#poverty and wealth

[dimity-lawn]

Why does Vimes being short seem to come as a surprise to some people?

Remember that not only is he called Vetinari's Terrier (terriers tend to be small dogs), but in The Fifth Elephant, Vimes initially fails to recognize the irony during a rant in which he mentions "Eight-stone" (112 lb. or 50.8 kg) fighters and uses the term "bantamweight". Even if his genetics would have allowed him to be taller, his background does not support the idea of him being anything but short.

Sam Vimes grew up not just in the Shades, but on Cockbill Street, a place where people couldn't afford to eat regularly. He and his mother probably faced hunger more frequently than some of their neighbors (though perhaps not as frequently as larger families) because Mrs. Vimes wouldn't accept money that was made immorally and because she was a single mother who didn't have the income of a husband to help cover expenses.

Consider how, in Night Watch, Vimes (as Keel) was shocked to see how skinny his younger self was, and that his younger self said that he joined the watch because a friend had told him that there was free food, a uniform, and that he could occasionally make an extra dollar. This shows a surprising difference between adult and young Vimes: with his adult and soon-to-be-father self being taken aback by the sorry sight of himself as a kid as well as his younger self openly and readily talking to a near stranger about how, at 17 years old, he's just now starting to get a sense of food security. Furthermore, in Guards!Guards!, it is stated that "He couldn't help remembering how much he'd wanted a puppy when he was a little boy. Mind you, they'd been starving - anything with meat on it would have done", which shows the extent of the hunger he faced in his youth.

Sam Vimes isn't someone of an average height that seems short simply because he spends so much time around tall people (such as Carrot, Sybil, and Vetinari), he is short. Vimes grew up without access to healthy or adequate quantities of food, therefore his growth was stunted by malnourishment, which likely means that he would be below the average height of a human citizen of Ankh-Morpork.

#discworld #gnu terry pratchett #thought(s) from yours truly #the watch #guards! guards! #the fifth elephant #night watch #vimes #sam vimes #ankh morpork #the shades #poverty and wealth

[politijohn]

Source

#eat the rich #capitalism #tax the rich #taxes #politics #us politics #income inequality #wealth tax #wealth inequality #socioeconomic inequality #poverty

[progressivemillennial]

#politics #us politics #progressive #capitalism #homelessness #class war #eat the rich #billionaire #retirement #inequality #wealth inequality #homelessness crisis #poverty #middle class

[wenellyb]

White French people hate it when they get a taste of their own medicine. 

I was discussing with one of my colleagues and she told me how she was planning to go to Senegal for the holidays because she thought it was a good way for her kids to see more diversity and people who don’t look like them (ie Black People).

So I told her it was a good idea because I was 4 the 1st time I saw a White person (and I cried btw...) And she was so shocked, like she couldn’t understand that some Black kids have never seen White people in their lives but somehow doesn’t think twice about the fact that her kids are in a similar situation.

Another time, I was talking to someone else about how I arrived in France when I was young but had lived in many African countries growing up (RDC, Kenya , Gabon, Center African Republic...).

And then that person proceeded to go on a tirade about how I must have felt so lucky to arrive in France, and how I should have been relieved to arrive in a developed country like France, blablaba. I just told him “not really”, because growing up I was told that France was amazing and so wealthy, but the first time I saw homeless people was when I arrived in Europe, so I didn’t really understand why people always talked about Europe like that. And again, the guy was shocked, just because I didn’t say my life in Africa was miserable and sad, and because I said that Europe was from what I had heard as a child.

If you’re going to bring your assumptions without knowing, I’ll retort with mine ( the view of an 8-9 year old). I don’t understand how someone can feel so entitled and assume something about your situation without asking first. I’m sorry the only thing you know about Africa is that one documentary you watched in middle school but leave me alone.

