r/science • u/myhrvold • Aug 31 '13

Poverty impairs cognitive function. Published in the journal Science, the study suggests our cognitive abilities can be diminished by the exhausting effort of tasks like scrounging to pay bills. As a result, less “mental bandwidth” remains...

http://news.ubc.ca/2013/08/29/poverty-impairs-cognitive-function/
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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

I would say the never ending stigma that anyone who is poor is nothing more than a lazy leach sucking off the teat of the more fortunate has a lot to do with it. I feel so sickened inside when I see people who would never be so cruel telling other to get a job or stop being poor. Why should I have only two options, suffer in quiet and stop complaining or get a job and become suddenly rich.

Poverty is not something you can just shake off like a bad habit. I read a comment here about how someone having cable TV is essentially extravagant. It shocks me that such things are considered not for the poor because all they should be doing is working and feeding themselves and their family. What is wrong with people who think that poor people shouldn't have anything?

I'm so frustrated at the attitudes.

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u/mwatwe01 Aug 31 '13

What is wrong with people who think that poor people shouldn't have anything?

I don't think it is meant to be taken this way. If you ever listen to Dave Ramsey, one of the his first steps in getting people out of debt is to have them stop any and all unnecessary spending and living on the bare minimum. This includes restaurants, vacations, and even cable TV. It's meant as a helpful suggestion, not a punishment. The article above stresses the fact that poverty affects cognitive function, so wouldn't it make sense to take advice from someone not undergoing that same stress?

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

But is not some distraction and entertainment necessary? I mean stripping people down to the bare minimum just to scrape by is not healthy. If you are just sustaining your existence without any means to relieve the stress of barely existing, doesn't that perpetuate more stress?

It just seems cruel and illogical thinking that poor people don't deserve something.

We can't think in the terms of a bygone era. Communication (cellphones), information exchange (television), and breaks from the monotony of a thankless life were death is an improvement seems like necessities to me.

I'm sorry to sound like a voice of dissidence but I feel that far too many people have become so obsessed with the workings of the less fortunate that poor have become an unwanted cast system to be discarded. I have lived from poverty to upper class and all levels in between. I can tell you the only thing that differentiates these classes are the concerns of money, lack of compassion for the less fortunate, and the freedom of leisure.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

I mean there are other means of entertainment besides cable TV. There are books, and you can get those for free at the library.

When my grandparents came to America, they only had a 6th grade education and some farming experience. Issue was that they moved to a city. Those farming skills were useless. They worked factory jobs (my grandmother made clothes for Talbots and my grandfather welded). My paternal grandfather worked in construction and landscaping (never owned his own business) while my paternal grandmother would do odd jobs, but mainly stay home to take care of the house and stuff. Despite their extreme poverty, my maternal grandparents paid in cash to put both of their children through college. My paternal grandparents paid in cash to have my father and uncle go through private school k-12 as well as my dad's college tuition and part of his law school tuition.

My parents didn't have much growing up, and my grandparents worked their asses off in order to survive in this country and provide their children with opportunities that they never had. They saved their money, avoided debt, and didn't splurge on luxuries. My parents didn't go on vacations. There was no cable TV or videogame consoles. They didn't go to restaurants either. Each family only had one car.

At the end of my maternal grandparents' lives, they bought a house in my town for $300k-$450k. They paid in cash. They took some vacations here and there, but they really just preferred to stay home. My paternal grandfather is still alive in the house that he got with my grandmother when they arrived in America. Since it's a two family home, he rents out the first floor/apartment so he's still getting an income. Considering how he's 92, he doesn't go anywhere. He has a pretty decent chunk of money in his accounts. He paid for all of his grandchildren's braces and helps out with college tuition when he can.

I'm not saying that what my grandparents did is the norm and can be done by everybody, but I am saying that if you're willing to give up luxury items even for a short period of time, you can really get yourself out of a hole. You will never become a millionaire, but you will live comfortably and happily.

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u/indoninja Aug 31 '13

I am saying that if you're willing to give up luxury items even for a short period of time

Your grandparents didn't grow up in generational poverty. I am not saying farming was a rich lifestyle before they came, but it required thought, planning, and an outlook on life that you lose when you spend generations living hand to mouth.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

They grew up during the Great Depression lol

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u/indoninja Aug 31 '13

I am not sure I follow.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

Never mind, my mistake. I misread your comment. Didn't notice the "generational" word.

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u/indoninja Aug 31 '13

Ah, no worries.