# I miss being "poor". **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822 "2014-04-24T00:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/61 "2014-04-24T17:32:32Z")
If money is the root of all evil then good thread topic/username combo. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/62 "2014-04-24T17:50:01Z")
Although not really poor while living in Albuquerque, I did live a much simpler life. This was pre-Internet and -cellphone days. I lived very simply. No landline phone, no TV, so no cable – just listened to the radio all the time – no credit cards, no car (I rode a bicycle). My apartment came all-utilities-included, so no utilities to pay. Just went down to the office and paid my rent every month. I never had a single bill of any kind pass through my mailbox. A friend who lived in the complex remarked one day about how he dreaded looking into his mailbox, because it seemed there was always some sort of bill waiting for him. I believe he told me this right after he opened the bill for his new car tires. When I said I didn’t know the feeling, he was taken aback a little to realize I never got any bills whatsoever. That was pretty nice actually. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/63 "2014-04-24T18:10:41Z")
Just because you’re rich and feel that the laws are in your favor and set up to keep you rich, doesn’t mean that you have to favor those laws, or be against statutes that are in favor of poor people, to your own detriment or not. Jon Stewart on The Daily Show often talks about how he is a millionaire and would be happy to be taxed at a higher rate if it meant universal health care. Warren Buffet is for higher taxes for himself too. Just because you’re no longer a union member doesn’t mean you can’t have a union mentality, or support union practices. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/64 "2014-04-24T19:15:27Z")
When we were in Hawaii I talked to this beach guy who lead a pretty simple life - he house sat for the rich people when they were out of town, did odd jobs here and there, and lived in some local dives working for room and board, or sometimes he just slept on the beach. If he got sick he’d go to the local clinic. Yeah he told me, technically he was dirt poor. But loved his life and said compared to his brother, the rich New York attorney, he wouldnt trade it for anything. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/65 "2014-04-24T19:54:08Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > When we were in Hawaii I talked to this beach guy who lead a pretty simple life - he house sat for the rich people when they were out of town, did odd jobs here and there, and lived in some local dives working for room and board, or sometimes he just slept on the beach. If he got sick he’d go to the local clinic. > > Yeah he told me, technically he was dirt poor. But loved his life and said compared to his brother, the rich New York attorney, he wouldnt trade it for anything. Reminds me of the [parable of the Mexican fisherman and the investment banker.](http://financialmentor.com/true-wealth/the-parable-of-the-mexican-fisherman-and-investment-banker/2422) Not sure why he has to be Mexican though. Is that racist? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/66 "2014-04-24T20:41:48Z")
[Bret Maverick] I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and believe me, rich is better.[/BM] ---
**Author:** ![Krav\_Manga](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krav_manga/32/3153_2.png) [@Krav\_Manga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krav_Manga)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/67 "2014-04-24T23:22:06Z")
Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job. Smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend you never went to school. But still you’ll never get it right, cause when your laying in bed at night, watching roaches climb the wall, if you called your dad he could stop it all. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/68 "2014-04-24T23:35:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think I get it. The OP is pining for his lost youth. I miss my youth, too. Somehow he broke out of my car’s trunk and ran away. The sketches on TV look nothing like me, though. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/69 "2014-04-25T00:43:36Z")
This is not about money. > [@zoid](#): > > I still have no damn idea what this thread is about. > [@Little\_Pig](#): > > It appears the OP misses being flogged by life. No … > [@Ulfreida](#): > > You’re confusing being poor with being young. No … > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think I get it. The OP is pining for his lost youth. The “good ol’ days” of roommates and struggling to make the rent and beer busts every weekend and a new girlfriend every other week. I have fond memories along those lines myself. > > But no, I don’t really miss them and would never return to those days. Those days are fond only because they’re memories. Everything in this post doesn’t get it … > [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > Anyone who makes a statement like this was never poor. You can’t miss being poor. I walk 5 miles a day to a job for 9.75 an hour and Friday I get laid off and now I have to work for 8.50 an hour but at least it’s only 3 miles away. I hate my life as of now but how in the world can you hate yours when your biggest worry is what kind of cookies you can buy. I can’t even afford generic