#random stuff #I just give what I get #And I'm not saying there's no poverty in Africa... But people need to understand that Africa is a continent not a country #and I think that even people who understand it don't really understand understand it #what I mean is that all countries are different and even within the countries you have differences and just like any other countries in the #world you have wealth differences and it's stupid to assume that just because you come from an African country you're grateful to arrive in #an European country or a western country #Also you'll have very different opinions whether your coming from east Africa west africa northern africa etc... #They say stuff but then are surprised when you say the same thing back

[thoughtportal]

#tweet #tweets #twitter #capitalism is a scam #worker exploitation #poverty #wealth inequality #hoarding wealth #wealth

[palatinewolfsblog]

"We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books." W.E.B. Du Bois.

#quote of the day #quote of today #w. e. b. du bois #prosperity #wealth #nation #nation building #numbers #millionaires #health #healthcare #poverty #efficiency #schools #public schools #education #people #choices #decisions #possibilities #books #books and reading #books books books #agenda #politics #reading #what matters

[philosophybits]

Colonialism almost never exploits the entire country. It is content with extracting natural resources and exporting them to the metropolitan industries thereby enabling a specific sector to grow relatively wealthy, while the rest of the colony continues, or rather sinks, into underdevelopment and poverty.

Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth

#philosophy #quotes #Frantz Fanon #The Wretched of the Earth #colonialism #exploitation #oppression #poverty #wealth

[typhlonectes]

#rich people #economics #politics #money #poverty #wealth #elon musk

[hellenhighwater]

why are you lying about being rich

ah drat, you've found me out! the billions in gold bullion that I have in my basement and swim through like scrooge mcduck have been discovered!

To be extremely clear, absolutely none of you have any right to know jack about my finances or any other detail of my life. You wanna talk about how to make your home cool on a shoestring budget, great; happy to chat. But the exact second someone goes fishing for personal information is the time I tell them to block and unfollow. You guys are not entitled to any part of my life beyond what I willingly divulge. I'm not being rude but this is a hard line for me when it comes to social media. This is a public forum and I do not have any obligation to you.

#guys you do realize that just because a person is not visibly living paycheck to paycheck #that doesnt make them rich #i am maybe middle class #and if you think that's 'rich' you need to reassess where you are drawing 'us v them' sorts of lines #because the middle class is closer to poverty than wealth

[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Repairing Our Busted-Ass World

On poverty:

Starting from nothing

How To Start at Rock Bottom: Welfare Programs and the Social Safety Net 

How to Save for Retirement When You Make Less Than $30,000 a Year

Ask the Bitches: “Is It Too Late to Get My Financial Shit Together?“

Understanding why people are poor

It’s More Expensive to Be Poor Than to Be Rich

Why Are Poor People Poor and Rich People Rich?

On Financial Discipline, Generational Poverty, and Marshmallows

Bitchtastic Book Review: Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado

Is Gentrification Just Artisanal, Small-Batch Displacement of the Poor?

Coronavirus Reveals America’s Pre-existing Conditions, Part 1: Healthcare, Housing, and Labor Rights

Developing compassion for poor people

The Latte Factor, Poor Shaming, and Economic Compassion

Ask the Bitches: “How Do I Stop Myself from Judging Homeless People?“

The Subjectivity of Wealth, Or: Don’t Tell Me What’s Expensive

A Little Princess: Intersectional Feminist Masterpiece?

If You Can’t Afford to Tip 20%, You Can’t Afford to Dine Out

Correcting income inequality

1 Easy Way All Allies Can Help Close the Gender and Racial Pay Gap

One Reason Women Make Less Money? They’re Afraid of Being Raped and Killed.

Raising the Minimum Wage Would Make All Our Lives Better

Are Unions Good or Bad?

On intersectional social issues:

Reproductive rights

On Pulling Weeds and Fighting Back: How (and Why) to Protect Abortion Rights

How To Get an Abortion 

Blood Money: Menstrual Products for Surviving Your Period While Poor

You Don’t Have to Have Kids

Gender equality

1 Easy Way All Allies Can Help Close the Gender and Racial Pay Gap 

The Pink Tax, Or: How I Learned to Love Smelling Like “Bearglove”

Our Single Best Piece of Advice for Women (and Men) on International Women’s Day

Bitchtastic Book Review: The Feminist Financial Handbook by Brynne Conroy

Sexual Harassment: How to Identify and Fight It in the Workplace 

Queer issues

Queer Finance 101: Ten Ways That Sexual and Gender Identity Affect Finances

Leaving Home before 18: A Practical Guide for Cast-Offs, Runaways, and Everybody in Between

Racial justice

The Financial Advantages of Being White

Woke at Work: How to Inject Your Values into Your Boring, Lame-Ass Job

The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander: A Bitchtastic Book Review

Something Is Wrong in Personal Finance. Here’s How To Make It More Inclusive.

