a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by tacocat
tacocat  ·  3192 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Everyone has a story - some musings on poverty

I'm sorry, but this is news to you?

I'll spare you my mistakes that knocked me down a few pegs on the socioeconomic ladder from where my parents are, but, yes, everyone has a story. Sometimes it's a sob story that gets you a few bucks panhandling. Sometimes it's filled with regret and mistakes and misfortune but there's an invincible pride that hides all of that and you don't hear those stories unless you get to know someone. I'm not sure I'd know this if I hadn't had to work with the living poor for three years so I'm not trying to judge. But no, no one wants or deserves to be poor and more often than not they're poor because they were born into it and are maybe doing a little better than where they came from with the limited resources they had.





steve  ·  3192 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Nope. No surprise here. Just a reminder And some musings. I applaud you for spending those years giving back.

tacocat  ·  3192 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I wasn't trying to be a dick. Really. And I wasn't giving back. I made $8.50 an hour at Walmart for three years. I was poor but I wasn't raised as such. I'm still poor. But hovering around minimum wage even with family help is awful. I don't know how the people at the bottom feed themselves when I can barely do it making a still low wage the Walmart workers dream of. $11.50 is like a dream job when you work at Walmart when it's really just a little less poor.

steve  ·  3192 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I didn't assume you were being a dick - you've only been civil in the past.

And I realize now that I misread "worked with".