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Two Classes, Divided by 'I Do'

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by HorryForThree, Jul 18, 2012.

  1. HorryForThree

    HorryForThree Member

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    Not sure if anyone else read it, but there was a somewhat lengthy article in the NY Times over the weekend entitled Two Classes, Divided by 'I Do'.

    I didnt necessarily think it brought up anything revelatory, but did reinforce statistics and facts that most of us know- the wealthy in this country, statistically speaking, enjoy a much higher quality of life in many meaningful ways- more often than not they grow up in two parent households, receive better education, have much lower incarceration rates, and as the article points to, get married.

    When two generally well off people get married, they form two income households whose combined salary is quite high and affords them a fairly comfortable lifestyle. Comparitively, many single parents struggling financially dont get married, and if they do end up in single income relationships because one of the two spouses lacks the background to get a halfway decent job.

    Here's are some statistics and charts related to the article.

    Brought this up to get peoples thoughts on this- is this consistent with your own observations? What are different factors that contribute to this cycle?
     
  2. CrazyDave

    CrazyDave Member

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    Yeah, lol, marriage makes people rich.
     
  3. Rocketman1981

    Rocketman1981 Member

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    I think there is really some truth to that. When you have two people (regardless of sexual orientation) living together and with children it creates a stability that allows one to think beyond month to month. Also there is a fixed cost to certain expenses, which a two parent family and two income family can bear much easier. Also when one has a spouse and children they are less likely to spend time and efforts doing unfruitful activities.

    When a mother must take care of her children alone because the man runs off, then she's more likely to be on government assistance and that behavior is passed on to the children as acceptable.

    I really hope that there is a tipping point in which women realize that they're stuck for life with kids and deadbeat dads when choosing a mate. Its become so accepted in certain circles that its a huge problem.
     
  4. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    There is a backlog of things to be discussed in this country that deal with class - we've spent most of our national history trying to ignore the existence of class (instead, we almost exclusively ascribe one's status to that person's personal qualities). Now, the massive income gap and crushed economy make the class demarcations in our society SO clear that it's getting increasingly difficult for people to continue ignoring it. Unfortunately, poor people have been aware of class - and all the benefits/disadvantages attached to it - since, more or less, the start of this nation - and, of course, they have never owned the media or been a particularly attractive target to those selling luxury goods that get advertised on news networks.

    This, marriage, is another one of those things that offers numerous advantages to those who already have money, but the people who benefit from it don't realize just how much they truly benefit.

    There's a general ignorance (sometimes willful) in the middle classes (and up) about the phalanx of obstacles and disadvantages that accompany being born poor in this country. In light of these matters, the view has always been much, much more clear from the bottom. People on the bottom know that those with more have exponentially more advantages, and they know that those with more have exponentially fewer disadvantages.

    Those who actually possess the advantages would rather not acknowledge them, of course, because they prefer the myth to reality - that everything they have is exclusively the result of their own intelligence and hard work. People cling to this myth with tenacity, and that makes it unlikely that they'll ever willingly recognize the extent to which the social class they were born into has provided them with tons of advantages that poorer people simply don't have.
     
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  5. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    So this is all the fault of poor women? That's the root of the problem?
     
  6. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Member

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    ^

    you mad brah?
     
  7. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    I'm actually a bit encouraged that more and more people seem to be paying attention to these sorts of things now.
     
  8. Ziggy

    Ziggy QUEEN ANON

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    And financial reasons (direct or indirect) are one of the leading causes of divorce.
     
  9. HorryForThree

    HorryForThree Member

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    Excellent point, and I really think your entire statement was spot on. The only thing I'll add is that, despite the widening income gap and obvious disadvantages that come with that, publicly there is a sense that underpriveleged and poor people are somehow 'spoiled' as a result of entitlement programs. Social services, welfare, affirmative action, etc. are all routinely criticized as enabling poor behavior, whereas most people realize such solutions are nothing but band aids on major problems that have yet to be seriously addressed.
     
  10. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    Yeah, and the misguided folks who most stridently believe in this decades-old talking point are usually people only separated from the "poor" by a couple of dollars in the bank and a nicer car. These are the people who identify themselves more with the wealthy (who are infinitely far away in terms of capital, and who would never willingly share a dining table with them) than their neighbors - because their neighbors drive a rusty car and don't have a lawn mower.

    There are the just north-of-poor-folks who, unconsciously recognizing their own deprivation and powerlessness in the world, refuse to face that hard realtiy and, instead, adopt the morality presented to them as the same one the wealthiest Americans have. They've adopted a code of ethics that actually harms them, and they've done it because they desperately want to identify themselves with the wealthy and the powerful instead of their poor neighbor.

    It's bad for this nation ... but beyond that, it's just sort of sad. Reality is tough, and a lot of people are heavily invested in avoiding it altogether.
     

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