For the Libs, as I already know what the cons will answer:?

Question

Why can't the poor succeede as well as the rich? What stops them from working hard and bettering themselves?

I fail to see how my views on the subject matter to your answer, Neo Pirate.

BItG, I apologize for any spelling errors. My keyboard's been a little fuzzy lately.

Bob P - I salute your friend and thank him for his service to this country. His story is exactly why I asked this question.

because if it IS impossible to better yourself, why isn't he still living in the armpit of Chicago?

his type of story, i mean.

Arby, thank you very much for sharing your story.

Ducky, I asked this question because I was asked "Why shouldn't poor people be able to better themselves?"

The false statement inherent in that question's logic is: "poor people can't better themselves."

I was trying to understand why people believe that statement. The question was asked of me by a left-leaning individual who wouldn't respond when I asked him my counter. (this was in RL, so don't bother looking.)

I decided to see if there was anyone who could give me a cohesive, logical, thought-out answer to that question.

Answer 1

There's a brilliant book out there called The Clos­ing of the American Mind by Professor Allan Bloom. Professor Bloom was trying to figure out in the 1980s why his students were suddenly so stupid, and what he came to was the realization, the recog­nition, that they'd been raised to believe that indis­criminateness is a moral imperative because its opposite is the evil of having discriminated. I para­phrase this in my own works: "In order to eliminate discrimination, the Modern Liberal has opted to become utterly indiscriminate."

But indiscriminateness of thought does not lead to indiscriminateness of policy. Indiscriminateness of thought invariably leads the Modern Liberal to side with evil over good, wrong over right, and the behaviors that lead to failure over those that lead to success. Why? Because in a world where you are indiscriminate, where no behavior is to be deemed better or worse than any other, your expectation is that all behavior should lead to equally good out­comes. When, in the real world, different behaviors lead to different outcomes, you and I know why-- because we think.

Therefore, the only explana­tion for success has to be that somehow success has cheated. Success, simply by its existence, is proof positive to the Modern Liberal of some kind of chi­canery and likely bigotry. Failure, simply by its existence--no other evidence needed, just the fact that it has failed--is enough proof to them that fail­ure has been victimized

Answer 2

in order for everyone to have the same chances of success everyone would have to start out with the same potential. there are some natural potentials (intelligence, attractiveness, natural aptitude, etc.) that make some more able to succeed than others. it is perfectly normal that some should simply excel over others through natural ability.

*however*

there are also many unnatural inequities that allow many less deserving people to rise above more deserving ones. this would include economic and class distinctions (wealth being kept in certain families or companies for generations), and the inability to obtain an adequate or affordable education for a person that may have merit but not means, etc.

ours is not a system that automatically rewards potential, aptitude, or even hard work. many people that could better themselves through higher education can't because they can't get the money to go to school or do not have the time (due to family or work obligations). also, it should be evident that some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs are some of the least paid; whereas many of those in suits that push a pen make millions.

Answer 3

I was poor. I was raised in a two bedroom house with 5 kids and an uncle. My parents used to sleep on the porch in the summer, and in the living room in the winter.

We were poor because they were small family farmers. It's just a hard way to make a living.

One of my brothers followed them into the family business, and he and his wife struggled until their kids were older and she went to work full time off the farm.

One of my sisters spent a few years on welfare when her husband became an alcoholic and she found it necessary to leave him to protect the kids. As she worked and advanced, she became more comfortable. She still isn't rich, but she earns a living.

One of my sisters married a guy who changed jobs until he finally got comfortable with money. He started broke, but he worked long and hard, and was successful. She managed the money, took care of the kids, ran the range business, they are now putting the 4th of their 5 kids through college. All their kids worked and saved to help themselves, too.

My family represents "poor who were successful." Education made my transition possible.

My parents worked hard all their lives, but never managed to save a thing. Dad had a heart attack when he was 56, and every time their finances started to turn around, he'd get sick again.

Some people make really bad choices (bad marriages, bad health choices, living in communities with high unemployment rather than moving.) Others have really bad luck with health or disaster. Many who start poor and remain poor have some sort of combination of those.

Answer 4

Poverty is cyclical for many reasons.

Many children in poverty grow up in a single parent home where the primary care giver is working hard at a low wage to make ends meet. Although ideally the child would instill morals, values and a strong work ethic in themselves, with lack of guidance it is very tough to land on the right track.

School. Inner city school often recieve less funding due to poor test scores, probably because of the aforementioned reason.

So now you have children with a lack of guidance and inadequate education, how do you expect them to flourish?

This coupled by the fact that often less then ample community support an guidance for underprivileged children available leads them to pursue other paths.

Answer 5

First of all, your assumption that they don't work hard is offensive. Many poor Americans are some of the hardest workers this country has.

Secondly, "the poor" as you loosely generalize are really made up of two distinctly different groups. One of the groups consists of the permanent underclass which is a group that, regardless of the reason(s), probably will never rise above their current plight. The second group is made up of hard-working individuals that are trying to better their lives and eventually will succeed.

Sadly, we as a Nation never bother discussing the reasons (chronic drug use, out of wedlock births, decaying culture that belittles education) that keep people in the underclass. Instead, we find it much more "enlightened" to discuss things like public school spending, government programs, etc.

Answer 6

many among the poor are high school drop outs.

many came from abusive homes.

many grew up unloved and uncared for.

many live with-out hope
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I thought your question was "Why can't the poor succeed as well as the rich" ?????

we all have stories of people that were poor and made something of themselves.
my wife's best friend married a man who came here with his parents as poor illegals, he got an education and is now a U.S. Citizen plus he works with computers and is making darn good money.

NO one said it is/was impossible !!
That's your word.
so.. why did you ask this question ? really .
because you wanted a warm and fuzzy story about a poor person making something of themselves ? then why didn't you just ask for those stories
(maybe because your a d*ck)

Answer 7

I'm not gonna waste time doing research to answer your question

but a good majority of "rich" people in the US came from middle class or poor families...most studied in school, used scholarships or gov grants/loans to go to school. got good degrees and worked hard to get a good job, which they excelled at and eventually earned alot of money. watch "the pursuit of happyness"...not all the stories are that extreme, but a good majority have similar situations.

i have a friend that's about to retire from the military...he joined while living in a ghetto in Chicago...his entire career he spent researching, saving, and investing...he's not a miser but he doesn't flash money around. he now owns two moderate houses, one new Volkswagen jetta and a ford escape, but its all paid for. he has a wife and two kids. when he retires in a couple years, if he chooses, he can still live the same lifestyle for the rest of his life without working. that's just one story, i know several military members that have joined from poor families, got training and used the discipline to manage their money and are getting out with six figure jobs and buying and owning property...etc etc

Answer 8

How do you know they do not work hard? Many poor Americans work their butts off but they cannot pay the bills. It is because they did not receive the help they needed in school and or college was way too expensive for their budget, so they end up getting a low paying job.

Answer 9

The majority of the poor is the working class and they work probably three times as hard as the rich. Most of the rich have money handed to them on a silver platter their entire lives. Some of us are not born with that luxury.

Answer 10

People have problems in life. Just as some rich people commit suicide when the stock markets fail, average workers can fall on hard times despite how hard they are working.

I would venture a guess that the average middle class worker works much harder than the average upper class person. Fortune just happened to smile a little brighter on those in the upper class.