# Do we have less compassion for the poor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2015, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707 "2015-02-15T06:33:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/181 "2015-02-19T23:00:44Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Teen pregnancy rates are a third higher in rural areas. ThinkProgress isn’t a cite. > [@](#): > > Most poor people have 24 hours per day, like everyone else. The time just goes by slower when you’re poor, so it seems like there’s more of it. Another poster provided a cite earlier in the thread. Most poor households don’t have a full-time worker in them. Plenty of time to go to the pharmacy during regular hours, instead of the Quickie-Mart at 3 AM. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/182 "2015-02-19T23:05:39Z")
Jesus, what do some of you guys do for fun? Watch the rat footage from The Eternal Jew on mute and imagine they’re talking about poor people? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/183 "2015-02-19T23:11:23Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > ThinkProgress isn’t a cite. > > Another poster provided a cite earlier in the thread. Most poor households don’t have a full-time worker in them. Plenty of time to go to the pharmacy during regular hours, instead of the Quickie-Mart at 3 AM. Here, read the whole report then. [http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen\_pregnancy/training/Assests/adolescent\_reproductive\_ruralam.pdf](http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen_pregnancy/training/Assests/adolescent_reproductive_ruralam.pdf) The fact that someone in a household may not have a job doesn’t mean they’re going to trot off to Walgreens to buy female condoms for a teen living there. “Hey grandma, get up off your lazy butt and get me some girl-rubbers while I’m at school or we’ll have another mouth to feed soon!” is not going to fly in most households. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/184 "2015-02-20T01:19:57Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > A poor person stays in an economically depressed area because she doesn’t have money to move, and because at least she knows she’ll have some food assistance and a roof over her head = poor choice > > A poor person moves to another area, far away from the support of family, to capitalize on better job prospects, but fails to find them because of factors beyond her control = poor choice agree. > [@monstro](#): > > Choices only become “poor” in retrospect. I know that I have never made a decision knowing it was the wrong one. I’m assuming that most people, even poor people, operate the same way. We all make the choice that our experiences and education and brain chemistry compell us to believe is the best for us, at that moment in time. don’t agree. There are certainly choices that can be made that are never poor. Staying in school and actually learning the material is one. Those who skip school know it’s a poor choice. > [@monstro](#): > > Every poor choice I’ve made…someone came along and helped me out of it. And usually I didn’t even have to ask. A compassionate person was able to look past my their prejudices and misconceptions and just _help me_. I understand that not everyone has the capacity to be empathic. But man, do I wish the folks who are handicapped in this way would sit their asses down somewhere and STFU. So what are you saying exactly? We should depend on charity or focus on making good decisions? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/185 "2015-02-20T01:23:32Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > A couple years ago we had a thread where she whined about being poor due to “the lack of jobs in her area.” I suggested she move to SW Ohio, where the types of jobs she was seeking were plentiful. She said she would look in to it. Obviously she didn’t. Had an excuse, I assume. Yes. The type of jobs available that I got any feedback on at all were all temporary and low pay. By the time I paid to travel there, maintain myself while there, got paid, and moved back home I would have LOST money - am I supposed to work at a loss? Funny - the wealthy aren’t expected to operate at a loss but poor people are castigated for not jumping at “opportunities” that will be a net loss in the end. Should I permanently relocate for a _temporary_ job? I can get temporary jobs here. What I needed was _permanent, full time work_, which I finally have. Even if the pay is low there is at least a potential for it to increase. If it doesn’t, well, it’s easier to find a job when you’re employed. Or maybe I should just pick up and move to a new location where I have no place set up to live, no family, no friends, no network, and HOPE I find work before I starve to death? This makes sense… how? But hey - refusing to _lose_ money is just an “excuse” to you. Another damned if I do, damned if I don’t situation. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/186 "2015-02-20T01:30:39Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Here, read the whole report then. > > [http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen\_pregnancy/training/Assests/adolescent\_reproductive\_ruralam.pdf](http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen_pregnancy/training/Assests/adolescent_reproductive_ruralam.pdf) Why didn’t you link to that initially, instead of a partisan website? > [@](#): > > The fact that someone in a household may not have a job doesn’t mean they’re going to trot off to Walgreens to buy female condoms for a teen living there. Someone may not have a job? If I recall the cite correctly, in poor households, no one has a full time job. So plenty of time to get to the pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/187 "2015-02-20T01:35:19Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Thank you for the snidey arsed reply. I did not arrogantly solve anything. No, but you did explain why you are without compassion - so, since you don’t give a damn about my