cookies. Well, damn, pardon me for having a bit of luck. But at least you don’t think “poor” means “brief training period on the way to wealth”. Okay, I think people missed the quotation marks. I have never been **poor** by my definition. My definition of poor includes a real fear of homelessness. We were never that close; we did eat a ton of pasty white food, though, so I feel no obligation to apologize for my privileged life. > [@jerez](#): > > If you say the problem is that you miss certain things, we’ll have to take your word for it, of course. > > Have you considered, though, that the real problem may be that you feel uneasy because you no longer feel contempt toward those who are making a decent living? No … this really is about me, and about what I miss about my childhood. > [@Broomstick](#): > > That’s not poor. Poor is renting because no one in their right mind would sell you property. … No, poor is not being able to pay the rent on an apartment so small someone sleeps in the living room. > [@Icarus](#): > > **J666** , I understand exactly what you are saying, (or at least I think I share a lot of your viewpoint). I too grew up in the blue-collar union labor world … > We naturally identify with our upbringing (it can’t be helped) and don’t 100% identify with our current situation, no matter how many decades we spend being better off. Well, you get where I’m coming from, finally. Sort of. It’s not just that I don’t “identify” with my current situation. I know that I cannot trust any illusion of privilege in my life. I am not an Owner; no matter how much I earn - or even how many mutual funds I invest in - I am a Worker. I miss living with people who understood basic economic realities, did not define themselves by identifying with those who exploit them, and were still pretty witty conversationalists. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/70 "2014-04-25T01:48:58Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > They say money can’t buy happiness. But money can buy a lot of toys and other distractions to make you forget how miserable you are. Some sources of misery are of course independent of money. But let’s be honest, many other sources of stress and unhappiness are easily dispelled by money. I’m much happier now with money than I was 16 years ago without a lot of it. You couldn’t pay me enough to go back.\* \*And anyone who sees a psychiatrist should have their head examined. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/71 "2014-04-25T02:36:12Z")
> [@j666](#): > > This is not about money. > No … > > No … > > Everything in this post doesn’t get it … > Well, damn, pardon me for having a bit of luck. But at least you don’t think “poor” means “brief training period on the way to wealth”. > > Okay, I think people missed the quotation marks. > > I have never been **poor** by my definition. My definition of poor includes a real fear of homelessness. We were never that close; we did eat a ton of pasty white food, though, so I feel no obligation to apologize for my privileged life. > No … this really is about me, and about what I miss about my childhood. > > No, poor is not being able to pay the rent on an apartment so small someone sleeps in the living room. > > Well, you get where I’m coming from, finally. Sort of. > > It’s not just that I don’t “identify” with my current situation. I know that I cannot trust any illusion of privilege in my life. I am not an Owner; no matter how much I earn - or even how many mutual funds I invest in - I am a Worker. > > I miss living with people who understood basic economic realities, did not define themselves by identifying with those who exploit them, and were still pretty witty conversationalists. You haven’t said much about your financial wealth, and I’m not asking you to. But certainly owning mutual funds makes you an owner. Or Owner, or if you like. Either way, it gives you more of an opportunity to help people less fortunate. And I’m not just talking about charity. I’m talking about politics. And at least you’re willing to admit you’ve had a bit of luck. Most owners think they’ve earned their wealth, no matter how lucky they are. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/72 "2014-04-27T01:55:28Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > You haven’t said much about your financial wealth, and I’m not asking you to. But certainly owning mutual funds makes you an owner. Or Owner, or if you like. > > Either way, it gives you more of an opportunity to help people less fortunate. And I’m not just talking about charity. I’m talking about politics. > > And at least you’re willing to admit you’ve had a bit of luck. Most owners think they’ve earned their wealth, no matter how lucky they are. Mutual funds may make one on owner, but never an Owner, because they do not provide significant control. As for earning my wealth - actually, I don’t have much wealth after 2008 put paid to that - but I will proudly claim I worked hard, went to a state university, lived in houses with only one bathroom (the horror!), and am in general frugal … But, yeah, I have been lucky, and I may not be only one paycheck away from homelessness, but it’s not an impossibility for me, even now. It surprises me how few people acknowledge that. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/73 "2014-04-27T03:42:59Z")
