为什么大多数穷人仍然贫穷？（下）
正文翻译
Why do most poor people remain poor?
为什么大多数穷人仍然贫穷？
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
Why do most poor people remain poor?
为什么大多数穷人仍然贫穷？
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
评论翻译
Lynnett Tan, studied Bachelor of Laws with Honours
I can think of a few reasons.
One of the main reasons is that poor people are often much more concerned with saving money, than creating more income.
Instead of investing in a new business venture which could potentially be extremely lucrative, they're focusing on the best strategies to save 25 cents on a loaf of bread, $2.30 on their daily commute and $19.70 on their monthly utilities bill.
I know someone who refuses to subscribe to cable, to avoid paying monthly subscxtions fees, but end up paying a lot more extra money when he exceeds the data plan on his mobile phone.
Most poor people live from pay cheque to pay cheque, they do not have the resources to invest in themselves- go for courses to upgrade themselves, learn new skills, etc. They stagnate. The skills they have may become obsolete, leading to retrenchment / unemployment.
我能想到几个理由。
其中一个主要原因是，穷人往往更关心存钱，而不是创造更多的收入。
他们不去投资一个可能非常有利可图的新企业，而是专注于最好的策略，在一条面包上节省25美分，在日常通勤上节省2.3美元，在每月的水电费上节省19.70美元。
我知道有人拒绝订阅有线电视，以避免支付每月的订阅费，但最终当他透支了手机的数据套餐时，他支付了更多的额外费用。
大多数穷人靠工资生活，他们没有资源去投资自己，比如参加课程来提升自己，学习新技能等等。他们停滞不前。他们拥有的技能可能会过时，从而导致收入减少甚至失业。
I can think of a few reasons.
One of the main reasons is that poor people are often much more concerned with saving money, than creating more income.
Instead of investing in a new business venture which could potentially be extremely lucrative, they're focusing on the best strategies to save 25 cents on a loaf of bread, $2.30 on their daily commute and $19.70 on their monthly utilities bill.
I know someone who refuses to subscribe to cable, to avoid paying monthly subscxtions fees, but end up paying a lot more extra money when he exceeds the data plan on his mobile phone.
Most poor people live from pay cheque to pay cheque, they do not have the resources to invest in themselves- go for courses to upgrade themselves, learn new skills, etc. They stagnate. The skills they have may become obsolete, leading to retrenchment / unemployment.
我能想到几个理由。
其中一个主要原因是，穷人往往更关心存钱，而不是创造更多的收入。
他们不去投资一个可能非常有利可图的新企业，而是专注于最好的策略，在一条面包上节省25美分，在日常通勤上节省2.3美元，在每月的水电费上节省19.70美元。
我知道有人拒绝订阅有线电视，以避免支付每月的订阅费，但最终当他透支了手机的数据套餐时，他支付了更多的额外费用。
大多数穷人靠工资生活，他们没有资源去投资自己，比如参加课程来提升自己，学习新技能等等。他们停滞不前。他们拥有的技能可能会过时，从而导致收入减少甚至失业。
They do not have the resources to explore other avenues of making money. All they know is going to work everyday 9–6pm Monday to Friday, coming home and trying to spend as little money as possible.
Poor people also don't understand that time IS money and their time is valuable. Surely you know of people who would rather take double the time to travel someplace, trying to save just a few bucks.. not even realizing that the time they WASTED is worth more than a few bucks.
Similarly, people who choose to fly budget airlines & not buy travel insurance.. because they want to save money, but when the flights get cancelled/ delayed (which is very common for budget airlines), they end up having to pay extra for an additional day or two of accommodation & food- which cost them more than if they were to fly via a better airline in the first place. Not to mention the time wasted on travelling back and forth the airport, checking in, waiting for departure etc…. So many hours of time wasted, and for what?
他们没有资源去探索其他赚钱的途径。他们只知道周一到周五9点上班到下午6点下班回家后尽量少花钱。
穷人也不明白时间就是金钱，他们的时间是宝贵的。你肯定知道有些人宁愿花两倍的时间在旅途上，只为省下部分钱。甚至没有意识到他们浪费的时间比那点钱更有价值。
同样，选择廉价航空公司而不购买旅游保险的人是因为他们想省钱,但是当航班被取消或推迟了(在廉价航空公司中这是很常见的),他们最终不得不为额外的一天或两天住宿和伙食来支付费用, 综合下来这比他们当初乘坐更好的航空公司要花更多钱。更不用说浪费在往返机场、办理登机手续、等待起飞等方面的时间了。浪费了这么多时间，又得到了什么呢？
Poor people also don't understand that time IS money and their time is valuable. Surely you know of people who would rather take double the time to travel someplace, trying to save just a few bucks.. not even realizing that the time they WASTED is worth more than a few bucks.
Similarly, people who choose to fly budget airlines & not buy travel insurance.. because they want to save money, but when the flights get cancelled/ delayed (which is very common for budget airlines), they end up having to pay extra for an additional day or two of accommodation & food- which cost them more than if they were to fly via a better airline in the first place. Not to mention the time wasted on travelling back and forth the airport, checking in, waiting for departure etc…. So many hours of time wasted, and for what?