feelings why should I care about yours? > [@](#): > > The amount of money that goes to the poor is of only limited interest to people - that’s why I didn’t bother to mention it. The fact that we \*expect \*the state to look after the poor is more important. Once you have only 65% of your income actually in your pocket(and a proportion goes to the poor) people consequently have less compassion to share around. On the contrary. When I was solidly middle class I actively support soup kitchens, shelters, and social welfare. I worked at an inner city clinic for four years. I didn’t just contribute money to panties, shelters, and the Chicago Food Network I gave my labor as well. Being financially well off and comfortable did not make me less empathic and I did not begrudge that portion of my taxes that went to social welfare. The truth is a very small fraction of the tax dollars you pay go to support the poor. The poor are not what is driving up taxes. If you want to be angry about your tax money direct your ire to legislative salaries, the military, and the bullshit pork approved every day in DC. People frackin’ worship the military, but bitch about how much money the poor cost them when in reality the military eats far more of their taxes than the poor ever will. How does that make sense? Applaud weapons that kill people, but begrudge the hungry their dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/188 "2015-02-20T01:36:26Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Most teenagers are not parents, but most people do have sex as teens. There is nothing better about not having sex as a teen. Sure there is, not having babies when you’re a teen. that’s like a thousand times better than not having sex. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/189 "2015-02-20T01:37:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > So what are you saying exactly? We should depend on charity or focus on making good decisions? I don’t know what it is with you conservatives. Why does it have to be either/or? Are we so morally bankrupt that we can’t have high expectations for both ourselves and others? Yesterday I left my wallet on the bus. POOR CHOICE on my part. Fortunately, a kind person found it and turned it in, instead of “teaching me a lesson” by stealing me blind. We should teach our children not to be careless. But we can also teach them to look out for their neighbor too. Why the fuck can’t we do both? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/190 "2015-02-20T01:46:45Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > From the numbers I have seen, the pregnancy chance of a single act of intercourse is 3% to 5%. Does this mean there are 640,000 to 1 million forcible rapes every year? That would be a bit high, wouldn’t it? There are approximately 150 million female Americans. 1 million rapes would be .0067% of US females raped each year by my math. There are LOT of people in the US. Now, I don’t know if there actually _are_ that many “forcible rapes” in the US each year or not - my cursory Google search has stats all over the place, not in the least because there are different definitions of rape, but honestly, 1 million people is only 1/300th of the total US population and 1/150th of the total female humans in the US. Granted, only a subset of those females are capable of having children, so that would be 1 million women of child bearing age raped a year - that does alter the stats a bit, but not by that much. Of course, another way of looking at things is that even one rape is too many but let’s stop there. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/191 "2015-02-20T01:47:14Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Yesterday I left my wallet on the bus. POOR CHOICE on my part. Fortunately, a kind person found it and turned it in, instead of “teaching me a lesson” by stealing me blind. We should teach our children not to be careless. But we can also teach them to look out for their neighbor too. Why the fuck can’t we do both? We can definitely teach them to look out for their neighbor. What we shouldn’t teach them is forcing others, by reaching into their pockets, to look out for their neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/192 "2015-02-20T01:49:10Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The truth is a very small fraction of the tax dollars you pay go to support the poor. where did you get this idea from? 1 out of 5 is on food stamps. 43% don’t pay any Federal Income Tax. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/193 "2015-02-20T01:51:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > There are approximately 150 million female Americans. > > 1 million rapes would be .0067% of US females raped each year by my math. Your math is wrong. By two orders of magnitude. > [@](#): > > Now, I don’t know if there actually _are_ that many “forcible rapes” in the US each year or not - my cursory Google search has stats all over the place, not in the least because there are different definitions of rape I gave a cite for that data in my post. Go and look. It also gives the definition by which it counts. 1 million forcible rapes/year overstates the reality by around 1200%. Check out that math. