Ron Johnson wrote:
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On 03/05/07 04:29, Mitja Podreka wrote:
Ron Johnson wrote:
Or... they could get off their butts, get an education and improve
their own lives.
Saying that poor people are poor because they are lazy is like saying
that rich people are rich because they are hard working.
Like in every situation involving humans, this statement is true for
some and false for some. The majority of people is somewhere in between.
A hard-working poor person who's improving his/her education will
stay poor for one reason: self-imposed limitations. Afraid to leave
the neighborhood, etc.
Regards,
Mitja
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Now, this is something I always thought, until I experienced poverty
myself. Once a person reaches a certain level of poverty mixed with
other conditions it's extremely hard to break free of it simply because
you don't have the resources 90% of Americans take for granted.
I've worked my butt off for 5 years trying to change careers because of
a physical disability. However, I'm in my mid 50's, with a disability
that limits my ability to stand or walk pretty severely, and all my
experience is in what is considered to be blue collar work. It was
highly skilled blue collar, but blue collar none the less. So, I end up
competing with people 20 and 30 years younger than I am for entry level
jobs and very few employers will hire people my age that have a
disability. I've interviewed a lot of times, and been a finalist many
times, but some one younger, or with more experience has beaten me out
of the job every time.
There is a major "grey ceiling" out there. There is also a huge amount
of discrimination against anyone with a handicap. In the area where I
live the overall unemployment rate is around 5.5%. For blacks it's
about 9%. For the Indians it's about 16%. For those with disabilities
who are still looking for a job and haven't just given up hope of ever
finding a job the unemployment rate is 80%.
I had never had a problem finding a job whenever I looked for one. I've
never gone jobless for more than a couple of months in my life, until I
developed a physical disability that is. Now I've job hunted for more
than 3 years and cannot find a job.
So, don't say all poor people are poor because they are lazy or limiting
themselves. It's simply not true.
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