It's circumstantial. There's definitely degrees of poverty. There's a lot of people who are born and raised on food stamps and government housing with at most a high school education. And lets face it, a high school education in that income bracket especially usually isn't much because typically poor, uneducated neighborhoods/cities don't have good schools. There are cases where school districts graduate students who are a grade or several behind according to standardized testing. For these people that's the only life they know and understand how to live. Some people manage to break away from that cycle but most don't and it's pretty easy to understand why.

I fail to see how sticking with people who demand to be respected at the work place relates to xenophobia.

This is what I'm referring to when I get all pissy and ranty about rich people.

Very good points. I will also mention that growing up, my parents didn't have a lot of money to spare. We didn't grow up on food stamps, but I know what it can be like to not be able to have the next best thing right away. It's weird though because although my parents were so good with money as I grew up, I sort of took the opposite route and was never really too careful with my money because even though I pay bills and rent, I still manage to make enough money to live comfortably. And I make a little over minimum wage. I might just be talking about nothing now. I just think that with people who both don't make a lot, and don't have a lot of money, shouldn't necessarily be considered poor if they've been able to purchase things that give them a comfortable life, be it an apartment, television, computer, etc.

Well, when you talk about solidarity with one group of people against another, and come off like you sometimes do against that group of people, it's definitely not a million miles away from the kind of insular, us vs. them mentality behind other forms of prejudice.

i definitely agree that circumstances have a lot to do with it but making the right decisions also factors in imo. i have a friend who's mom didn't finish middle school and his dad was a drug dealer and all his siblings basically fell into normal working class jobs. he got his gf pregnant at 16 as well, yet he's going to school for accounting cause he was smart enough to look around and notice there are opportunities out there, and that that life isn't something he has to settle for. i'm sure there are some people who's circumstances really do prevent them from succeeding but there are probably more who just don't realize what is out there.

I absolutely agree with the bolded. I know it's corny, but everyone has the power to do with their life what they want to do. I know that there are some cases where people can't get the loans or support that they need to do what they want right away, but those same people could work a crappy part time job until they have the money to evolve.

i mean i'm speaking in generalizations here so it's not like i'm saying all poor people or all rich people fall into whatever characterization. i'm sure i'm in the same income bracket as you most likely but i'm not trying to stay there. maybe you are really content being broke, which if that is the case then i can't knock you for it cause we're all just seeking happiness at the end of the day. money is just a way to get there. but honestly i don't see how people do this their entire lives without wanting to jump off a bridge.

I'm not a very hard person to please. I think that's partly why i've grown accustom to what my life is. Another part of it is anxiety. I'm afraid to try new things, and as I get older, that gets even more difficult to manage. As long as I am able to understand where i'm at right now, I could care less about trying new things. The thought of it makes my palm sweat, and I just get anxious and depressed and convince myself that it's not worth the effort.

yea, i'd say at least in countries like america this is true. there are plenty of places around the world where people really are just **** out of luck but americans in general have a lot of opportunity for growth.

different strokes i guess. i could probably deal with the lack of material wealth ok, just not the anxiety of bills and having to deal with ****ty dead end jobs.