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/194 "2015-02-20T01:57:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Putting on a condom is no more difficult for me than it is for anyone else. Obviously you have never been a teenage girl trying to convince her boyfriend to put on a condom. Or even a single woman in her 20’s trying to convince her boyfriend to put on a condom. > [@](#): > > What is this strange hold that McDonald’s has over poor people? Is it magic mind rays that compel them to enter and spend money on crappy hamburgers? Pray cite the source of this phenomenon! The food industry - not just fast food but all processed food producers - pay scientists enormous amount of money to research human appetite and engineer their food to appeal to our base biology. That’s why the bread you make at home has about 4 or 5 ingredients and the bread you buy at the store has about 20. A few of the extra items are preservatives, but the “dough conditioners” and “malt extract” and so forth are to appeal to your taste buds. In addition - when people are stressed (and poor people, like everyone else, have stress) they gravitate towards “comfort food”: fat, salt, and sugar. Which McDonald’s food has in abundance. It’s a survival instinct, as a way for our hunter-gatherer ancestors to build up reserves against famine. Thing is, famine doesn’t really exist for us anymore and bodies wind up the food equivalent of a hoarder’s home: WAY overstuffed with crap. You have to LEARN to eat differently than that, it doesn’t come naturally. It might feel natural if you’ve had the habit long enough but it’s not. How’s that for a theory? Probably still a few flaws, consider it a rough draft. > [@](#): > > The chronically poor person is the one saying “I couldn’t show up for the test because I don’t have a car and it’s too far to take the bus and my pen ran out of ink and I didn’t have time to buy a new one because the baby kept me up all night and nobody reminded what time the test was. So be compassionate and give me more money.” Again, when did this conversation move from “the poor in general” to “the chronic poor”? And how do you distinguish at a glance between the two? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/195 "2015-02-20T01:57:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t know what it is with you conservatives. > > Yesterday I left my wallet on the bus. POOR CHOICE on my part. Fortunately, a kind person found it and turned it in, instead of “teaching me a lesson” by stealing me blind. We should teach our children not to be careless. But we can also teach them to look out for their neighbor too. Why the fuck can’t we do both? I don’t know what is with you liberals. Say your wallet was never found, or that someone did in fact steal it. Would you expect the government to replace the wallet and its contents? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/196 "2015-02-20T02:00:45Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Sure there is, not having babies when you’re a teen. that’s like a thousand times better than not having sex. So you’ve done both and compared then? ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/197 "2015-02-20T02:05:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The truth is a very small fraction of the tax dollars you pay go to support the poor. The poor are not what is driving up taxes. If you want to be angry about your tax money direct your ire to legislative salaries, the military, and the bullshit pork approved every day in DC. > > People frackin’ worship the military, but bitch about how much money the poor cost them when in reality the military eats far more of their taxes than the poor ever will. How does that make sense? Applaud weapons that kill people, but begrudge the hungry their dinner. Too many people are ignorant enough to think that villains from abroad will somehow invade America and take away freedom. Instead, large standing militaries are a threat to freedom, which is why the US had such a small standing military between wars, up until the Cold War. > [@Terr](#): > > We can definitely teach them to look out for their neighbor. What we shouldn’t teach them is forcing others, by reaching into their pockets, to look out for their neighbor. Yeah, but reality argues against that. > [@Magiver](#): > > where did you get this idea from? > > 1 out of 5 is on food stamps. 43% don’t pay any Federal Income Tax. Yeah, but they pay other taxes, and besides, all those food stamps are still a drop in the bucket compared with offense spending. We could all save a lot of money if our government would stop subsidizing (or maintaining bases in) countries which are already capable of defending themselves (Japan, Israel, South Korea, some of Europe, etc.) We could save even more money if US military spending was closer to actually being “defense” spending, and reflected whatever genuine conventional threats there might be. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/198 "2015-02-20T02:06:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t know what it is with you conservatives. Why does it have to be either/or? Are we so morally bankrupt that we can’t have high expectations for both ourselves and others? Not having high expectations for ourselves and others is a recipe for failure. And it pretty much explains the thread. We as a society spend a great deal of money on people hell bent on low expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/199 "2015-02-20T02:07:30Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Female condoms are available for sale at amazon dot com. They’re also at Walgreens. How is that “barely even for sale”? The store I work at sells female condoms. However, they are NOT labeled as “female condoms”, they use some coy phrase I can’t remember off the top of my head. They are not with the other condoms, either, they’re with the douches and anti-vaginal fungal creams. Let’s just say the marketing and product placement really, really sucks, m’kay? At least the sponge says “contraceptive sponge” on the box. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707/200 "2015-02-20T02:09:20Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I don’t know what is with you liberals. > > Say your wallet was never found, or that someone did in fact steal it. Would you expect the government to replace the wallet and its contents? No, but I imagine it’s more likely to be returned in Scandinavia than in Somalia. By the way, the former is vastly less religious than the latter, and I mention this because conservatives are always going on and on about “morality” being tied to religion, though as someone sagely noted, “morality” to conservatives means “not having sex.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-less-compassion-for-the-poor/712707.md?page=11)