Some researchers found out that many poor people make bad decisions not because they don't know better. They do so because they have no choice. Even relatively wealthy people who for some reason get to be poor end up behaving exactly like the poor people they formerly criticized. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...you-had-no-money/story-fniym874-1227355059200 Judge not "poor" people when you see them make choices which aren't good for them.
Wow. It's not something I've thought much about, but I suppose it makes sense that a lot of the choices they make may not necessarily be their own. I'll never agree with buying alcohol or drugs when you're poor though. It's not needed, even though people think it might.
I don't think it comes as any great surprise to hear that the people that are worse off, often make the wrong choices. People who have never been in that situation will be quick to judge, but sometimes you just have to do the best for you at that given time, no matter what the cost might be in the future.
Many (if not most) people are very ignorant when it comes to things such as personal finance and investing. They'll get into the lifestyle of spending every dollar they take home (expensive cars, gambling, etc), not saving for retirement, investing in scams or making poor investment choices, etc. I've seen this hundreds of times in people I know and have done business with. Sometimes economic conditions or whatever can cause people to lose good paying jobs, and they may often find it difficult to find another job paying anywhere near what the last job paid them. Or they start a business with their life savings (and then some) that fails. Or they get sick and can no longer work like they used to... There are all sorts of pitfalls even the best and brightest among us can fall into.
Try telling that to a die-hard poor alcoholic...Its like reasoning with a baby...lack of a better definition...I have a case scenario of guys who work hard for minimal daily wage...all of it ends up at the bar/pub/tavern..and for the record the guys have families at home... such a correlation really perturbs me to the core!
Their reckoning is similar to "Yeah, well, my situation is already pretty bad so what could possibly end up worser?". Truth is, most of the time it does end up worser and you can find yourself in the street for your momentary absentminded actions. I don't understand these people in the bigger picture, but the more you're closer to their situation, the more you share their feelings, even if you don't realize it.
This concept is totally true if you really think about it. I have a friend who just got an inheritance from her grandmother's passing and made a really poor choice with the money. She had left her husband because he hurt her and she really got enough money so she could start off on her own anew. He started to sweet talk her and she ended up giving him half the money so he could take care of some bills and let him move in with her. I really do not think the marriage will work out in the end and now she has less money to live on her own if it happens.
Lot's of people make dumb mistakes, I myself could probably be retired now if I didn't make mistakes! Poor people often get it the worst though, they don't have rich parents to bail them out, they don't have big time connections.
Well, the pull of alcohol is strong. Despite it's legal status, it's still one of the most addictive drugs out there and it looks like the guys in question are experiencing an addiction which overrides anything else in their lives. They would benefit from determining what it is that made them begin to drink heavily in the first place.
Research also sides that poverty stricken people are generally far less educated than people not in poverty. A big part is a matter of awareness and the ability to make good choices for one's financial future. Education is how you get to that point of being able to make good decisions. The way I see it is you have two choices if you're poverty stricken. Fall deeper into the hole, where you'll never be able to climb out, or take initiative and charge of your own life. Go after ways to improve yourself and find opportunities, rather than wait for them to come to you.