他们没有资源去探索其他赚钱的途径。他们只知道周一到周五9点上班到下午6点下班回家后尽量少花钱。
穷人也不明白时间就是金钱，他们的时间是宝贵的。你肯定知道有些人宁愿花两倍的时间在旅途上，只为省下部分钱。甚至没有意识到他们浪费的时间比那点钱更有价值。
同样，选择廉价航空公司而不购买旅游保险的人是因为他们想省钱,但是当航班被取消或推迟了(在廉价航空公司中这是很常见的),他们最终不得不为额外的一天或两天住宿和伙食来支付费用, 综合下来这比他们当初乘坐更好的航空公司要花更多钱。更不用说浪费在往返机场、办理登机手续、等待起飞等方面的时间了。浪费了这么多时间，又得到了什么呢？
Ironically, poor people tend to spend more money on necessities. How so?
I had an ex colleague who could not afford $20 on a long term mrt pass, so she would buy a new single trip ticket every day, which ends up costing her at least 50% more. She just couldn't cough up the $20 upfront, even though she knew it was ultimately more economical.
Then she would only eat instant ramen cup noodles every single day. Just by looking at her, you could tell she was malnourished & extremely unhealthy. She always looked sickly pale with a yellowish pallor and she constantly fell ill. While she scrimped money on proper nutritious meals, she ended up paying more money for medical bills.
Poor people often aren't able to afford any health insurance, fall sick and then end up having to spend ALL of their hard earned money, or even having to borrow / get into debt, to pay their medical bills.
That's why these people are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty.
I had a friend who comes from a really wealthy family. At only 28 he was already running his own successful company and was able to make a lot of money.
讽刺的是，穷人往往会把更多的钱花在必需品上。所以如何?
我有一个前同事，她买不起20美元的长期捷运卡，所以她每天都买一张新的单程票，结果她至少要多花50%的钱。她就是不愿意预付20美元，尽管她知道这最终会更省钱。
她每天只吃方便面。只要看她一眼，你就能看出她营养不良，极其不健康。她总是脸色苍白，面色发黄，而且经常生病。虽然她在本应适当的营养膳食上精打细算，但她最终为医疗账单支付了更多的钱。
穷人经常无法支付任何医疗保险，生病后不得不花光他们辛辛苦苦挣来的钱，甚至不得不借贷来支付他们的医疗账单。
这就是为什么这些人陷入贫困的恶性循环。
我有个朋友来自一个非常富有的家庭。只有28岁时，他就已经经营起了自己的公司，并且赚了很多钱。
I had an ex colleague who could not afford $20 on a long term mrt pass, so she would buy a new single trip ticket every day, which ends up costing her at least 50% more. She just couldn't cough up the $20 upfront, even though she knew it was ultimately more economical.
Then she would only eat instant ramen cup noodles every single day. Just by looking at her, you could tell she was malnourished & extremely unhealthy. She always looked sickly pale with a yellowish pallor and she constantly fell ill. While she scrimped money on proper nutritious meals, she ended up paying more money for medical bills.
Poor people often aren't able to afford any health insurance, fall sick and then end up having to spend ALL of their hard earned money, or even having to borrow / get into debt, to pay their medical bills.
That's why these people are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty.
I had a friend who comes from a really wealthy family. At only 28 he was already running his own successful company and was able to make a lot of money.
讽刺的是，穷人往往会把更多的钱花在必需品上。所以如何?
我有一个前同事，她买不起20美元的长期捷运卡，所以她每天都买一张新的单程票，结果她至少要多花50%的钱。她就是不愿意预付20美元，尽管她知道这最终会更省钱。
她每天只吃方便面。只要看她一眼，你就能看出她营养不良，极其不健康。她总是脸色苍白，面色发黄，而且经常生病。虽然她在本应适当的营养膳食上精打细算，但她最终为医疗账单支付了更多的钱。
穷人经常无法支付任何医疗保险，生病后不得不花光他们辛辛苦苦挣来的钱，甚至不得不借贷来支付他们的医疗账单。
这就是为什么这些人陷入贫困的恶性循环。
我有个朋友来自一个非常富有的家庭。只有28岁时，他就已经经营起了自己的公司，并且赚了很多钱。
Why? How?
His father had given him $2 million "seed money" to start his company.
Unless you are extremely stupid/ foolish, or gamble the money away, I think it's not that difficult to succeed if given $2 million seed money.
The other main reason why poor people remain poor is lack of opportunity. If half the poor people were each given $2 million seed money to start their own businesses, do you think they'd still be poor for long?
Even if you have no business knowledge, with that money you could hire the best people in the field to work for you. With money, shit gets done. With money, plans can be materialize. With money, leases can be paid and stock can be purchased. With money, networks can be built. Rich people like to socialize with other rich people- strange phenomenon hmm. *sarcasm*
With money, you could invest in 10 different things and even if 4 fail, you'd have 6 other things which WILL make you money.
为什么（他这么厉害）？如何做到的？
他的父亲给了他200万美元的“种子资金”，让他创办自己的公司。
除非你非常愚蠢，或者赌博输掉了钱，我认为如果得到200万美元的种子资金，想要成功并不是那么困难。
穷人仍然贫穷的另一个主要原因是缺乏机会。如果一半的穷人每人都能得到200万美元的种子资金来开办自己的企业，你认为他们还会长期贫困吗?
即使你没有商业知识，你也可以用这些钱雇佣业内最好的人为你工作。有了钱，什么事都能做。有了钱，计划就能实现。有了钱，租赁费可以支付，股票就可以购买。有了钱，网络就可以建立起来。富人喜欢和其他富人交往——奇怪的现象。讽刺吧！
有了钱，你可以投资10种不同的东西，即使4种失败了，你也会有6种其他的东西让你赚钱。
His father had given him $2 million "seed money" to start his company.
