While shooting the breeze with a friend tonight I realized that “Poor people are degenerates” and “Don’t tell me I can’t afford something I ought to be able to afford!” attitudes are two sides of the same coin.
The first position, commonly associated with rich assholes who think they are self-made, is a mistake because it assumes that someone’s income or wealth is solely a factor of their moral character, i.e. their willingness to work hard to accomplish their goals. However, that is not the case. Not all hard work is equally remunerated; the free market doesn’t care how hard you work, but only about the supply and demand of your skill. It’s fundamentally amoral. (Remember, don’t confuse “amoral” with “immoral.”) This is also the primary reason why we should not trust in the market to take care of people. The market does not care if you live or die.
The second position, which I see more in people on my side of the political aisle, is born out of a place of frustration and anger. It’s the idea that “if I can’t buy a house on 30% of my income, then that guideline is wrong and bad and shaming! Don’t shame me!” But having or not having money is not (or shouldn’t be!) a locus of shame or pride. It’s just a matter of numbers. But people see “you can’t afford to buy a house yet,” and they take it as a moral attack on their value as human beings.
Neither of these attitudes are good. If you find yourself falling into either one, please try to remind yourself: money is not a measure of your inherent worth as a human being.
Emilybook 