Why do poor people always rationalize why they don't have things outside their means?

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
I like being content with what I have.
I can walk in places like best buy, circuit city and there isn't a single thing in there I want.
What I have works for me.

I live in a one bedroom apartment.
Can I move to something bigger, sure !
But I like what I have.

There are things I would like to do like travel, but overall I'm pretty happy with what I have.

Your acting like "poor people" don't know what they are missing and are just lying to themselves because they can't afford better.

You got it backwards.
You don't realize what its like to be just well off enough to have what you need and can be content with versus working yourself to death to keep up with everyone else, just because you feel you should.

My father is quite well off. Could afford a nicer home, cars and luxury.
What does he like ? A small apartment with a front porch where he can sleep during the day, sit on the porch in the afternoons with some ice tea and a rocking chair , watching the birds and enjoying the view.

One day you will learn whats important in life and NONE of it has to do with money or poor or rich. You need to stop and examine your life if your thinking possessions are what makes your life worth living.

This is exactly like what I was talking about. You don't think those things can be found in a larger apartment or even a house.

I am not talking about being cash-strapped in one...if you can 'afford' it you should be able to have both. However; I am assuming that is not the case. Very few wealthy people rent apartments...it makes no sense to rent.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Homerboy
why is being content with your life and what you have and what you can reach and achieve wrong? why do YOU require "bigger better faster"?
I don't even get the OP. Sounds nothing but pretentious.

You don't understand. Despite the fact that the OP was almost entirely about how it doesn't make sense for the poor to be content with what they have, its about the one line you're ignoring - how DARE they tell you about it! Those dirty poor people should just sit in their own squalor, regardless of if they're content or not! What gives them the nerve to tell you they're happy with their situation??

Man you try so hard.

It's not about them telling me they are content with the things they have...it's that they claim they 'could buy' the more expensive items if they wanted, but feel what they have is better.

Someone that's happy with what they have should not feel the need to explain it against more expensive items.

It really doesn't bother me that they do this...it's just sort of laughable to anyone that knows them.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: ducci
I am not sure which is more humorous - the retarded, English as a second language rantings of the OP, or the over-elaborate rebuttals people are giving to defend these "poor people".

That sentence in critique of others in this thread was humorous.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Deeko

I made between $15-$25/hr on commission, working between 20-40 hours a week. I was in high school, with no financial obligations (other than my car insurance and cell phone payments), making pretty good money, and receiving a massive discount (for instance, my front speakers normally cost $500 each, I paid $220, the sub is normally $600, I paid $200). Thus, I have a fairly high-end home theater system, whereas nothing else I own is in the same "financial category", we'll call it.

Is that hard to understand? I'm glad you "know" how much money I was making, though, or where my money went. You seem to be an expert on things you have no way of knowing, it is quite impressive.

That's a lot better than the non-commission people now a days at $10/hr.

You must have been a heck of a salesman though as a teenager pulling in an average of $30k part-time based on your average numbers.

 

[Regs]

A wise women once said, "I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something. "

And a wise man once said, ?Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.?

 

[Deeko]

You're right, it is a lot more than they make now. At my store, if you were full time, you had to make a minimum of $2000/month to stay commissioned (2 months in a row below that and you got bumped to hourly/the music department), target was $3000. In fact, when they switched from commission, they gave you your hourly average - and if it was over a certain amount, they fired you. Smart move. I was transfering stores at the time (going to college) so the new store treated me as a new hire, so I got the new hire rate rather than being fired....so good and bad I suppose.

If you don't believe me....typical August sale, kid going to college:

Laptop - $1500 * 2.8%
Printer - $60 * 2.8%
Bag/Cables/Ink/Accessories - $75 * 10%
Extended Warrenty - $300 * 15%

That single sale would have earned you $96. in about 20 minutes of work. Then think about christmas time, when your sales volume triples (or more). Sure, you'd have days that you barely sold anything, but you also had days where you'd pull in over $500 in a regular 8 hour shift.

At any rate, how much money I made while I was in high school, and how I chose to spend that money, is really pretty irrelevant. On topic, you can't really seem to pinpoint exactly what it is you have a problem with here, and it seems no one agrees with ANY of your points, so why don't you just give it up and admit you're an ass?

 

[alkemyst]

there are people that agreed as well as people that stated no one was answering the OP.

You made you point relevant by mentioning it in my post...I was only responding.

On topic, you don't seem to know what topic you are in. I never said I had a problem with anything...that is your problem. I was merely asking why a certain situation happens.

Your name calling is whimsical though. I will dub you Dikko the Giver of Names.

 

[Deeko]

See, you still haven't actually READ the responses, this is why you think you haven't been answered. I gave you several answers as to WHY they chose to say these things. However, you were too busy trying to think of how many clever things you can turn "Deeko" into (you only came up with one, and it wasn't very good, and then you refer to me as the name caller) to actually notice.

