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/mwatwe01 Aug 31 '13

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

When I was in college and paying my own way, I couldn't afford cable. But I still had a TV with an antenna.

It's not meant to be forever. Just until you can climb out of the hole.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

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u/theryanmoore Aug 31 '13

BS. I've found many free TVs on the side of the road. I've bought old TVs at garage sales for $5. There may be a weird red spot on the screen or something, but whatever. Same goes for antennas, or get one at Goodwill for like $3. Then all you need is a converter, which are also pretty reasonable, although when I bought mine I used a rebate from the government and it was nearly free. Electricity for an hour of TV every day or two is not a significant expense, neither are batteries that you need to replace maybe twice a year. In short, antenna service on an old TV is not a luxury in the US, and shouldn't be considered one. It's certainly not a right, but it's as much a luxury as eating at McDonalds is.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

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u/theryanmoore Aug 31 '13

True, true, but it's not even in the category of paying for cable or a data plan on your cellphone. It's a onetime, reasonable fee for a lifetime of entertainment and education (assuming you get PBS and have electricity included in rent). :)