![]() ![]() No one ever just came out and said that, but the implication was always there. (It helped that I live in a country where a post-secondary education doesn't cost roughly eight quadrillion dollars a semester.) That's partially because the idea of my spindly idiot ass learning a technical trade or doing manual labor is the first step in creating an "Epic Fail!!!" YouTube video, but mostly because my parents had a fund set up for me. When I was growing up, there was never a question of whether or not I was going to college. 4 We're Taught To Associate Low-Paying Jobs With Failure But the idea that such essentials could just go unpaid is unfathomable, right up until you experience it. The poor can fluctuate between paying bills and being out on the street. "You want 15 bucks an hour to flip burgers? How about you just hold off on the new TV until you get a real job?" The middle class generally fluctuates between being able to afford a nice vacation one year and having to settle for a few trips to the movies the next. That's part of the reason, I think, so many middle-class people laugh at campaigns to raise the minimum wage. They wanted one of those experiences they were constantly told was more important than money, because the money for day-to-day necessities was always there, right up until it wasn't. They had no savings because they wanted the new car or the luxury vacation. But the middle-class people with money problems I've known were generally suffering from self-inflicted wounds. Getting laid off at the wrong time sucks, no matter what your income is. The middle class isn't immune to money problems, especially if there are kids in the mix. ![]() ![]() It can mean knowing the rent is paid for next month, or being able to afford medication. More money means healthier food, or a chance to get out of the house and have some fun. Well, that's great news for people hovering around that benchmark, but if you're poor, more money will abso-fucking-lutely make you happier. You may have seen the study that claimed $70,000 a year is the ideal salary - after that, more money generally doesn't make you happier. If the Minions are on your side, you might want to reconsider things. ![]()
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