this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2024
-17 points (36.5% liked)

Unpopular Opinion

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-17
Those who don't live within their means deserve the stress they get from buying things they can't afford (lemmy.world)
submitted 8 months ago by 3volver@lemmy.world to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world
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[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.world 35 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I've always said there are two types of poverty: budget poverty, and systematic poverty.

Budget poverty is, I'm guessing, what you're talking about. People purchasing luxuries and neglecting necessities. Those with the means to live comfortably, who spend far beyond that and get into trouble.

Systematic poverty is an issue that can't be fixed with budgeting. It's a complicated mess of socioeconomic factors, and here in the US, it seems to often stem from medical bills.

It's fine to be frustrated with the former, but there are some people who don't think the latter exist--that everyone in poverty is only there because they spend beyond their means and therefore poverty is a moral failure of the poor.

Don't be those people.

[–] Taniwha420@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

I'm going to drill a bit deeper on this because I feel sympathy for people who are mired in systemic poverty, and stray into budget poverty in impulsive attempts to experience something nice.

It's the people who buy $50k vehicle they can't afford because they want to "fit in" that I have no sympathy for. For me it's not about Puritanical judgment over how tightly utilitarian someone ought to be, but whether or not someone went into poverty for the sake of conspicuous consumption.

[–] JackLSauce@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

This is exactly what 99% of Lemmy needs to here, even if they're too politicized to read the nuance in this post before downvoting

[–] PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I agree generally if the things they can't afford are luxuries like $70 video game pre-releases or the finest cheeses and wine.

But I'm not gonna blame someone who doesn't want to eat hot dogs and beans everyday. I don't either.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Hotdogs AND beans? Too rich for my blood.

[–] oleorun@real.lemmy.fan 9 points 8 months ago

Beans, plural?

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago

This is about as unpopular as a sentiment can get on Lemmy but Im old and dont give a fuck about imaginary internet points.

Fact is you are right broadly speaking the problem is that our means keeps buying us less and less every year, that problem is systemic. On a personal level if I had a dollar for every time Ive seen someone whine about their financial situation on social media from their new release top of the line flagship smartphone I wouldnt be commenting this from a clearance sale Samsung A13.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

Nothing is affordable and wages are too low.

[–] lady_maria@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

There are countless full-time jobs that pay so little that it is practically impossible to "live within your means", at least unless you have multiple jobs or still live with your parents.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 4 points 8 months ago

This page is always downvotes, so I'm not sure if people pay attention to where it's posted.

You sure are right though, don't buy what you can't afford. However shits damn expensive at the moment.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Kinda depends on what your means are though. Some budgets are impossible to balance. It's easy to have a full time job here that doesn't support a minimal lifestyle, like even if you put 3 minimum wage earners in an apartment here it would not work now.

Also most people in the US at least are one medical emergency away from financial ruin.

But if you are putting things like food and healthcare in your bucket of things people can't afford but are buying, sure, dead people presumably don't worry.

[–] GhostCowboy76@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Unpopular opinion, the people who downvoted this comment are contributing to the problem.

[–] 3volver@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

I think it's a win to have such an unpopular opinion that it gets downvoted even on Unpopular Opinion.