Unless you are extremely stupid/ foolish, or gamble the money away, I think it's not that difficult to succeed if given $2 million seed money.
The other main reason why poor people remain poor is lack of opportunity. If half the poor people were each given $2 million seed money to start their own businesses, do you think they'd still be poor for long?
Even if you have no business knowledge, with that money you could hire the best people in the field to work for you. With money, shit gets done. With money, plans can be materialize. With money, leases can be paid and stock can be purchased. With money, networks can be built. Rich people like to socialize with other rich people- strange phenomenon hmm. *sarcasm*
With money, you could invest in 10 different things and even if 4 fail, you'd have 6 other things which WILL make you money.
为什么（他这么厉害）？如何做到的？
他的父亲给了他200万美元的“种子资金”，让他创办自己的公司。
除非你非常愚蠢，或者赌博输掉了钱，我认为如果得到200万美元的种子资金，想要成功并不是那么困难。
穷人仍然贫穷的另一个主要原因是缺乏机会。如果一半的穷人每人都能得到200万美元的种子资金来开办自己的企业，你认为他们还会长期贫困吗?
即使你没有商业知识，你也可以用这些钱雇佣业内最好的人为你工作。有了钱，什么事都能做。有了钱，计划就能实现。有了钱，租赁费可以支付，股票就可以购买。有了钱，网络就可以建立起来。富人喜欢和其他富人交往——奇怪的现象。讽刺吧！
有了钱，你可以投资10种不同的东西，即使4种失败了，你也会有6种其他的东西让你赚钱。
Andrew Paquette, former Founder/Senior Lecturer at NHTV IGAD (2006-2018)
This question contains the assumption that “most” poor people remain poor. It may be true, but I would have preferred the question “Why do some poor people remain poor?” The reason is that I know of many people who have risen from poverty to affluence. They likely do not represent a majority, but they are a significant minority that shouldn’t be forgotten. An interesting contrast would be to ask “Why do some affluent people become poor?” It does happen, possibly more often than one would imagine. Without real figures to hand, questions are better if they address what can be reasonably known. For instance, that some poor people remain poor.
Answering the question is made difficult by the variety of circumstances that can lead to migration from one level of financial security (or insecurity) to another. Actor Gary Coleman, who made $100,000 an episode on the television series Diff’rent Strokes”, lost his money, went bankrupt, and found work as a security guard. That fall from wealth is not unheard of, where many famous actors and actresses have fallen on hard times for various reasons. In those cases, they are not losing their wealth because they lacked the advantages wealth confers. They had wealth, and plenty of it. They had friends, contacts, professional advisors, and significant assets. Despite these assets, they managed to lose everything.
这个问题包含了一个假设，即大多数穷人仍然贫穷。这也许是对的，但我更喜欢这个问题:“为什么有些穷人仍然贫穷?”原因是我知道很多人从贫穷到富裕。他们可能不代表大多数，但他们是不应该被忘记的重要的少数。一个有趣的对比是问“为什么一些富人变穷了?”这种事的确会发生，可能比人们想象的要频繁得多。如果没有现成的真实数据，那么问题最好是能说明那些可以被他们合理了解的内容。例如，一些穷人仍然贫穷的缘由。
回答这个问题是不容易的，因为各种情况可能导致财富级别转变到另一个层次。演员加里·科尔曼曾在电视剧《千差万别》中一集赚了10万美元，但他输了钱，破产了，只找到了一份保安的工作。财富的减少并非闻所未闻，许多著名的男女演员由于各种原因陷入困境。在这些情况下，他们失去财富并不是因为他们缺乏财富赋予他们的优势而引起的。他们很富有，而且非常富有。他们有朋友、熟人、专业顾问和重要资产。尽管有这些，他们还是失去了一切。
This question contains the assumption that “most” poor people remain poor. It may be true, but I would have preferred the question “Why do some poor people remain poor?” The reason is that I know of many people who have risen from poverty to affluence. They likely do not represent a majority, but they are a significant minority that shouldn’t be forgotten. An interesting contrast would be to ask “Why do some affluent people become poor?” It does happen, possibly more often than one would imagine. Without real figures to hand, questions are better if they address what can be reasonably known. For instance, that some poor people remain poor.
Answering the question is made difficult by the variety of circumstances that can lead to migration from one level of financial security (or insecurity) to another. Actor Gary Coleman, who made $100,000 an episode on the television series Diff’rent Strokes”, lost his money, went bankrupt, and found work as a security guard. That fall from wealth is not unheard of, where many famous actors and actresses have fallen on hard times for various reasons. In those cases, they are not losing their wealth because they lacked the advantages wealth confers. They had wealth, and plenty of it. They had friends, contacts, professional advisors, and significant assets. Despite these assets, they managed to lose everything.
这个问题包含了一个假设，即大多数穷人仍然贫穷。这也许是对的，但我更喜欢这个问题:“为什么有些穷人仍然贫穷?”原因是我知道很多人从贫穷到富裕。他们可能不代表大多数，但他们是不应该被忘记的重要的少数。一个有趣的对比是问“为什么一些富人变穷了?”这种事的确会发生，可能比人们想象的要频繁得多。如果没有现成的真实数据，那么问题最好是能说明那些可以被他们合理了解的内容。例如，一些穷人仍然贫穷的缘由。
回答这个问题是不容易的，因为各种情况可能导致财富级别转变到另一个层次。演员加里·科尔曼曾在电视剧《千差万别》中一集赚了10万美元，但他输了钱，破产了，只找到了一份保安的工作。财富的减少并非闻所未闻，许多著名的男女演员由于各种原因陷入困境。在这些情况下，他们失去财富并不是因为他们缺乏财富赋予他们的优势而引起的。他们很富有，而且非常富有。他们有朋友、熟人、专业顾问和重要资产。尽管有这些，他们还是失去了一切。
On the other end of the spectrum are people who come from a life of poverty and become affluent. One of the more extreme examples that comes to mind is author J.K. Rowling. After a number of personal setbacks, she found herself living off the dole in England. She had no money other than what was given to her as charity, and this was only enough for subsistence. Despite this, she became a billionaire due to the success of the Harry Potter series of books she created. She did not become wealthy due to a life of advantage that naturally led to affluence, just as Gary Coleman did not become poor because he lacked the support affluence provides.