The Biggest Threat to Black Wealth Is White Terrorism

Coronavirus Reveals America’s Pre-existing Conditions, Part 2: Racial and Gender Inequality 

10 Rad Black Money Experts to Follow Right the Hell Now 

Youth issues

What We Talk About When We Talk About Student Loans

The Ugly Truth About Unpaid Internships

Ask the Bitches: “I Just Turned 18 and My Parents Are Kicking Me Out. How Do I Brace Myself?”

Identifying and combatting abuse

When Money is the Weapon: Understanding Intimate Partner Financial Abuse

Are You Working on the Next Fyre Festival?: Identifying a Toxic Workplace

Ask the Bitches: “How Do I Say ‘No’ When a Loved One Asks for Money… Again?”

Ask the Bitches: I Was Guilted Into Caring for a Sick, Abusive Parent. Now What?

On mental health:

Understanding mental health issues

How Mental Health Affects Your Finances

Stop Recommending Therapy Like It’s a Magic Bean That’ll Grow Me a Beanstalk to Neurotypicaltown

Bitchtastic Book Review: Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos and Your Big Brain

Ask the Bitches: “How Do I Protect My Own Mental Health While Still Helping Others?”

Coping with mental health issues

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Self-Care

My 25 Secrets to Successfully Working from Home with ADHD 

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics 

On saving the planet:

Changing the system

Don’t Boo, Vote: If You Don’t Vote, No One Can Hear You Scream

Ethical Consumption: How to Pollute the Planet and Exploit Labor Slightly Less

The Anti-Consumerist Gift Guide: I Have No Gift to Bring, Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

Season 1, Episode 4: “Capitalism Is Working for Me. So How Could I Hate It?”

Coronavirus Reveals America’s Pre-existing Conditions, Part 1: Healthcare, Housing, and Labor Rights 

Coronavirus Reveals America’s Pre-existing Conditions, Part 2: Racial and Gender Inequality 

Shopping smarter

You Deserve Cheap Toilet Paper, You Beautiful Fucking Moon Goddess

You Are above Bottled Water, You Elegant Land Mermaid

Fast Fashion: Why It’s Fucking up the World and How To Avoid It

You Deserve Cheap, Fake Jewelry… Just Like Coco Chanel

6 Proven Tactics for Avoiding Emotional Impulse Spending

Join the Bitches on Patreon

#poverty #economics #income inequality #wealth inequality #capitalism #working class #labor rights #workers rights #frugal #personal finance #financial literacy #consumerism #environmentalism

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

If you don’t mind sharing, since you don’t work for a zoo what is your job situation like? Making a living while working at a definitely zoo seems tricky. Is your main income zoology/animal related or is that more of a side thing?

Sincerely,

- a curious zoology student

I have a (mostly) unrelated jobjob - I’ve never actually been affiliated with a single facility, unless you count college internships before I started this blog. I freelance, working as a science media fact-checker and taking paid research contracts occasionally. I do work on a lot of animal / biology related fact-check content, but it’s not my entire scope of work. I also have the privilege of having family assistance, as I have chronic health issues that interfere with the normative 9-5 grind.

Everything I do in terms of blog writing/research, zoo industry research and publication, and photography is unpaid and pretty much a hobby at this point.

Prior to the pandemic I was trying to find funding for the intra-industry research and public-facing outreach I was doing, but there was never any money for it. (The industry is very used to expecting labor from young women for free. There was and is a lot of interest in the work I do, but the number of people/orgs that have ever provided compensation or financial support is in the single digits). The pandemic actually gave me the chance to pivot to focusing on professional fact-checking.

