On Being Poor.

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I have met people from all walks of life and from every angle. I have found rich who are very kind and accomodating and rich that you would not want to know. I have met poor on both extremes as well.
I have to say that wealth and money is nothing but a tool and is neither here or there when it comes to a persons character... But the problems I tend to find in society in regards to their disgraceful conduct towards others, tends to be the middle class who try to make themselves seen as being something special when they are not.
I ave to say something here. I have met and had quite a few conversations with a man who I would term as being ultra rich. You would not know he was. He wears ordinary casual clothes. Does not put on airs and graces... You would not be able to single him out in a crowd. And he freely will give advice to anyone who is willing to listen to him. He does not go out of his way to drive around in an expensive car. I met him when I worked on the railway, and I actually also met him again a few times when voluteering to try to get a project launched. It wasn't his project. He was lending a hand. Now something of advice he told me that stuck in my mind, though things have changed a little since then.
He said "If you want to find out the truth aboug what is going on in the world, never watch the news". He then gave me the names of two UK newspapers that told the truth about what is going on. He said "All the rich get these papers and you will rarely see any of them watching the TV". I was puzzled. He explained how the television companies are employed to broadcast manipulation to control people.
This advice stayed with me, and since then I set out to find the whole picture of a news event I see rather then just looking at the event at face value and assuming that it is truth. It is really an eye opener if one knows people living near the areas in the world that happen to be in the news. I asked one person who had just come back from Israel as I heard they were staying next to a place where there had been a lot of trouble. (I am not saying Israel does not have issues. It has many). But I told them what I had watched on the BBC news and where they said it was. They could not believe it. They were staying in an apartment overlooking the very event, and it was all actirs employed. They were told they were making a movie (A film). They never expected it to be on the news. The entire event was staged to make it look like Israel had attacked a group of "Innocent" Palestinians. It was all a total fabrication. They had spent a few days rehearsing it!

I'm one of those who ask - is it about me? Am I unconciously saying something inconsiderate?

I have been poor. I have been well off. It wasn't my fault or credit, just changing circumstances. I have been doing "menial" and "high status" jobs. And all the time I have been the same person living the same life, so why should anyone's respect depend on such things?

Probably, our culture needs revaluation, it still carries post-neolithic pecking orders despite the technology made it completely obsolete - we don't need a whole class of poor peasants to produce enough food for everyone any more.

XFG, thank you and everyone like you, who do the jobs no one else wants to do. Without you (collectively), everything would quite literally fall apart.

We need to reform society so that the gap between the rich and poor is lessened. The rich (both people and corporations) need to pay a bit more so that the poor who can't otherwise support themselves (for whatever reason) are adequately supported.

Money needs to cease to be the be-all and end-all of society. We need a society where those who do the jobs no one else wants to do are valued and appreciated as well. Being poor should not be stigmatized, nor should it mean you are deprived of anything you need to live a happy life. You should, if you are able, have the opportunity to contribute to society to the best of your ability.

This stirred a lot of somewhat dormant emotions and memories inside me, that I just cannot express right now.

But I'll at least echo Fnord in how dignified and respect-worthy your words and attitude are. Also, this must be the most articulate rant I've ever heard or read.

Well, thanks everybody for the responses. I think I've finally re-adjusted to my new work schedule, so
i'm in the correct headspace to respond.

To answer a question, my puppers is a nine-year-old beagle/terrier mix who I've recently spent close to a grand on in order to get her allergies in check, but, as I've already stated, my main concern is taking care of her and my mother, so I'll do what I have to do.

To expand on certain themes in my OP, I should clarify that "hierarchy" has never been much of a concern for me. I'm not competitive in the least, and I couldn't care less how I stack-up compared to other people. It's actually one of the reasons I don't relate to most of the rest of humanity. Most other people I meet seem hyper-focused on being "better" than someone else and will preform absolutely tortured mental gymnastics to invent reasons why they're "superior." I consider myself to be an average person of average to below-average capabilities. I'm fine with being a faceless worker ant, I'm just puzzled as to why people in our lovely Capitalist society feel the need to take shots at me. Seriously, individuals should just be grateful for the opportunities they've had in life and not spit on others who haven't had those same opportunities.

Would I like a job where my innate talents come into play? Sure. However, as Fate would have it, the only things I'm even remotely good at is writing and being "creative." Unfortunately, getting a "creative" job requires a fair amount of luck and knowing the right people. Currently, I'm pursuing my B.A. in English, but I doubt it'll change my job prospects much. And, no matter how good of a writer I may be, I'm still hampered by anxiety, an abyssal working memory, and a limited ability to "picture" things in my head. And, before anyone asks, yes, I've tried to go for more "practical" education only to crash and burn. I still have nightmares about my aborted attempts at being a medical lab tech.

Well, thanks again, everyone. Normally, I'm considered a "good listener" and people will bring their problems to me. It's nice to be able to do a bit of venting of my own.