Sure there are exceptions like someone who had just entered the workforce fresh out of high school/college. Agreed, not much they could do.
Adults starting families they cannot afford is something that bothers me and my sympathy and money goes towards those kids… Not so much the parents.
It bothers me when people only plan for the best case scenario, and then are totally unprepared for the garaunteed shit that life will throw at you. It bothers me even more when that unpreparedness hurts kids. That said, this is an inevitability in today’s society so we should find a way to deal with it, and especially lessen the blow to the kids affected. Hopefully those people are hammering the phones, and scouring the internet for stimulus/grant money, and are taking advantage of all the bill deferral policies.
Wow. I try to be fair, but you’re coming across straight-up limousine liberal here, considering your expressed policy preferences.
You don’t know anything about the circumstances of the people I’m mentioning here, in the thread about how this pandemic has affected us as individuals. I’m not quite sure what point it is you’re trying to make, but it seems like you disapprove of their actions much more than I do.
From afar. Without knowing anything about them.
They’ve seemingly complied willingly to this point. Now they’ve decided to not comply, or at least they’ve reached out to me to see if I’d be down to not comply with them.
What do you think I should do? Report them to the authorities? Counsel them on where to beg for handouts? Leave them on read?
I have very libertarian personal opinions, but do not think those work well for this society as a whole (mostly because of how shitty a large portion of the population is). Hence the juxtaposition between what I personally believe, and what policies I believe should be in place.
As for what I think you should do? I’ve never been a fan of tattling. Personally, I’d politely decline and ask to be their first appt once their service was legal again. If they’re hungry, bake em a casserole and say you made too much and your freezer is full so you’d otherwise throw it out, etc.
You’re right, I don’t know the people you’re talking about personally. But I do know the people in a number of these same stories in my state, and coincidentally, in your state. And I do know that story is common across the nation. Your friends’ stories could very well be the exceptions though.
Exception to what? When have we ever asked businesses to voluntarily shut down for months at a time? Who plans for this? Are the folks you know whose income got ripped out doing well right now or something?
Point is, brutal recessions happen. Job loss happens. Shit happens. Too many people I see, and know, never make a plan for when the shit hits the fan… And it always does at some point. Then, the people who either got lucky or who sacrificed in preparation for a rainy day bear the burden to help those folks out.
This was an act of God, so I support community intervention to mitigate the long term economic effects of this quarantine. But people who couldn’t be bothered to save up enough money to scrape by for a few weeks if they lost their job (especially will all the bill deferral policies in place) bother me.
The point of this exchange is to comment on what I see as a widespread societal acceptance of not preparing for the proverbial rainy day, and assuming a bailout of some type will be coming.
This assumes a choice. The majority of people do not make “Extra money” to save or plan with. Many of them are check to check and will never get a break to be different than that, they just get hammered like now. They just be getting out of the hole from this, if they’re lucky, in time to get hammered by the next thing. Some of us are fortunate enough to get a break and get ahead, it’s unfair to judge those that work hard and don’t get that break.
It’s NOT voluntary. That’s the mind boggling part. From 14 days to 30 days to indefinite by those trying to appear to be the most “humanitarian” for lack of a better word.
The gym I go (went) to has 91,000 square feet. But it’s blanketed by one size fits all policy, thanks to The Virus.
It’s been how long? And it’s still one size fits all for policies that are affecting livelihoods for everyone, not just those who actually have symptoms from The Virus.
That’s an important distinction, and worth clarifying. In my area, it has been a combination. A lot of places closed their doors before they needed to, because they wanted to do the right thing.
Every BJJ school in the state did so, for instance.
I consider myself one of the “lucky” ones, because I “work” from home, and I bought a bunch of home workout stuff quickly because I saw where this was heading, because I have complete faith in mass human behavior.
Oh, my buddy with seven figures worth of liquid assets got his $1200 direct deposited to his bank account on April 15, STAT.
I simply disagree. It’s a choice to have kids. It’s a choice to live in a house/apt that does not allow you to save. The food, beer, cars, clothes that people buy, all choices. It all adds up. Yes, I’m saying live like a damn monk until you have a rainy day fund set up. Quadrupley so it you want to bring a kid into this world.
At the same time I understand some don’t know these are all choices… Or more likely they do, but the socioeconomic cycles they were born into have imprinted too deeply into their physche.
Like I said, it bothers me, and it frustrates me to see this cycle repeat itself.
This depends on the area. For example, if you want to live in Austin TX, or Asheville NC, you better have a really good income. Most people simply are priced out because of outside money that does not rely on any job drive the prices and demand out of sight for typical working people. The prevailing wage is not related to the prevailing housing costs. They also are strapped just maintaining transportationa and housing - never mind clothing or food. I had employees making $15 an hour, in an area where most people get $10 - $12, who were hand to mouth and not buying alcohol or other fun things. It is removed from most people’s reality to hold your viewpoint.
Well, your experience is much different from my experience being friends with folks who make and myself having made minimum wage in areas with much higher costs of living as compared to Asheville or Austin.
IMO, aggressive budgeting and delayed gratification is removed from too many peoples reality.
I’m not saying that some people aren’t the authors of their own disaster, just that it’s a wide stroke to paint. Many are struggling and being frugal and just running on the wheel.