This question, by lumping many different people together as “the poor” assumes that they can be treated as a homogenous group instead of individuals. Individual differences cover the full range of born into poverty to spectacular affluence. One could try to average the economic performance of individuals who belong to the “poor” group over their lifetimes, but would such a metric be useful? Better to ask why, in some cases, a person or family remain poor. That way you can focus on a specific set of circumstances that likely do not generalise well to the overall population.
When “the poor” are discussed as a homogenous group, it is sometimes due to efforts to aid people in poverty through modifications to social programs. In my experience, I rarely see questions like this outside that context. If that is the case here, the problem is that individuals do not react the same way. Therefore, a solution that may help one person will make another more dependent and less able to escape poverty.
另一方面，有些人出身贫困，后来变得富裕起来。我想到的一个比较极端的例子是作家J.K.罗琳。在经历了几次个人挫折之后，她发现自己在英国靠救济金生活。除了施舍给她的钱以外，她没有别的钱，而这些钱只够维持生活。尽管如此，由于她创作的《哈利波特》系列小说而取得成功，她成为了亿万富翁。她不是因为原本生活优越而富裕，就像加里·科尔曼也不是因为缺乏 有钱所带来的便利而变得贫穷。
这个问题，通过把许多不同的人归为“穷人”，假设他们可以被当作一个同质的群体来对待，而不是个人。个体差异涵盖了从出生贫穷到极度富裕的所有阶层。人们可以尝试将属于“穷人”群体的个人一生的经济表现平均起来，但这样的衡量标准有用吗?最好问问为什么，在某些情况下，一个人或一个家庭持续贫穷。这样你就可以专注于一组特定的情况，而这些情况不能很好地被推广到所有人身上。
当穷人作为一个同质群体被讨论时，有时是因为通过修改社会项目来帮助贫困人口的努力。根据我的经验，我很少在这个背景之外看到这样的问题。如果这里的情况是这样，那么问题就在于个体的反应并不相同。因此，一种可能帮助一个人的解决方案会使另一个人更加依赖别人，更难以摆脱贫困。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
This question, by lumping many different people together as “the poor” assumes that they can be treated as a homogenous group instead of individuals. Individual differences cover the full range of born into poverty to spectacular affluence. One could try to average the economic performance of individuals who belong to the “poor” group over their lifetimes, but would such a metric be useful? Better to ask why, in some cases, a person or family remain poor. That way you can focus on a specific set of circumstances that likely do not generalise well to the overall population.
When “the poor” are discussed as a homogenous group, it is sometimes due to efforts to aid people in poverty through modifications to social programs. In my experience, I rarely see questions like this outside that context. If that is the case here, the problem is that individuals do not react the same way. Therefore, a solution that may help one person will make another more dependent and less able to escape poverty.
另一方面，有些人出身贫困，后来变得富裕起来。我想到的一个比较极端的例子是作家J.K.罗琳。在经历了几次个人挫折之后，她发现自己在英国靠救济金生活。除了施舍给她的钱以外，她没有别的钱，而这些钱只够维持生活。尽管如此，由于她创作的《哈利波特》系列小说而取得成功，她成为了亿万富翁。她不是因为原本生活优越而富裕，就像加里·科尔曼也不是因为缺乏 有钱所带来的便利而变得贫穷。
这个问题，通过把许多不同的人归为“穷人”，假设他们可以被当作一个同质的群体来对待，而不是个人。个体差异涵盖了从出生贫穷到极度富裕的所有阶层。人们可以尝试将属于“穷人”群体的个人一生的经济表现平均起来，但这样的衡量标准有用吗?最好问问为什么，在某些情况下，一个人或一个家庭持续贫穷。这样你就可以专注于一组特定的情况，而这些情况不能很好地被推广到所有人身上。
当穷人作为一个同质群体被讨论时，有时是因为通过修改社会项目来帮助贫困人口的努力。根据我的经验，我很少在这个背景之外看到这样的问题。如果这里的情况是这样，那么问题就在于个体的反应并不相同。因此，一种可能帮助一个人的解决方案会使另一个人更加依赖别人，更难以摆脱贫困。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
In my case, my family fell well below the poverty line. It was a single parent family, two kids and a mother. We moved so often that I am now living in my 57th residential address, though I am 52 and haven’t moved a great deal since 1989 or so. Why was our family poor? First, without a father, a second income was out of the question. Second, my mother worked intermittently. She worked a string of jobs as a secretary and a paralegal, but never held them for any meaningful amount of time. This meant we went long periods of time where we were dependent on charity for basic survival. From time to time we lived in one of our several cars, each of which was at death’s door when purchased by my mother for a few hundred dollars. My mother wanted money but she was either unable to do the work to get it, or she wasn’t willing to do the work. She had several wealthy men propose to her, but she either turned them down, or initially accepted before changing her mind and moving out of town in the dead of night. Financial security clearly was not a priority for her.