You want to know why they bring it up to you without being asked. You want to know why they rationalize it as if it were actually an option. And yes, you want to know how they can possibly think those conclusions are true, regardless of their buying power (read the last line of the OP if you don't believe me, you actually did write that!)

Actually, its pretty funny. You're doing exactly what they are, just on a different subject! As I explained earlier, there isn't one singular reason, everyone is different - but one possibility is that they say it over and over again, not really meaning it, but just to make themselves feel better about their position. Eventually, they've said it so many times to the point that they actually do think that's what they thought initially, which causes them to take an even stronger view. Its kinda like how you've slowly but surely shifted the point of this topic, and you probably right now really believe that the OP didn't make multiple references to why they're wrong, or ask why they bring it up. All you really wanted to know was what causes them to think they can actually buy a Rolls Royce, or at least talk like it!

I should be a psychologist. Move over Freud, I've succesfully deciphered the mind of the pretentious prick! On that note, its 1:10am and I've got a work day full of arguing with morons on the internet ahead of me tomorrow. Goodnight sir.

 

[MagicConch]

Working to get what you want or working to want what you have, same end goal imo.

 

[DeeKnow]

dude, if you're always hungering for more, and perpetually dissatisfied in life, deal with it .... don't grudge those who are happy with what they have

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
Someone that's happy with what they have should not feel the need to explain it against more expensive items.

Well, if what they have actually IS better (custom build computer/audiophile system/souped-up car), then they have to deal with society's instinct that more $$$=better, so they DO have to explain it.

Now, if they're justifying their POS Ford Tempo against a BMW on any grounds other than maintenance and insurance costs, that's different...but almost no one actually does this.

Originally posted by: alkemyst
To reiterate, above is not what I was referring too. How does working at Circuit City in high school give one better stuff? Even with a discount you aren't making much money. I know they aren't paying near the $12.50/hr I made back in the late 80's in high school. I also worked at night about 12 hours a week delivering chinese food for another couple hundred. I saved most of my cash though as gas/insurance and my car were paid for me.

I was able to get by on borrowing only $7k my first 7 years of college and working rarely.

Why do middle class people always brag about how financially savvy they are and how hard they work? I don't get it. It's as if they want to feel better about themselves since money = self-worth, but don't want to compare themselves to the millions of truly rich people and so they add the "hard work" angle.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Meh, If I was a millonaire tomorrow, I'd get my beater fixed up and I'd drive it when I got back from my vacation.

You also recently posted you buy $3 jeans at goodwill.

This is much of my point. Too many try to rationalize things that are already outside their means and understanding. A million dollars as a gift/win is really not going to change anyone into wealthy unless you are already near your mortality. The interest would be great to leverage against my current income though.

Shivetya does bring up a good point too. There are a lot of people out there that get really pissed that someone with money doesn't spend it.

Outside of those that are ultra-wealthy, many of the 'wealthy' people I know have more than one home yet drive what many would consider subpar cars. Acura and Lexus are popular, BMW 3 series, Hondas....roughly $25-50k vehicles. Now those that are rich end up with a few trophy cars here and there.

Again though this is not a bash to someone with less money or things. I am not wealthy by any means...there are many things I am happy with, some things I'd like better, etc.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: jagec

Why do middle class people always brag about how financially savvy they are and how hard they work? I don't get it. It's as if they want to feel better about themselves since money = self-worth, but don't want to compare themselves to the millions of truly rich people and so they add the "hard work" angle.

I don't know what angle you are working at there...at that time since I was still being supported by my parents I was closer to upper class than middle. I was also brought up that my parents didn't get where they were by having their parents hand it to them.

I didn't work very hard though, that's for the unintelligent to do. I worked smart, when my friends were goofing off and blowing off showing up to their minimum wage jobs then getting fired; I was just smooth sailing a few hours a day and no weekend/holiday work banking nearly a month of their efforts each week.

Most of my close friends and brother worked at this private chinese food place, it was easy work and good pay for it. We could have our girlfriends with us and if we took extra time on a delivery it was not a problem. A lot of that money I used to just blow going out each night.

Still being where I grew up many of my friends didn't work and were simply given allowances of insane amounts per week. I don't think any of my circle of friends ever put down someone for not having what we did. Even then though you'd get someone going off on a tangent non-provoked of how they'd never spend the kind of cash on certain things because their whatever is just as good. My high school was very mixed bag. It was in the middle of what most would call a ghetto. Since our town at the time did not have a high school we were bused there for gentrification or whatever the word then was.

One of the funniest parts of this is when we first started going to the school the security and local law enforcement weren't used to seeing extremely expensive cars in the dirt lots. My friend had a 930 Turbo at the time (this was around 1988), and the police ran plates found out it was not under any students name and asked around who drove it. They never called the publically listed company to see if they had a stolen vehicle. They arrested my friend and his parents were freaking vivid. In the cops defense, he couldn't prove ownership of the vehicle and he did not have his insurance card on him. He ended up with an insurance ticket.

