"Being poor is..."

Posted at 15:31 on Tuesday September 06, 2005 | Filed Under Miscellaneous

I don't have really anything to add to this article. It's provocative and surprising and shocking:

Check out the comments, too.

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Comments (4)

1.: I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble sympathizing. My family used to be in this situation, so it's not like I don't know what it's like. But seriously, there are so many people in this world who'd love to be a dirt poor American.

Posted by Andy Lin at September 6, 2005 08:14 PM

2.: His idea of "poor" is what I consider "struggling," which is far off from the poor I think other people suffer.

Nevertheless, I did want to point out this article (following) to you because I think it has a lot of similarities with some of what you're saying.

http://darkush.blogspot.com/2005/09/more-on-poor.html

Posted by Meela C. at September 16, 2005 11:32 AM

3.: That's not poverty. For grad students, that's reality.

Posted by Jennifer at October 20, 2005 02:33 PM

4.: OK, I'm late to the party but I can't let Jennifer's comment there stand. I was a grad student who got by on financial aid, what I made as an intern, and one free tank of gas a month from my parents, and I wasn't nearly as poor as what Scalzi and his commenters are describing. I had enough money to eat, live on campus, have a bottle or two of wine a week, and pay my bills. Sure, it was tight, but I did okay - even when I my car got wrecked and needed a lot of work.

It's easy for grad students to feel sorry for themselves -- I know I did at the time -- but if you aren't dumpster diving or using foodstamps for food, you're not poor. If you're not barely making rent or letting bills get late, you're not poor. Don't insult people living in actual poverty by pretending you are. Geez.

Posted by Ealasaid at January 5, 2007 05:38 PM

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