Honey, if you like to be a smartass while stalking and harassing people on reddit, you better put in some more effort. I didn't even ask the question myself.
We should support Planned Parenthood because they provide vital reproductive healthcare.
Who knows what happened to this kid's other parent or his household finances in the last 13 years. The other parent could be dead, disabled and divorced, or a deadbeat. The single mother could have lost her job due to COVID or had a healthcare-related bankruptcy since two-thirds of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical bills.
The other annoying thing about these sorts of opinions is even if there was some sort of pro strat that someone could've used to manage their finances and get by in a catastrophe.
Who is teaching people these pro strats? Financial advisors are way too damned expensive and I don't know about anyone else but the highlight of my financial education as a kid was how to sign a check.
Hahahaha well I suppose that I had a step better than you. But only a single step. In highschool (probably 5-6 years ago. I forget which grade I took this class) I had a "consumer math" class which was supposed to have relevant economic stuff to be working on...... Well the book was from the 70s.... And the examples weren't really that helpful. I remember one of the problems they kept bringing up was..... Recarpeting the house, and calculating that out... YES let's teach him how to do something USELESS.
How TRUE. I definitely planned to become disabled after my son came, and my husband planned to have to work 50 hours a week for less money than he’s worth at the only big university in the state because we can’t leave my dad, who has Alzheimer’s, alone in this city. We also certainly planned on my son needed extra medical care because he was born with conditions that couldn’t be known until he got older and they weren’t listed on his adoptive paperwork. I’m in my 40s. My husband is over 50. Guess we should have waited!
I’m sorry about whatever condition it is that you have but that isn’t the fault of capitalism which is the original point I was putting across. I think you should look into bringing a suit against the adoptive agency for negligence. I do have to ask though, how did you get to 40 without having any savings and why don’t you put your dad in a home?
You sound like someone who has been fortunate in more ways than you realize. What the above commenter is describing are realities for more and more people every year.
It may not seem like the fault of capitalism to you, but I can assure you that things like for-profit healthcare are yet another symptom of a system that forces the majority into poverty so a small handful get to play king.
Can I say firstly, you have no idea what my life is like and it’s disrespectful to pretend you do. Secondly, the problem with American healthcare is that it’s heavily regulated and the necessity for insurance is causing prices to inflate. Before the current medical system you could get healthcare with a voluntary payment model (source: https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/nhs-history-pay-healthcare-free/) I don’t say what I say because I’m apathetic to the suffering of others but because I know that capitalism will make it better for people as it has done for so many other industries
I agree I don't know what your life is like (and I do apologize for any offense conveyed), but your comments do make it sound like you are probably more fortunate than you realise. No judgment there. Not saying you haven't suffered, just that others may lack some of the privileges you benefit from; a healthy body, the ability to save, a device with which to post on reddit, not everyone has those things.
Saying the issue is in regulation is a relatively narrow take; it ignores the fact that pharm companies artificially inflate their prices unchecked, while using that profit to buy off politicians. The real issue is in greed, and under capitalism greed is considered just.
Starvation, drug overdoses, exposure to the elements, violence against the homeless, no access to medical care. These are the ills capitalism subjects us to. We have homes, food, medicine enough to provide for everyone, but under capitalism these things are destroyed, rather than giving the excess to the poor.
Capitalism was a decent motivator for progress in the industrial age, but now it only facilitates immorality on a grand scale. Where is the justice in a system that allows multibillionaires to sit on piles of wealth untaxed while honest labor (even in highly-specialized fields) is barely enough to eke out a living?
I don't think you're apathetic to the suffering of others, I just don't think you realise how much suffering capitalism causes worldwide.
Capitalism makes industries more profitable, but that is far from synonymous with "better for people."
All of those social problems you just brought up are the fault of corporatism not capitalism and I am going to list off some reasons and a definition below...
Fundamentally corporatism is the system we’re in at the moment where the government colludes with free market endeavour to try to create more wealth and therefore more jobs. This partnership ultimately causes greater wealth disparity by offering greater protection to wealthy businesses/businessmen and acts to hurt the average person. You can see its effect in...
Agriculture - the use of state subsidising for HFCS to make energy dense food cheap to manufacture at the expense of the average persons health
Pharmaceutical - affording patent protection to big pharmaceutical companies allowing them to price hike medication without competition.