The only funding I get for any of this work is through a somewhat defunct Patreon I set up years ago when I was trying to make this blog / scicomm a full time gig. I’m terrible at updating it, and I’m conflicted enough about that to have been considering deleting it entirely. (For those of you who have stuck it out despite the radio silence, you’re incredible. You’ve facilitated the donation of my time to write a really cool paper with a zoo disaster response org, which will hopefully get through peer review soon).

To make something like this blog and everything else I do in the field actually financially sustainable, I’d need to fundraise and market more. The thing about a fact-checking career, though, is that it’s reinforced the need to make sure everything I write/say publicly is completely and 100% correct - because that level of rigor is what supports my professional reputation! Which means I’m slow to produce research and reticent to talk about it before it’s finished. My work comes out all the better for it, but it doesn’t fit into a content model that produces revenue.

So yeah, all of this is a side thing that I fit in around my paid work and my health. Because sometimes I just need to go see a tiger and smell an elephant, y’know?

#personal information #zoo job almost always require multiple incomes or family support #or generational wealth #otherwise you live in poverty #I am on a very non traditional industry path and it definitely does not pay either #but it’s a passion project

[she-is-ovarit]

What's not spoken about nearly enough is how the combination of growing up poor and capitalism/corporate culture for the working class condition people.

I lived below the poverty line my entire life. My mother mostly worked in restaurants, my dad cycled through jobs and nobody really knew where his money went.

I failed my way through high school, got my first job at Olive Garden where I had a manager deal with anxiety by screaming during peak and frequently correcting me and other female workers for not having more "open and welcoming" body language.

I worked at a few other restaurants serving or being a host. Then I worked for Starbucks.

I went through community college, then undergrad, then grad school. I became homeless part way through grad school but pulled it off. I was the first on my mom's side of the family to go to college. It did take $80,000 in student loans.

I am now at a point where I qualify for jobs that make an average of $60,000 to $80,000 or more.

It doesn't feel "right" that I qualify to make that much. It feels like reality itself does not make sense. The universe has made a mistake. There is incredible anxiety around no longer working in working class jobs and being in that culture.

There is a certain type of sociality and culture that comes with being raised in certain income brackets. It feels as though I quite literally do not speak the same language as people who make $30,000 a year, let alone $60,000 - $80,000. Think about a group of people or subculture that exists in society that you don't ever really spend much time around and feel like an outsider to, but suddenly you're in a situation where you're surrounded by only those people and you're trying your hardest to fit inside the "in group" - that is the experience.

Both growing up in poverty and the corporate workplace culture for the working class breeds feelings of inadequacy and a sense of belonging and community with being poor and associating with other poor people. The more someone makes, the less they will find people who grew up poor and have that socialization - the more likely they will surround themselves with people who were raised in wealth and had connections. The more they will feel they don't belong.

#tangent #corporations #poverty #corporatism #college #student #capitalism #wealth #working class #class struggle #class

[politijohn]

Source

The NYPD costs $29M per day

#New York #news #acab #politics #us politics #government #poverty #wealth inequality #income inequality #the left #progressive #current events

[queerism1969]

If your employees can’t afford rent off your wages then you shouldn’t be in business.

#minimum wage #subminimum wage #anticapitalism #inequality #wealth inequality #poverty #wage gap #wagering #anti capitalism #fuck capitalism #capitalism #leftism #late stage capitalism #eat the rich

[temperamentalaquarius]

Jason: rich boy

Dick "been working since I was three and living in a small trailer with 5 fucking ppl, no sick days, rise and grind until you shine" Grayson: ha ha yeah

#dick Grayson #Jason Todd #I love them so much like the girls are never fighting until they are beating each other to death #I know only earth.... I wanna say 16 dick had extended family #but I honestly think his view of poverty and wealth is so funny #man does not care about goods or services #bitch I might wing

[thoughtportal]

MLK it didn't cost the nation one penny

#tiktok #MLK #civil rights #wealth inequality #all labor has dignity #labor movement #wealth redistribution #wage slavery #minimum wage #living wage #inequality #poverty #wealth