Fact is though many of those kids that we knew that would bash expensive cars, homes and clothing grew up and ended up with extremely expensive vehicles and the like. Problem with many of those same kids is now as adults they are stereotypical pricks to those with less and treat waitstaff especially like freaking dirt.

I am just glad I have never had a need to rationalize my own life. My goals are to always do more, make more, get more. In return that allows me to also give more and do more for others. I will never be where I want to be, the more I have the more I can do.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Meh, If I was a millonaire tomorrow, I'd get my beater fixed up and I'd drive it when I got back from my vacation.

You also recently posted you buy $3 jeans at goodwill.

whats wrong with $3 jeans from goodwill!? lets se you buy $80 jeans and go play in a cow field! hehe

actually i go to farm and fleet and get $12 for that. they are not very conferable but damn they take a beating.

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: se7en

1.) My sauce is better than most places.
2.) There are magic time devices called dishwashers
3.) I like to cook
4.) If I cook and stay home I still get to see my wife in her tshirt and panties. She wears clothes out in public.

We didn't ask for your opinion yet you posted it. How is that any different?

TPIWWOP

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Perhaps a better question: why do people live paycheck to paycheck, with their credit cards nearly maxed, lease a car because they can't afford the higher payments to own that car, and take out 40 year loans, just so they can afford the payments on the most expensive house they could possibly purchase??

Why did one of my mortgage brokers ask me, "why the f*** are you looking at houses in that price range. With your income, you should be looking at houses in this price range."

I've found that there are many people who purchase the most expensive status symbols they can afford. The only people they impress are themselves, and the other conspicuous consumption idiots who generally are not happy with their lives, but rationalize that they're living a wonderful life because they can eat out at a chain restaurant and go to the Imax theater on the weekend. But, god forbid they have to wash any dishes at home - there's not enough money left in the family budget to purchase a new bottle of cascade for their dishwasher.

Bingo!

Too many people in this country live outside their means trying to impress everyone around them how successful they are. What is funny is it is rarely the rich you see live like they are rich. This mostly happens in the middle and upper middle class brackets. The rich (Self made, not people like Paris Hilton who inherit it or most celebrities.) got that way by not wasting money on a bunch of sensless stuff or using their credit to subsidize their life style.

 

[theeedude]

Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

Insecurity

 

[jlee]

My goals are to always do more, make more, get more.

Consumerism at its finest.

Originally posted by: senseamp
Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

:thumbsup:

I love my (~10yo) truck. I love my job. Life is awesome.

And yes, I'll rationalize why my pickup is better than a luxury car...because it has 4wd and a tow strap in the bed.

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: senseamp
Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

Insecurity

Yep, if you aren't materialistic like they are, you can't validate their "accomplishments."

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: CadetLee

My goals are to always do more, make more, get more.

Consumerism at its finest.

Originally posted by: senseamp
Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

:thumbsup:

I love my (~10yo) truck. I love my job. Life is awesome.

And yes, I'll rationalize why my pickup is better than a luxury car...because it has 4wd and a tow strap in the bed.

Why'd you edit out how I also do and give more to others at the same time...not really consumerism at all, this the economics chapter your on now though?

Now rationalize how your 10yo truck is better than the new ones in the same work class or better.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: waggy
whats wrong with $3 jeans from goodwill!? lets se you buy $80 jeans and go play in a cow field! hehe

actually i go to farm and fleet and get $12 for that. they are not very conferable but damn they take a beating.

Nothing is wrong with them, however; my point was someone buying such things and driving a delapidated car has no understanding of what lies outside that really. The person quoted if he won a million dollars...I strongly doubt he'd fix up a beater.

 

[BoberFett]

You need to get over yourself son. You're not impressing anybody.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: CadetLee

My goals are to always do more, make more, get more.

Consumerism at its finest.

Originally posted by: senseamp
Why do materialistic people get pissed off when you don't play their games and don't use material possessions like cars, houses, jewelry to keep score?

:thumbsup:

I love my (~10yo) truck. I love my job. Life is awesome.

And yes, I'll rationalize why my pickup is better than a luxury car...because it has 4wd and a tow strap in the bed.

Why'd you edit out how I also do and give more to others at the same time...not really consumerism at all, this the economics chapter your on now though?

Now rationalize how your 10yo truck is better than the new ones in the same work class or better.

I didn't edit anything out..I just selected a portion of your post. Economics isn't even remotely near my field; better luck next time.

Ahh, now you're telling me to rationalize...I thought you didn't like it when people did that?

I could easily afford a new truck now, but I'm happy with mine. Why is this concept so hard for you to understand? If it gets scratched, I don't get all pissy. Insurance is cheap. I can take it offroad without fear of the aforementioned scratches ruining my day. I don't want to spend a lot of money on my vehicles. What I have gets the job done quite well, and I have no need for anything "better".

My sense of self-worth is not based on my economic appearance and social status, unlike many other people.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
Maybe they're just satisfied with their life.