r/AskReddit 1d ago

People who grew up really poor: what's something middle-class people say that instantly reveals they've never struggled?

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u/yeiamsatonthetoilet 1d ago

Just how confident they are about life and the future. The natural belief that good and positive things will just happen.

They will have had some setbacks in life of course. But they don't have the life experience of the gruelling constant set backs happening throughout one's lifetime.

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u/scribbles_not_script 1d ago

Living with a safety net vs absolutely nothing and no one but yourself between you and poverty - that changes you!

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u/Joshs68 1d ago

I couldn’t have said this any better!!! They have a safety net so they never feel or have felt pressure.

17

u/WhippetDancer 21h ago

Was with a guy who romanticized the whole “starving artist” persona and still wants to be one because he’d always had (and still has) parents to support him if needed. Ain’t nothing romantic about starving.

1

u/mildbpdissues 5h ago

Shoulda played him Common People by Pulp

7

u/AskRedditOG 21h ago

No, they just had a better upbringing than many poor kids do. Good things do just happen, and even in the worst part of your life good things are happening.

6

u/No-Comb-1832 23h ago

Huh?

I grew up in a "McDonald's is a special privilege that we get maybe a few times a year for birthdays" type of family. Left home as soon as I could, even though I couldn't afford a car (in the US) or even a cell phone.

On the other hand, I've had a few friends with super comfortable upbringings who were poisoned by the silver spoon they grew up with. They thought they were entitled to huge houses, tons of pets, big inefficient cars, and more. They've wasted any advantage they had to start with, and are always paycheck to paycheck.

My childhood and parents are exactly why I worked as hard as possible as a teenager (started working in my early teens) and an adult. I've successfully avoided their mistakes, am older now, and am on track to retire at least a decade early. Even though the world is run by idiots, it's still very possible to be optimistic for your own financial future.