a time, and you could make your life even better, if you chose to. Fear and discouragement are your enemies, not your circumstances.

reply to post by wantsome


So who's fault is it then? You posted the idea that it wasn't the poor person's fault for their situation but you didn't say who it was if not themselves.

I'm not poor and it must be my fault. I'm the one who did not waste my money on many of the things I really didn't need. Instead, I saved any money that I didn't absolutely need to spend.

ETA: I did not have wealthy parents. My father was a Marine, and I was eligible for the free lunch at school. I grew up knowing my 18th birthday present was a kick out the door.

reply to post by tamusan


>implying actual poor people have enough to live on, let alone save money at the end of the week

reply to post by wantsome


i had a post but i deleted it for your sake.
I hope everything will be better for you

This is where I've been. When you're born in a nowhere town that got hit by the Great Depression and never recovered, it's like living in a third world country. There are no opportunities anywhere, no encouragement to become something better, and no point. Everyone is either an alcoholic or addicted to pain pills they buy from each other. It's gotten so bad here that people who legitimately need pain prescriptions can't get them anymore. Basically, no hospital or doctor will write pain prescriptions for anyone because of the black market. When I herniated my disc and was in incredible pain, I was prescribed ibuprofen and an ice pack, and sent home.

The place I grew up in didn't even have a proper sewer system. Everyone's toilets flushed out into a creek that runs through the middle of the town. When you drive up and down the streets there, you'll see trash littering the sidewalk and yard of every home, and every house looks like it should be condemned. The mayor of that town was murdered a few months ago, by his own daughter-in-law and her brother, so they could take his money to buy drugs with. The only way to survive here is welfare and social security, or just become a dealer. Or all three, apparently. If you go to college and somehow get a degree, you won't find any jobs here. You'll have to leave the state, and hope you have sane family left that will help you succeed. This place is a sewer, and no one cares.

Mayor Murdered For Drug Money

reply to post by Dispo


I'm not implying anything of the sort. If they earn less than what I did, for more than half of my working life, then I hope the government subsidizes their food and shelter.

I'm a veteran with service connected injuries. I could get a total $4000 a month in benefits, if I did not work, and receive income above the threshold.

reply to post by MrUncreated


I grew up in that same town, or one very similar. I got out of there by joining the military. Of course, it was not what I really wanted to do. Sometimes, if you really want to change your life, you have to do the difficult things.

OP,

Your story is one of millions sad but true, several points come to mind.
As other posters have commented you do not need to be the victim of your circumstances or up bringing. I personally could tell you my sad story but what does this accomplish, you have a choice ( which is the greatest thing about america) you can accept poverty or you can work your way out of it, it is quite that simple.

Welfare is a tumor on society, it's intent is to be a short term fix for those like you that have a disability to help you until you can become selfsufficent, may take months, possibly years. It was not designed as a livelihood as we all know it traps you into poverty.

If you have the desire to escape poverty the world is waiting on you, if you are waiting on the government to help you escape, forget it. I assume you are collecting disability, beyond the dollars you have access to free schooling/training take advantage of all of it. Escape the circle, be a role model for the misfortunate people you had described.

On a side note, I am not cruel or unhumane but why should I possibly care that a youd person would rather skip school, do drugs, hangout and not complete their education ? and now those very folks are crying about how the system failed them, yes we all do not have the Cleavers as our parents but sooner or later even as a child and I must say kids that run the streets are far much smarter at a young age the the kids in the burbs made a choice to skip school and pursue other activities most illegal.

I get what you are saying. You can be told until they are blue in the face to just "get over it" and get yourself our of the mess you are in, but its never that simple. For some of us, the options are limited, due to disability, illness, and most importantly, the outright ignorance, bigotry, greed, and plain evil of other people. Its why so many resort to things like drugs, and crime, to escape the hell that is created by the obscenely rich so they can maintain their luxurious lifestyles. And unfortunately, this only perpetuates the hell as their humanity is robbed from them and they reflect the evils on everyone around them.

Playing fair, working hard, and doing good only gets you so far in this world. Unless you are prepared to abuse and # all over people, you will never make it. At the best you can be comfortable, and thats all we should be really aiming for. But that comfort will not remain, because people will take it from you. This is happening to so many people, all over the world. The greedy, corrupt rich are robbing every honest person of all they have.

We live in a corrupt world, run by bullies, so bullies can prosper. Corporations own governments. We are all screwed, and theres nothing we can do about it, because too few of us care enough to want to do anything. As we are misled to believe we live in a democracy, we cannot enforce our minority view on the masses. If they do not want to wake up, if they do not want change, then that is their decision. Their ignorance and apathy will enable the removal of the safety nets and they will not be caught when they become the next targets. And it will be everything they deserve.

Entitlements for those that need it is not the real issue. It is those who take advantage of the system instead of working that is the issue. It can not be sustained.

reply to post by wantsome


I have been blessed beyond measure with an awesome family and parents. We also have several businesses. It took 20 years of my mother being POOR, working her ass off on her business before she finally started getting a decent pay check.

This land IS the land of opportunity you just have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something. I couldn't imagine having # parents, but that is a card these people were dealt. Deal with it .. Or don't. You don't have much of a choice. You can mope around and be miserable poor or you can get up and be miserable with money.

It seems this stupid government assistance stays natural selection just enough to keep people miserable and on drugs.

Misery doesn't end because you have money. It just comes in a different form.

The glory of America!

Peasant Russians are a lot better off than your own citizens.

No Jobs
No Education
No Health Care
No Democracy
No Trust
No Love
No Justice

Just the Elite and their untouchable bubble - surrounded by crack ghetto's and the stars of Jerry Springer.

*facepalm* on your behalf.

Just to add a cheery note,both sides have a point(i know it's not about sides)

but the west is travelling down a dead end.
With population levels and resources as they are. Not everyone can be comfortable all the time.

My question would be where 'really' can you see western society going?

what is the aim of the game?

reply to post by cjttatu


I recall a certain interview with Aaron Russo. If he was telling the truth, and I believe he was, then the end goal is to enslave everyone. What do they care if things go down the tubes? It won't affect them in the slightest.

reply to post by MrUncreated


Ah the big 'THEY'

Apathy is the new trend

The only answer is complete colapse.

slaves hhhmmmm ok