Did my mother ever escape poverty? No. There was a brief period of a few years when she had a steady job as a paralegal that paid a decent wage. However, she had concerns about her employer that caused problems and she eventually left. She now lives in a tiny cottage in a tiny desert town in Arizona. The street, according to her, is populated by retirees and drug dealers, all of whom are attracted by the cheap rent and isolation. Why didn’t she escape poverty? In my view, it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. She could have done it many times over, but on every occasion opportunity came knocking, she walked away in terror. My impression is that she was afraid of success and couldn’t accept it in her own life. She was not lazy, unintelligent, or unattractive. My mother had many of the traits one expects will lead to success, the opportunity to profit from those advantages, but she lacked the will to do it. There was always something else she wanted more. As she put it, she wanted independence.
就我个人而言，我的家庭生活在贫困线以下。那是一个单亲家庭，即两个孩子和一位母亲。我们十分频繁的搬家，我现在住在我的第57个居住区，我今年52岁，自1989年前后就没怎么搬过家。为什么我们家很穷?首先，没有父亲，第二份收入是没有的。其次，我母亲断断续续地工作。她做过一系列的工作，比如秘书和律师助理，但从来没有做过有意义的工作。这意味着我们在很长一段时间里都要依靠慈善机构来维持基本的生存。我们时常住在几辆车中的其中一辆里，每一辆车都是我母亲花几百美元买的濒临报废车。我母亲想要钱，但她要么没办法去挣钱，要么就是不愿意去挣钱。有几个有钱的男人向她求婚，但她要么开始就拒绝了他们，要么一开始接受了，后来她改变了主意，在深更半夜时搬到城外。保障经济安全显然不是她的首要任务。
我母亲脱离过贫困吗?没有。有一小段时间，她有一份稳定的律师助理工作，薪水还不错。然而，她担心她的雇主会带来麻烦，最终她离开了。她现在住在亚利桑那州一个沙漠小镇的一间小屋里。据她说，这条街上住着退休人员和毒贩，他们都被低廉的租金和与世隔绝的环境所吸引。她为什么没有摆脱贫困?在我看来，这并不是因为缺少机会。她本有很多次机会可以摆脱贫困， 每次机会来敲门，她都惊恐地走开。我的印象是她害怕成功，于是生活中无法接受成功。她既不懒惰，也不笨，更不丑。我的母亲拥有被许多人们认为会带来成功的特质，以及从这些特质获益的机会，但她缺乏这样做的意志。总有她更想要的东西。正如她所说，她想要独立。
Did my mother ever escape poverty? No. There was a brief period of a few years when she had a steady job as a paralegal that paid a decent wage. However, she had concerns about her employer that caused problems and she eventually left. She now lives in a tiny cottage in a tiny desert town in Arizona. The street, according to her, is populated by retirees and drug dealers, all of whom are attracted by the cheap rent and isolation. Why didn’t she escape poverty? In my view, it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. She could have done it many times over, but on every occasion opportunity came knocking, she walked away in terror. My impression is that she was afraid of success and couldn’t accept it in her own life. She was not lazy, unintelligent, or unattractive. My mother had many of the traits one expects will lead to success, the opportunity to profit from those advantages, but she lacked the will to do it. There was always something else she wanted more. As she put it, she wanted independence.
就我个人而言，我的家庭生活在贫困线以下。那是一个单亲家庭，即两个孩子和一位母亲。我们十分频繁的搬家，我现在住在我的第57个居住区，我今年52岁，自1989年前后就没怎么搬过家。为什么我们家很穷?首先，没有父亲，第二份收入是没有的。其次，我母亲断断续续地工作。她做过一系列的工作，比如秘书和律师助理，但从来没有做过有意义的工作。这意味着我们在很长一段时间里都要依靠慈善机构来维持基本的生存。我们时常住在几辆车中的其中一辆里，每一辆车都是我母亲花几百美元买的濒临报废车。我母亲想要钱，但她要么没办法去挣钱，要么就是不愿意去挣钱。有几个有钱的男人向她求婚，但她要么开始就拒绝了他们，要么一开始接受了，后来她改变了主意，在深更半夜时搬到城外。保障经济安全显然不是她的首要任务。
我母亲脱离过贫困吗?没有。有一小段时间，她有一份稳定的律师助理工作，薪水还不错。然而，她担心她的雇主会带来麻烦，最终她离开了。她现在住在亚利桑那州一个沙漠小镇的一间小屋里。据她说，这条街上住着退休人员和毒贩，他们都被低廉的租金和与世隔绝的环境所吸引。她为什么没有摆脱贫困?在我看来，这并不是因为缺少机会。她本有很多次机会可以摆脱贫困， 每次机会来敲门，她都惊恐地走开。我的印象是她害怕成功，于是生活中无法接受成功。她既不懒惰，也不笨，更不丑。我的母亲拥有被许多人们认为会带来成功的特质，以及从这些特质获益的机会，但她缺乏这样做的意志。总有她更想要的东西。正如她所说，她想要独立。
What of my sister and myself? We both grew up poor. Even worse, because of our frequent moves, and our mother’s admonitions not to ever contact our friends and relatives again, we lacked any kind of social support structure. Other children in poor families can make effective use of schools, churches, more affluent or knowledgeable friends, and other local stable resources to work their way out of poverty. In my case, that was not possible. We were lucky to stay in the same place for six months, after which all contact was broken. And yet, my sister and I have broken out of poverty, though to differing degrees.
