November 14, 2008

The Language of the Perpetually Poor

An interesting commentary on the entitlement class of the Perpetually Poor. From Frugal Dad:
Language of the Perpetual Poor
Do you know someone who is �perpetual poor?� You know the type - constantly complaining, poor-mouthing, griping about the price of everything and jealous of everything others have. I think we all know at least one or two of those types. I�ve had the displeasure of knowing many, and over time I have heard my share of sob stories related to their personal finances. I recognize that some people are generally down on their luck, or going through a rough patch. Maybe they have faced a debilitating illness, or a job layoff, or some other tragic event that has derailed them from leading successful, productive lives. Those are not the people I am referring to when I attach the label �perpetual poor.�

Perpetual poor people have a language of their own - a way of speaking that almost immediately identifies them as members of this class. When kids are young and they use an inappropriate word parents remind them to �watch their language.� As adults we still need an occasional reminder when we utter a financial expletive. I recognize that the words that follow will likely step on some toes, so put on a pair of steel-toe boots and read on.

�The poor man just can�t get ahead�
He starts with the classic: �The poor man just can�t get ahead� and proceeds to disembowel all of the tropes of the disadvantaged. Be sure to check out the 80+ comments -- some of them are: "How do you know my ex so well", some of them are just plain clueless like this one: �I�m a pompous unfunny elitist� How to identify members of this group: They write articles like this one.. Pot meet kettle. Heh... Posted by DaveH at November 14, 2008 4:23 PM
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