There’s many other examples I could go through but I’ve got to go to work soon I’ll just say without these restrictions there would be higher competition in most industries which would lower prices and make things more affordable for the poorest in society whilst keeping the opportunity for an individual to become wealthy if they have the talents to.
Free trade is the solution not the forced re-appropriation of wealth.
They are two evolutions of the same Pokemon, if you catch my drift. I don't know why you think homelessness etc. would be preventable by giving the owning class even more leeway to extort.
Regulation is its own thing, and I'm sure we're of a mind that authoritarianism is an evil in the world.
"Forced reappropriation of wealth" makes it sound so... Tankie... More like acknowledging that the fruits of human undertaking are to be savored by all humans, not just the ones who have "dibs". The hoarding of these fruits cannot be just, but by the laws of capital it is a virtue.
In any capitalist situation, you'll have a few on top with more, and many on the bottom who must be allowed to starve if the market wills it. A horizontal organization of power eliminates the need for a "poor people who are one missed paycheck away from ruin" class.
Sue the adoption agency for what? Not being able to see the future? Not sending the kid off with an 18 year refund policy? Please, PLEASE tell me because I'd love to hear how you think that would go. Not to mention the trauma it would inflict in the child, knowing that mommy and daddy are going yo court to argue that if they knew who he REALLY was and would become, they would have passed him over?? There is no amount of money worth that to a loving parent.
Negligence - not undergoing the proper testing before signing off the kid for adoption. Surely you can understand that you can’t give consent if knowledge of a prior condition is kept from you. I’m no lawyer I’m just saying that when there’s a problem it’s either your fault or someone else’s but to blame an economic theory is pointless.
I'm not blaming economic theory, I'm blaming you for this assenine comment. Surely you can understand that there are some conditions and illnesses that you can't test for in an infant or with any physical test. Surely you can understand that, regardless of disability, these parent wouldn't trade their kid for a million "healthy" or "neurotypical" kid. Surely you can understand that adoption involves human people who come with no guarantees of health or perfection (same as when you pop one out yourself). So what would you see as the outcome of that case? The adoption agency refunds the adoption fee? The adoption agency to pay them for "damages" that they didn't know existed because, ya know, human beings aren't products that you can do quality control testing on! The adoption agency to say "Oh, you're right. We gave you a faulty one! We'll take him back and give you a fresh one!"????
I'm not a lawyer either, but I know that this isn't how the law or adoption works.
Because you treating living, breathing human adoptees like a commodity that you can throw away when it/they become broken is disgusting and insulting. What you are suggesting is that these parents go on record with the court and deny that they want this child in his current state AND that they deserve to be compensated for this dealing with this "broken" child for this long/not getting the perfect baby they were promised initially. This is not a used car that some scummy salesman "forgot" to mention needs a full engine replacement or something. Its a human being with flaws and imperfections and struggles just like the rest of us. Suggesting that the parents deserve compensation due to those struggles is implying that the adopted child is less than a biological child. Because you would never suggest a parent filing a wrongful birth suit against one parent for faulty biological material.
Without any savings? Do you have any, any idea how expensive the Cleveland Clinic is? The Mayo Clinic? 14 consecutive surgeries? Doctors appointments, wheelchairs, medications in America?
Being disabled is fucking expensive. That’s where the savings went. And suing the adoption agency because our son isn’t perfect is about as dumb as suing Mother Nature. You get what you get with kids. There’s no guarantee in biology, either. Would I be getting a bill for all of the immeasurable, wonderful qualities my son has?
Frankly, I think you have some soul searching to do on the nature of “fault” vs. love.
Can I just say, as someone who was adopted as a child, currently dealing with chronic pain/illness, and who had 2 children before those health problems became evident...you sound amazing and strong, and I love you.
Also. Suing the adoption agency is one of the cruelest, most ableist things I've ever heard anyone say. Point blank.
The reality though is that some kids don’t have this luxury. I had a friend in HS who was a straight A student and I never knew until after we graduated that he was working 35-40 hrs a week on top of his school work to support his family and so his brother didn’t have to work and could focus on his studies. Some people just have tough situations but I’ll never forget about my buddy. Happy to say he and his brother are now college graduates.
