re: #264 thedopefishlives

People need to be taught that it’s okay to be poor. Crap happens. What I’ve seen far more is that my friends graduating college expect to go out, get a $100k/yr job the week after graduating, pay off their student loans in a couple of years and get on with the business of hauling in cash hand over fist. The world doesn’t work like that, and even graduates in highly desired fields like mine have to start on the low end of the totem pole. My dad and I have this conversation every so often where he reminds me that when he was my age, him and my mom were worse off than my wife and I are now. Their idea of luxury was going out to Burger King once a week for a Whopper and fries. We need to alter our kids’ expectations; yes, they can make that kind of money, but that’s a long-term goal, not something you just step into simply on account of your college degree.

First we need to define poor.

It is not ok to be living on the streets. IMHO, homeless = poor.

If you have a a roof over your head, food to eat and clothing to keep you warm—you aren’t terribly poor.

Perhaps I equate poor with destitute.