Common_Sense_Matters wrote:
The person writing that was likely solely going by income levels, not taking into consideration that those nations with much lower income levels also have much cheaper cost of living to go along with the lowered income levels. It is how many unscrupulous journalists prove their point without really having a point to prove.
Yes, poverty is everywhere, yes we here in the U.S. have it better than many people have it elsewhere, there is even a good chance that we have a far lesser percentage of people dying from starvation than other wealthy nations. We know for a fact we have far fewer dying of starvation than poorer countries, to say otherwise is pure stupidity. That doesn't make the plight of our impoverished any less of a dilemma, it doesn't make our impoverished populations lives any better just because some have it worse. If you were dying of starvation, actually dying, not just really, really hungry, and someone were to say to you, "Hey, it could be worse, you could be dying of starvation in Ethiopia", would that make your situation any better? Any less unbearable?
Now for a different look upon things. which do you think a school aged kid with parents making below poverty level incomes, but still able to keep a roof over their family's head and food on the table would find more unbearable, living in those conditions and going to school with many other kids in the same situation, or going to school with kids who are all from wealthy families that can afford the finer things. How many of us remember the taunting the poorer kids got in school? How many here on OPP may have even joined in on the taunting? I remember well the taunting that the poorer kids got, I chose not to join in the taunting, on occasion even stood up for some of them, just not as often as I would have liked to.
Sometimes this "poor shaming" is out in the open, sometimes more subtle. Sometimes it is merely deliberately making sure they see what you have that they can't afford, inviting them to join in an activity that you know they can't afford like going out to eat at an expensive restaurant, going to concerts, movies... The list goes on and more often than we would like to admit, many of those empty invites are a deliberate way to "poor shame" ones's peers. It would be nice if we would all instill compassion in our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren... Teach them that not all can be as fortunate as us.
Sometimes I think if one were destined to live in poverty, it would be more merciful to live that impoverished life somewhere where your peers too were likewise afflicted with poverty.
The person writing that was likely solely going by... (
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You are right for once if your pals and party have it there way we are destined to live in poverty.