My sister had a hard life for a long time, but eventually married a good man with a stable job and a supportive family. She joined a church and turned her life around. They aren’t wealthy, but they own their own home, have raised two daughters, and are financially secure. That is a massive step up from where they started. How did she do it? The easy answer is that she got married to the right man. However, she didn’t have to, and she had to recognise that he was the right man for that to lead anywhere. After accomplishing that, she had to work at the marriage to make it a good one. She wasn’t just a housewife either. After marrying, she held many jobs, from waitress, to receptionist at a hospital, to prison guard at a women’s prison. She worked, and worked with her husband to create the economic stability they needed but she had lacked during her entire childhood.
那我和我妹妹呢?我们都出身贫寒。更糟糕的是，由于我们频繁搬家，加上母亲告诫我们不要再联系亲朋好友，我们缺乏任何一种社会支持。其他贫困家庭的孩子可以有效地利用学校、教堂、更富有或更有知识的朋友以及其他当地稳定的资源，以自己的方式摆脱贫困。对我们来说，这是不可能的。我们有幸在同一个地方呆了六个月，之后所有的联系都中断了。如今我妹妹和我已经摆脱了贫困，尽管程度不同。
我妹妹有很长一段时间过着艰难的生活，但最终嫁给了一个有稳定工作和支持她的家庭的好男人。她加入了教堂，改变了自己的生活。他们并不富裕，但有自己的房子，有两个女儿，经济上有保障。这是一个巨大的进步，她是怎么做到的?简单的答案是她嫁给了对的人。她首先必须认识到他是一个合适的男人，完成这些之后，她必须努力使这段婚姻美满。她也不只是一个家庭主妇。结婚后，她做过很多工作，从服务员到医院的接待员，再到女子监狱的狱警。她她的丈夫一起工作，创造了他们所需要的经济稳定的环境，但她整个童年都缺乏这种稳定。
My sister had a hard life for a long time, but eventually married a good man with a stable job and a supportive family. She joined a church and turned her life around. They aren’t wealthy, but they own their own home, have raised two daughters, and are financially secure. That is a massive step up from where they started. How did she do it? The easy answer is that she got married to the right man. However, she didn’t have to, and she had to recognise that he was the right man for that to lead anywhere. After accomplishing that, she had to work at the marriage to make it a good one. She wasn’t just a housewife either. After marrying, she held many jobs, from waitress, to receptionist at a hospital, to prison guard at a women’s prison. She worked, and worked with her husband to create the economic stability they needed but she had lacked during her entire childhood.
那我和我妹妹呢?我们都出身贫寒。更糟糕的是，由于我们频繁搬家，加上母亲告诫我们不要再联系亲朋好友，我们缺乏任何一种社会支持。其他贫困家庭的孩子可以有效地利用学校、教堂、更富有或更有知识的朋友以及其他当地稳定的资源，以自己的方式摆脱贫困。对我们来说，这是不可能的。我们有幸在同一个地方呆了六个月，之后所有的联系都中断了。如今我妹妹和我已经摆脱了贫困，尽管程度不同。
我妹妹有很长一段时间过着艰难的生活，但最终嫁给了一个有稳定工作和支持她的家庭的好男人。她加入了教堂，改变了自己的生活。他们并不富裕，但有自己的房子，有两个女儿，经济上有保障。这是一个巨大的进步，她是怎么做到的?简单的答案是她嫁给了对的人。她首先必须认识到他是一个合适的男人，完成这些之后，她必须努力使这段婚姻美满。她也不只是一个家庭主妇。结婚后，她做过很多工作，从服务员到医院的接待员，再到女子监狱的狱警。她她的丈夫一起工作，创造了他们所需要的经济稳定的环境，但她整个童年都缺乏这种稳定。
In my case, I studied. I was an excellent student from my earliest years, easily the strongest student in every school I attended. When I finished studying one subject, to relax, I would study another. I still have this habit. It makes it very difficult to relax any way other than by finding a new type of work. If it generates income, even better. Most of my hobbies have eventually generated income for me in one way or another. So, although my personal investments have sometimes not worked out the way I would have liked, I am no longer in poverty either. Why? Possibly because I don’t want to be. Another way to put it is that I also want other things that require that I am not in poverty.
For instance, at one time I was a struggling comic book artist. I wanted to find a way to make the drawing process more efficient and hit on the idea of using a computer to help layout the panels. To get a computer, I had to get the money to buy one. I wanted that enough that I found a way to do it. That led to a successful career in computer graphics. In my mother’s case, she cared more about independence: from men, from a job, from children, from housework, than about economic stability. I cared about accomplishing things that tended to enhance my career. My sister cared about providing a stable home for her kids.
就我而言，我是在学习。我从小就是一个优秀的学生，在我所就读的每一所学校里，我都是最优秀的学生。当我学习完一个科目，为了放松，我会学习另一个科目。我仍然有这个习惯。除了找一份新工作，不然难有任何其他方式放松。如果它能带来收入，那就更好了。我的大多数爱好最终都以这样或那样的方式为我带来了收入。因此，尽管我的个人投资有时并不如我所愿，但我也不再贫穷了。为什么?可能是因为我不想这样。另一种说法是，我也想要其他东西，要求我不能贫穷。
例如，我曾经是一个苦苦挣扎的漫画艺术家。我想找到一种方法，使绘图过程更有效，并想到了使用电脑来帮助布局面板的想法。为了买一台电脑，我得先攒钱。我很想这么做，所以我找到了办法。这导致了在计算机绘图方面取得成功的职业生涯。就我母亲而言，她更关心独立:远离男人、远离工作、远离孩子、远离家务，而不是经济稳定。我在乎的是能提升我事业的成就。我姐姐很关心为她的孩子提供一个稳定的家。
For instance, at one time I was a struggling comic book artist. I wanted to find a way to make the drawing process more efficient and hit on the idea of using a computer to help layout the panels. To get a computer, I had to get the money to buy one. I wanted that enough that I found a way to do it. That led to a successful career in computer graphics. In my mother’s case, she cared more about independence: from men, from a job, from children, from housework, than about economic stability. I cared about accomplishing things that tended to enhance my career. My sister cared about providing a stable home for her kids.
