So, the poor are lazy... how many believe this?

Question

Just wondering... I've heard it many times on here, mostly from conservatives...

like here...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuFnlUcn4vNm6UrETm29AZzsy6IX?qid=20061031141339AANqSQk

clearly a play on "steals from the rich, gives to the poor"... but he just went ahead on jumped to lazy...

oh... and maybe elaborate on how you know this?

pearlof:... I didn't say all... but those that do say it, seem to mainly be conservatives... of course poor conservatives probably wouldn't say this...

and also... how do you define "poor"... definitions vary greatly, as I've heard some say that anyone that makes under $50,000 a year is poor, but that's more than half the population, if that's "poor"?

Answer 1

While I don't believe that the poor are lazy, I do believe that much of the outcome of your life is based on your choices.

Considering the where I came from to where I am now, I have a great deal of trouble believing that any intelligent, motivated person does not have the oppurtunities to excel. Anyone can get to college via the financial aid programs (US. Army in my case and student loans) and where you go from there is largely your choice.

Now that only covers the top of the bell curve. The average or slightly below average person is likely to be screwed. No access to special tutors and lacking the personal aptitude to teach themselves, they won't be able to compete with the equally slow silver spoon crowd.

Basically I think that the intelligent poor people are lazy (or have chosen bad paths). Beyond that it's too easy to be discarded by the system if you can't drag yourself up.

Answer 2

Wow, what a way to break down a complex social issue into either black or white, right or wrong, left or right. It is not nearly that easy. There are first a lot of variables to take into consideration.

First the question must be asked "What is poor?" If poor is by the government mandated level of income for taxation purposes... is that really poor? There are a lot of people who make money without reporting it. Are they poor? What about people who get assistance from other people (family members who help students, elderly, the sick). Are they poor? And then there is the person who works their butt off and does only make 18k a year. Is this poor? By American standards yes, they have a hard time paying the bills and getting the "necessities" in life. By the standards of 90% of this world, this person is still rich. This "poor" American makes far more money than that sweat shop worker or rice farmer in China will ever see. This American has the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing, etc. that many Africans would never even dream of having. So these people are poor in comparison to other Americans, but are they really? And is it the place of other people who do not suffer the same misfortune to give them money to not have to struggle so much? Because that was tried, it was called Communism, and it did not work. It is against human nature.

So that last part digressed a bit, but was very important to my point. If you mean a poor American by American standards, are they lazy... no. This is not a situation brought on by lazy. Sometimes it is circumstances, sometimes it is them doing what they love but not making much for it (my wife before we were married was a preschool teacher, and by this standard poor), sometimes it is illness or taking time to better oneself. Lazy could be a possibility, but is not the black and white.

The other question would be do you mean poor in general? If you mean poor by a global sense, then lazy is absolutely not the case. Most of this world is "poor" by America's sense, and these people work much hard and in worse circumstances than an American would ever dream. Why do you think so many jobs are going overseas? Why do so many want to come here, where even the "poor" have it better than they would have it in their homelands? Poor is based upon a wide variety of circumstances brought on by both the situation you were born into and the decisions you make. Lazy may or may not be a cause. I would more evaluate what you take as poor, and if it is really someone's else's responsibility to give up what they worked hard for to make your life easier. I am not rich, I am not poor, but I do work my butt off to get what I have.

Answer 3

I'm sure that the poor aren't lazy...
I'm sure a poor person would like to have a decent life just like any one else!
I am a Conservative so there!
And based on real evidence....
I raised five kids on three hundred dollars more or less a month as they were growing up....
Now I worked and got help from the government...I tried to get help from the government for higher education but they said I was too old! I was only 28! I did not receive a penny from child support! I raised my children ok but we suffered greatly because the only jobs I could get were washing dishes in a diner, which paid only tree dollars an hour....Now would you call that lazy?

Answer 4

There are LAZY people from every income level! I know people who are poor that work 2 jobs just to pay their bills. I certainly would not call that lazy. Until someone who has a lot of money gets down in the trenches with some of the poor people in this nation- I don't want to hear what they have to say about wefare, "poor" people or anything reated to cutting back assistance for the needy.

Answer 5

Well, america has always been big on the old "you can be whatever you want if you work hard" kind of mentality. But, becuase of our welfare system, this is just impossible for some people. It is easy for some to get stuck in the cycle of poverty. Im not saying that all of the poor are "trapped". I really believe that some are downright lazy, having more and more children to get more welfar money. But, I sure know alot of lazy people that arent "poor" either. The way that we deal with the situations of the poor just makes it impossible to escape from poverty for many.

Answer 6

I don't believe that. There are lazy people in every demographic. I know plenty of rich, lazy people. Yes, there are lazy poor people who wallow in their self-pity. But it is not fair to categorize an entire income bracket based on the actions of a few within that group. If we were doing that, we could say that all conservatives are clueless, judging people. But that wouldn't be true for the whole group either.

Answer 7

I think very few poor people are lazy. Some may be so discouraged that they no longer work or injured or disabled so badly that they can not work. Most poor are uneducated but are very hard workers. It's a form of discrimination to categorize them as lazy. It is typically a republican way to put poor people down and justify not helping the poor people overcome dramatic circumstances that have made them that way.

Answer 8

a clearly complex idea...I was once poor, and, at 43, will be finishing my first BA degree in Secondary Education. I now student teach English in an Urban alternative high school. Interesting that you ask this question, as we are exploring sterotypes during diversty week.

If the poor are lazy, then the rich are self-centered and unfeeling, and all Mexicans are illegal immigrants. Women cry, men are not nurturing, and the elderly are nothing but a societal burden.

'nuff said.

Answer 9

It's not as black and white as that. It's very complicated. Sometimes it's laziness, sometimes it's circumstances, sometimes it's lack of opportunity, etc. There is no one answer to this question, I'm afraid.

It's weird because most of middle America is conservative, and MANY of those people are poor. So don't listen to those conservatives that you tell you this because they don't know what they're talking about!!

NY & LA are 2 of the richest cities in this country, and those are both located in blue states...hmmm.

Answer 10

some times that is true, but, not always, some times people have bad luck health,or legal, or?? and some people can not manage at all so they will spend every thing they make no matter how much they earn, some people who don;t earn nearly as much find ways to save and invest even small amounts that will count up over the years, some people don't want to take on any responsibility at all , there are so many reasons some people are poor it is not easy to count them, But, I do believe a lot more people would not be poor if they would just try to watch what and how they spend their money on and try to be thrifty ,