You don’t understand how difficult it can be for poor people to save money. They may not have access to banks. They may not have a safe place to conceal money. They could theoretically save a few dollars a week for a year and buy something nice instead of buying lottery tickets, but emergencies would trump the project.
In a recent NPR piece about micro-finance, the point was made that poor people in third world countries frequently want/need a place to store money at least as much as they need a chance to borrow. Presently, they may be storing their savings as animals (which can die) or jewelry (which can be stolen).
This may be more about psychological issues, but I remember an NPR interview with an ex-bank robber. The interviewer asked what you’d do with thousands of dollars (tens of thousands?) you’d stolen, with an implication that you’d save it somewhere. (In a bank?) She and the ex-robber had trouble understanding each other, but I think (and I speak as a fairly middle-class person) that from the bank robber point of view, that’s the sort of money you spend. Storing it isn’t even something to imagine.
When I look at what I’ve just written, it’s clear that I’m conflating several different sorts of situation, and probably don’t have enough information. On the other hand, the Poor People’s Last Money Fund doesn’t exist, and would probably be hard to organize, though something of the sort exists informally as mutual aid.
They could theoretically save a few dollars a week for a year and buy something nice instead of buying lottery tickets, but emergencies would trump the project.
Should the emergencies trump this project? Should the fund be given away for the emergencies? If it should, then it’s good to have it. If it shouldn’t, then it remains intact.
You don’t understand how difficult it can be for poor people to save money. They may not have access to banks. They may not have a safe place to conceal money.
You are getting dangerously far into the No True Scotsman territory, although of course your point is valid where it does apply.
“Poverty” may nicely compress many details, but isn’t particularly useful in this instance, as we are discussing the specific point of technical ability (as opposed to psychological feasibility, desirability of implementing such a plan, etc.) of a hypothetical rational low-income person to accumulate money in some form. It’s not that impossible a requirement to make considerations depending on it irrelevant. Creative solutions exist: you can probably hide cash under a tree stump of something.
You don’t understand how difficult it can be for poor people to save money. They may not have access to banks. They may not have a safe place to conceal money. They could theoretically save a few dollars a week for a year and buy something nice instead of buying lottery tickets, but emergencies would trump the project.
In a recent NPR piece about micro-finance, the point was made that poor people in third world countries frequently want/need a place to store money at least as much as they need a chance to borrow. Presently, they may be storing their savings as animals (which can die) or jewelry (which can be stolen).
This may be more about psychological issues, but I remember an NPR interview with an ex-bank robber. The interviewer asked what you’d do with thousands of dollars (tens of thousands?) you’d stolen, with an implication that you’d save it somewhere. (In a bank?) She and the ex-robber had trouble understanding each other, but I think (and I speak as a fairly middle-class person) that from the bank robber point of view, that’s the sort of money you spend. Storing it isn’t even something to imagine.
When I look at what I’ve just written, it’s clear that I’m conflating several different sorts of situation, and probably don’t have enough information. On the other hand, the Poor People’s Last Money Fund doesn’t exist, and would probably be hard to organize, though something of the sort exists informally as mutual aid.
Should the emergencies trump this project? Should the fund be given away for the emergencies? If it should, then it’s good to have it. If it shouldn’t, then it remains intact.
You are getting dangerously far into the No True Scotsman territory, although of course your point is valid where it does apply.
No, she’s not—you’re assuming things about poverty that simply aren’t the case. This list may be useful in thinking on the matter.
Noteworthy:
“Poverty” may nicely compress many details, but isn’t particularly useful in this instance, as we are discussing the specific point of technical ability (as opposed to psychological feasibility, desirability of implementing such a plan, etc.) of a hypothetical rational low-income person to accumulate money in some form. It’s not that impossible a requirement to make considerations depending on it irrelevant. Creative solutions exist: you can probably hide cash under a tree stump of something.