就我而言，我是在学习。我从小就是一个优秀的学生，在我所就读的每一所学校里，我都是最优秀的学生。当我学习完一个科目，为了放松，我会学习另一个科目。我仍然有这个习惯。除了找一份新工作，不然难有任何其他方式放松。如果它能带来收入，那就更好了。我的大多数爱好最终都以这样或那样的方式为我带来了收入。因此，尽管我的个人投资有时并不如我所愿，但我也不再贫穷了。为什么?可能是因为我不想这样。另一种说法是，我也想要其他东西，要求我不能贫穷。
例如，我曾经是一个苦苦挣扎的漫画艺术家。我想找到一种方法，使绘图过程更有效，并想到了使用电脑来帮助布局面板的想法。为了买一台电脑，我得先攒钱。我很想这么做，所以我找到了办法。这导致了在计算机绘图方面取得成功的职业生涯。就我母亲而言，她更关心独立:远离男人、远离工作、远离孩子、远离家务，而不是经济稳定。我在乎的是能提升我事业的成就。我姐姐很关心为她的孩子提供一个稳定的家。
Peter Grillet, @MrGrillet
Originally Answered: Why do you think the poor remain poor?
I believe the poor/ working class (in the west) remain poor because they do not invest their disposable income in things that will go on to generate income, they spend money on things that take their disposable income.
I am not saying that it is easy to purchase income producing assets on a minimum wage but it is possible, you just need to make sacrifices in the short term and then reinvest the profits - flat TVs, birthdays, iPhones, iPads, christmas gifts, stag do's, evenings/ weekends at the pub, season tickets - all of this money can be used to buy assets.
Mortgages are a great example of how there is a misunderstanding in my opinion:
A "poor" person, upon getting a stable job would look to take out a mortgage on their property believing that they are investing. They would look for the most expensive proporty that they could purchase and then pour a significant proportion of their income into servicing that mortgage until it was paid off. (Also running the risk of losing all of that capital built up in the property if they lost their job and could not service the debt) This means they would not be earning any income.
However a 'rich' person would have purchased a number of 'investments' that produce income - dividend paying shares, bonds, Zopa Loans, chipping into a friend's business idea or purchasing a house that will immediately be rented out - all of which produce cash returns over time and allowing one's money to multiply and freeing up time to look for other income producing assets, rather than hoping to see a return if you are able to sell for a profit and are willing to downsize/ move out of the area.
I believe this is partly because there isn't much in the way of financial education. If we swapped English Lit classes or Religious Studies for Finance/ economics - basic (value) investing concepts, I think there would be a significant difference.
我相信在西方的穷人/工人阶级仍然贫穷，因为他们不把他们的可支配收入投资于那些会产生收入的事情上，他们把钱花在那些拿走他们可支配收入的东西上。
我并不是说用最低工资购买可创收资产很容易，但这是可能的，你只需要在短期内做出牺牲，然后将利润再投资——平板电视、生日、iPhone、iPad、圣诞礼物、晚上或周末逛酒吧、季票——所有消耗在这些项目上的钱都可以用来购买资产。
但是抵押贷款就是一个可以说明我的观点并不严谨的好例子：
一个贫穷的人，一旦找到了一份稳定的工作，就会认为自己是在投资，就为自己的房产办理抵押贷款。他们会寻找他们可以付出最大代价（最大风险）的贷款方式，然后倾注他们的收入相当大的一部分投入其中（归还贷款。贷款的钱用于提前消费），直到抵押贷款被还清。如果他们失去了工作，无力偿还债务，也有可能失去房产和积累的所有资本，这意味着他们将无法赚取任何收入。
然而，富人会购买一些产生收入的投资：派息股票、债券、贷款，投资朋友的商业想法或购买一套马上就要出租的房子。所有这些都会随着时间的推移产生现金回报，让一个人的钱成倍增加，腾出时间寻找其他能产生收入的资产，而不是希望愿意缩小规模把产业卖出去牟利以及就为了能看到回报搬家离开这个区域。
我相信部分原因是因为缺乏金融知识教育。如果我们把英语文学课或宗教课换成金融/经济基础价值投资概念，我想结果会有很大的不同。
Originally Answered: Why do you think the poor remain poor?
I believe the poor/ working class (in the west) remain poor because they do not invest their disposable income in things that will go on to generate income, they spend money on things that take their disposable income.
I am not saying that it is easy to purchase income producing assets on a minimum wage but it is possible, you just need to make sacrifices in the short term and then reinvest the profits - flat TVs, birthdays, iPhones, iPads, christmas gifts, stag do's, evenings/ weekends at the pub, season tickets - all of this money can be used to buy assets.
Mortgages are a great example of how there is a misunderstanding in my opinion:
A "poor" person, upon getting a stable job would look to take out a mortgage on their property believing that they are investing. They would look for the most expensive proporty that they could purchase and then pour a significant proportion of their income into servicing that mortgage until it was paid off. (Also running the risk of losing all of that capital built up in the property if they lost their job and could not service the debt) This means they would not be earning any income.