People don’t acknowledge it because to do so would mean they aren’t in total control of their life and successful due to their own awesomeness, as opposed to having a dose of luck and good fortune along with all the hard work. And that would frighten the crap out of them and they wouldn’t know how to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/74 "2014-04-27T04:19:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > People don’t acknowledge it because to do so would mean they aren’t in total control of their life and successful due to their own awesomeness, as opposed to having a dose of luck and good fortune along with all the hard work. And that would frighten the crap out of them and they wouldn’t know how to deal with it. In general, when good things happen, people take credit for it, no matter how much luck is involved. When bad things happen, they blame somebody else. Or bad luck. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/75 "2014-04-27T05:26:43Z")
Used to have a manager at work who was quite senior in the hierarchy, but was a decent guy too. One day he related a story to me: there were a couple of union reps who were a constant thorn in management’s side. Management tried to sack them multiple times, but these guys kept to the letter of the law, and always successfully fought the decision (this is a government, unionised job, by the way). One day, they made a slip up, and the managers had themselves a GOTCHA moment. The two guys were off duty, so the manager in question, along with another one, went to their house to serve the termination of employment notice. This manager confided in me he felt smug at the prospect of doing this, as they walked up to knock on the door. Now, this was a shared house at Bondi Beach (back when working people could afford to live there, before it was overtaken by investment bankers. I lived there too, at that time). It was summertime. The world-famous beach was a three minute walk away. There was near full employment back then. The door opened. The two guys were there, wearing beach clothes. A cloud of marijuana smoke poured out. “You’re dismissed from your positions.” “Hehee. Yeah, OK.” Manager told me, “We were sweltering in the summer heat in our suits and ties. These guys were stoned and about to go surfing. They won that day.” At least he had the good grace to tell me and see the funny side. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/76 "2014-04-27T05:38:13Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > In general, when good things happen, people take credit for it, no matter how much luck is involved. When bad things happen, they blame somebody else. Or bad luck. If I remember correctly, this varies depending on ideology. “Liberals” attribute their success to luck, “conservatives” to their hard work. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/77 "2014-04-27T06:40:21Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If I remember correctly, this varies depending on ideology. “Liberals” attribute their success to luck, “conservatives” to their hard work. The truth is, as the Bible says: _The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all._ ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/78 "2014-04-27T11:54:00Z")
And I miss living among people who knew and accepted that. Thanks, friends, for understanding. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/79 "2014-04-27T13:49:17Z")
> [@j666](#): > > But I miss the sense of not being invested in the current power structure. I miss the clear sighted dry wit. > [@j666](#): > > But every now and then, I chat with my cousins, and I miss the clarity of vision of the uninvested. It sounds to me like you want to be able to divide the world into a nice, tidy Us versus Them. You want to romanticize Us, and demonize Them. You want to wave the red flag, and march in solidarity with The People, and send the one-percenters off to the gulag or the guillotine. > [@j666](#): > > I just miss … the perspective. Skepticism. Honest evaluation of the socio-political and economic realities. Are you sure the evaluation is honest? Are you as skeptical of the Left as you are of the Right? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822/80 "2014-04-27T15:21:33Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > It sounds to me like you want to be able to divide the world into a nice, tidy Us versus Them. You want to romanticize Us, and demonize Them. You want to wave the red flag, and march in solidarity with The People, and send the one-percenters off to the gulag or the guillotine. > > Are you sure the evaluation is honest? Are you as skeptical of the Left as you are of the Right? Ah, that’s the attitude I’m used to these days; any critique of the current economic systems is demonization of someone. What is Left or Right about numbers? I will always have to work for a living until I am too old to get a job. Then I will allay my fears of spending my Golden Years eating cat-food with the comforting knowledge that I will probably not survive long living under a highway overpass (which, I admit, might be taking the concept of silver linings a bit far). That is the only “Us” and “Them” - those who do or do not have enough money to be sure they will never be hungry and homeless. And all the nice clothes, and boats, and parties, and toys, and even investments the Do Nots have can not change that reality. I repeat, I know I am fortunate, and I am very happy about that. I am not shaking my fists at the gods. But I am not deluding myself, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-being-poor/686822.md?page=3)