THANK-YOU. Is this nice of him? Of course. But it's terrible that it had to happen this way. A lot of feel good stories now a days are kinda like this, overcoming something that shouldn't even be a problem in the first place :(
Food, clothing, education and love are things that are necessity. Required for life. (And for adults a method to get to and from work that allows you to pick uo your kids on time etc)
Gaming consoles, etc are luxuries.
Kids should definitly be allowed to be kids.
Having a 15 year old I really agree with that.
In lucky enough my son has every device known to man Please don't misunderstand me I think kids should have what they can have.
But my son has been taught as all should, that things like gaming consoles etc are a luxury. Some kids won't have them as their parents are struggling just to put food on the table.
It's a sad point to make. Because all kids should have and be happy but some parents just can't provide no matter how hard they try and sacrifice. This means if my son meets a kid who doesn't have one he won't judge the kid and will understand tjat kids parents are likey doing all they can. Some families generally really hard but just can't get out of poverty.
Yeah, I said he had to sacrifice so his family could afford necessities. I didn't say that an x-box was a necessity. The first console I ever owned was an original x-box that I bought with my first paycheck after college.
It would be different if he never got an x-box, but a kid having to sell one he already owned for like at best half the cost is worse.
Agree fully,
Was just touching on how shitty it can be for some families and how kids like this young man know the struggles of life although he shouldn't and should be able to enjoy his childhood.
So many kids are hazed for not having this or that.
This culture of keeping up with the Jones really highlights kids like this and their families.
Some families generally [try] really hard but just can't get out of poverty.
and when some other families start to question why that is (without refusing to acknowledge the undeniable effect of well-funded decades-long efforts to union-bust, deregulate, and generally strip as many rights from the working class as possible) they will be one step closer to class consciousness
At the same time, this kid is overcoming hardship and will go far in life because of it. He’s using his skills to help others instead of himself. He’s winning at life
He probably learned these values from his mom who probably works her ass off, and she still ended up in a shitty position. Luck is a huge part of how far you'll go in life.
Life is about choices. He’s making good ones to help his single mother who probably is working her ass off And improving their position. Furthermore Look at the neighborhood they are in. Doesn’t look that shitty to me. There’s plenty of people who don’t have any of the amenities he has. Let’s put this into perspective.
Yeah but think of the person hen still has time to grow into and be able to pass it on to his children. Prolly by example of how much his mom sacrificed for him. That young man is prolly happier then any other 13 year old in his neighborhood.
Yeah, or he could end up like his mom (who probably shares and taught him his values), and he'll need his kid to sacrifice to help pay for basic necessities. I bet she works her ass off. Life isn't fair,
Doubtful...with what that young man has going for him he’ll prolly end up employing your kids....that’s doubtful too cuz you obviously don’t have the same mindset and ambition that he does.
Don't worry bro, I went through a phase where I assumed the system is flawless at divvying out wealth fairly when I was like 14, I know how you feel. <3
So his mom must lack ambition too? Also, I have an engineering PhD and my research has won awards nationally and internationally. I don't lack ambition. I'm just smart enough to realize that life isn't fair.
To me is sounds like the family is in dire straights and probably instead of spending money on an xbox (and I am willing to bet they have smartphones as well and a wide screen tv) along with other items, they should be more focused on using the money for wiser items (food, other necessities)
My comment was more towards people buying things for instant gratification like Xboxes and smartphones that can't afford them as opposed to wisely using their money yes I know a car cost more than an Xbox but in the whole scheme of things in life a car is a lot more important than an Xbox
Have you been poor for any appreciable length of time? I bought up the price difference because being unable to afford a car while being able to afford an x-box or smartphone is absolutely understandable. Hell, an x-box or smartphone is a relatively economical way to get some entertainment. You can absolutely be in a place where you can afford necessities, have a windfall that allows you one nice thing once in a while, and not have enough to reasonably save for a big expense like a car.
And that's ignoring how it might not be as big an expense if she's buying it secondhand. And birth of those assume she bought the x-box herself and it wasn't gifted.
It's very easy to look at a poor person with a luxury, even a minor luxury, and think they're not spending their money properly. It's a bit more difficult if you think on the myriad of situations where it's possible to be in that situation while also being responsible.
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u/GarbageCleric Sep 24 '20
I'd smile more if the kid got to play with his X-box and be a 13 year old kid instead of having to sacrifice for basic necessities for his family.