However a 'rich' person would have purchased a number of 'investments' that produce income - dividend paying shares, bonds, Zopa Loans, chipping into a friend's business idea or purchasing a house that will immediately be rented out - all of which produce cash returns over time and allowing one's money to multiply and freeing up time to look for other income producing assets, rather than hoping to see a return if you are able to sell for a profit and are willing to downsize/ move out of the area.
I believe this is partly because there isn't much in the way of financial education. If we swapped English Lit classes or Religious Studies for Finance/ economics - basic (value) investing concepts, I think there would be a significant difference.
我相信在西方的穷人/工人阶级仍然贫穷，因为他们不把他们的可支配收入投资于那些会产生收入的事情上，他们把钱花在那些拿走他们可支配收入的东西上。
我并不是说用最低工资购买可创收资产很容易，但这是可能的，你只需要在短期内做出牺牲，然后将利润再投资——平板电视、生日、iPhone、iPad、圣诞礼物、晚上或周末逛酒吧、季票——所有消耗在这些项目上的钱都可以用来购买资产。
但是抵押贷款就是一个可以说明我的观点并不严谨的好例子：
一个贫穷的人，一旦找到了一份稳定的工作，就会认为自己是在投资，就为自己的房产办理抵押贷款。他们会寻找他们可以付出最大代价（最大风险）的贷款方式，然后倾注他们的收入相当大的一部分投入其中（归还贷款。贷款的钱用于提前消费），直到抵押贷款被还清。如果他们失去了工作，无力偿还债务，也有可能失去房产和积累的所有资本，这意味着他们将无法赚取任何收入。
然而，富人会购买一些产生收入的投资：派息股票、债券、贷款，投资朋友的商业想法或购买一套马上就要出租的房子。所有这些都会随着时间的推移产生现金回报，让一个人的钱成倍增加，腾出时间寻找其他能产生收入的资产，而不是希望愿意缩小规模把产业卖出去牟利以及就为了能看到回报搬家离开这个区域。
我相信部分原因是因为缺乏金融知识教育。如果我们把英语文学课或宗教课换成金融/经济基础价值投资概念，我想结果会有很大的不同。
Fesal Mohammed, Data Visualisation Specialist at Investment Banking
Most poor people don't have a clear path out of their poverty!
I grew up relatively poor, Dad was a manual labourer and my mum worked in a sandwich factory
Small house. Not a lot of money. Needed a bit of support from government.
However… School was free (and compulsory) all they up to University. I worked for 8years before becoming a self-employed consultant and started making the ‘big bucks' on the city.
Only until last year, I was purchasing at least one property a year- it was easy. Some properties I've only ever visited once, only to pick up the keys to handover to an agent who would manage on my behalf.
Now I have two side line business, investing in land and property aboard and the usual stocks and shares-easy peasy!
I'm by no means a staunch socialist ，UK made me took 16 years of free education and guidance.
Libertarians and some conservatives can keep moaning about big government interfering in peoples lives but I'm glad they did with mine.
大多数穷人没有一条明确的脱贫之路！
我从小就比较穷，爸爸是个体力劳动者，妈妈在一家三明治工厂工作。
需要获得政府的支持才有不是很值钱的小房子住。
然而，学校直到大学都是免费的，而且是义务的。我工作了8年才成为一名自营咨询师，并开始在城市里赚大钱。
直到去年，我才开始一年至少买一套房产，这很容易。有些房产我只去过一次，只是为了把钥匙交给一个代理，代理会代我管理。
现在我有两个副业，在国外投资土地和房产，平时投资股票，股票上挺容易赚的！
我绝不是一个坚定的社会主义者，但英国政府让我接受了16年的免费教育和指导。
自由主义者和一些保守派可以继续抱怨政府干预人们的生活，但我很高兴他们这样做了。
Most poor people don't have a clear path out of their poverty!
I grew up relatively poor, Dad was a manual labourer and my mum worked in a sandwich factory
Small house. Not a lot of money. Needed a bit of support from government.
However… School was free (and compulsory) all they up to University. I worked for 8years before becoming a self-employed consultant and started making the ‘big bucks' on the city.
Only until last year, I was purchasing at least one property a year- it was easy. Some properties I've only ever visited once, only to pick up the keys to handover to an agent who would manage on my behalf.
Now I have two side line business, investing in land and property aboard and the usual stocks and shares-easy peasy!
I'm by no means a staunch socialist ，UK made me took 16 years of free education and guidance.
Libertarians and some conservatives can keep moaning about big government interfering in peoples lives but I'm glad they did with mine.
大多数穷人没有一条明确的脱贫之路！
我从小就比较穷，爸爸是个体力劳动者，妈妈在一家三明治工厂工作。
需要获得政府的支持才有不是很值钱的小房子住。
然而，学校直到大学都是免费的，而且是义务的。我工作了8年才成为一名自营咨询师，并开始在城市里赚大钱。
直到去年，我才开始一年至少买一套房产，这很容易。有些房产我只去过一次，只是为了把钥匙交给一个代理，代理会代我管理。
现在我有两个副业，在国外投资土地和房产，平时投资股票，股票上挺容易赚的！
我绝不是一个坚定的社会主义者，但英国政府让我接受了16年的免费教育和指导。
自由主义者和一些保守派可以继续抱怨政府干预人们的生活，但我很高兴他们这样做了。
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