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If you don’t understand how people fall into poverty, you’re probably a sociopath
The Guardian & Observer ^ | January 24, 2015 | Lucy Mangan

Posted on 01/25/2015 6:20:29 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Why don’t abused women just leave their partners? Why don’t poor people just spend less? Why do people in positions of power ask so many stupid questions?

‘Inequality has become a challenge to us as moral beings’

Last week, I took part in a comedy night to raise money for the charity Refuge, which supports women and children who have experienced domestic violence. It was a great night: partly because it raised several thousands of pounds for the cause; partly because it was sponsored by Benefit cosmetics, and the idea of a benefit being sponsored by Benefit pleased me greatly; and partly because standup comedian Bridget Christie finished her act with a plea for all laydeez to stop waxing, spraying, deodorising, strimming and surgically trimming their – well, let’s call it “that part of ourselves historically judged to be the seat of all our femininity and womanly powers” – and instead celebrate our individuality by thinking of those parts as “unique, special – like snowflakes. Made of gammon”, which was both a new thought and a new image, neither of which has left my mind since.

Less uplifting, however, was the number of times I heard, when I mentioned Refuge to people, some variant of: “But what I don’t understand is – why don’t these women just leave?”(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: liberalagenda; poor; poverty; rich; wealth
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To: TBP

because every poor person must have a I phone. I am poor and because of that I choose not to have a cell phone.it is more important that the 25 dollars I would of spent on a cell phone is spent else where. A couple of times in my life I have had to go to a food pantry because of being poor the biggest thing that made a impression on me is how many people there had IPhone and other expensive items. I personally believe that most those living in poverty are there not because they are poor because you can be poor and not live in poverty. they are there because they chosen poorly in there financial decisions.


41 posted on 01/25/2015 9:05:28 PM PST by PCPOET7 (onated)
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To: packrat35

you forgot the coffee at Starbucks in the morning on there way to there low paying job.


42 posted on 01/25/2015 9:08:15 PM PST by PCPOET7 (onated)
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To: packrat35

you forgot the coffee at Starbucks in the morning on there way to there low paying job.


43 posted on 01/25/2015 9:11:43 PM PST by PCPOET7 (onated)
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To: PCPOET7

I count that as eating out


44 posted on 01/25/2015 9:32:18 PM PST by packrat35 (Pelosi is only on loan to the world from Satan. Hopefully he will soon want his baby killer back)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m being taxed in to poverty.


45 posted on 01/25/2015 9:55:18 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: ConservativeMind

For one, they have bad taste.


46 posted on 01/25/2015 10:10:32 PM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: rlmorel

What I’m sayin is...more people than ever...have bad taste.


47 posted on 01/25/2015 10:12:43 PM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: equaviator

There’s a quality problem...image over substance.


48 posted on 01/25/2015 10:16:10 PM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: packrat35

they don’t count it as eating out. me personally call that throwing away 4 dollars


49 posted on 01/25/2015 10:52:13 PM PST by PCPOET7 (onated)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I know exactly how. Sin and evil in this world. Christ told.us the poor would always be among us. Some people are poor in wealth, others in spirit.


50 posted on 01/25/2015 11:24:26 PM PST by vpintheak (Call them what they are - regressive control-freaks)
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To: ConservativeMind

Thanks, CM...


51 posted on 01/26/2015 2:42:22 AM PST by rlmorel ("National success by the Democratic Party equals irretrievable ruin." Ulysses S. Grant)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The author, like all good leftists, believes that weak character is the product of poverty but conservatives know that the reverse is the case.


52 posted on 01/26/2015 3:17:28 AM PST by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: JmyBryan
There are plenty of smart, incompetent people.

They tend to cause the most damage.

Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.

53 posted on 01/26/2015 6:49:17 AM PST by jdege
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To: TBP

What lefties refuse to understand is that “income inequality” is a product of a system with great economic mobility and high economic opportunity.


Oh, but maybe they do! Because they sure are trying to eliminate those two features of our society.


54 posted on 01/26/2015 6:51:17 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: rlmorel

Liberal self-righteousness requires people stay poor so that liberals can “care about them”.


55 posted on 01/26/2015 6:52:05 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: NorthstarMom

A lot of poor people are smart enough to be good at being poor. I know people who will not work because it could jeopardize their government benefits. They get less from the government than they would from a job. Hence they are poor.


56 posted on 01/26/2015 6:56:41 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you are not part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Yup. And I’ve seen many women who choose to stay in abuse (fr themselves and their children) rather than get a job.

With the abuser, they’ve only got to endure an hour or two a night, maybe weekends; but the rest of the time, they have autonomy.

For them, the payoff is better with the abuser than on their own. They’d rather have a bit of tyranny than have to endure 40+ hours a week laboring for a boss.

And the victim-thing pays off. They get tons of reinforcement that the guy is a jerk and tons of sympathy and their egos soothed. It’s never their fault.

They get to absorb the pity while avoiding any real responsibility.

Because of this mindset, I do admire women who find the strength to leave. Even more, women with children. Being a single mother is very difficult.


57 posted on 01/26/2015 7:32:13 AM PST by Marie
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Like it did in old Europe and like it does in Africa today.


58 posted on 01/26/2015 2:38:19 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: sten

I’ve know some super smart people who did not go to college. To them, it was a waste of time and money getting in the way of what they wanted to do.

People who want to work for others and compete for jobs go to college, mostly. Some people just start businesses with their college money and go to town.


59 posted on 01/26/2015 2:44:12 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: SaraJohnson; sten

Another avenue.

60 posted on 01/26/2015 3:15:48 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.)
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