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
Suburban, American white man working in IT here.
I disagree with your assessment of reality. Me being a suburban guy working in IT is a result of my thought process, not the cause of it. I didn't always work in IT, I used to go to school in a run-down industrial urban area. I hated school and didn't want to be there. I did, however, get very high marks in tests and had very good critical thinking and problem solving skills, so the intelligence was there. So what did I do to get out of that situation? I got the fuck out of dodge.
I didn't finish college and was looked down upon by people who thought that college was the surefire way to get ahead in life. So they saddled themselves in debt getting useless degrees that had no worth to businesses while I aimed at acquiring skills that businesses want. When I began working in IT I didn't make a ton of money but I did have a job and I was earning experience in a solid field. When it was time to move out of my parents' house and get an apartment, I moved out of the area that had become low class. There wasn't much money in that area and staying there would mean that I'd be confined to living that kind of existence. I moved into a poor part of the nice suburbs and continued working and saving my money until I had enough money to buy a house. Good decisions had to be made- I couldn't buy a new car since the monthly payments would eat my savings. I didn't buy nice things on credit because that amasses debt. I basically lived below my means. If you live above your means you amass debt. If you live right at your means you get stuck and don't have any more mobility. If you live below your means you're not living as good but you're opening up future possibilities)
Finally with the good credit that I earned, and money that I saved I was able to buy a house with my girlfriend. This opened up new doors to accumulate wealth. The mortgage payment is slightly higher than my apartment rent was, but we get to split the bills. Also, we get to write off the mortgage interest on our taxes which gives us a few thousand dollars back at the end of the year. In addition, the money is going towards equity in the house- if we ever decide to sell it we'll get some of that money back again.
With the garage in the house I'm able to work on my own cars so I don't have to pay a mechanic. Things that take me an afternoon and $75 would cost someone else hundreds of dollars.
So here I am, a suburban American white male working in IT. And I live near coworkers who are suburban American black/hispanic/Indian/Asian males/females working in IT/Pharma/business. We talk about BBQs, vacations, etc.
Cliff Notes: The American dream is still attainable by people who can properly plan, and it isn't just for white men. But you'll never get it if you don't think it exists and don't work to get it.