• themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Don’t forget he accepted charity in the form of free housing and donations that were likely only available to him through existing connections.

    Also this:

    Despite failing to make the million dollars he had aimed for, Black says it was still a successful experiment after demonstrating how it was possible to rebuild his life through the power of determination.

    So this dipshit learned nothing. He failed, and would probably have died in the gutter, but instead he pulled the ripcord and bailed on poverty in a way that isn’t available to 99% of humans on earth.

    • whereisk@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      He had knowledge and connections to the upper echelons and he couldn’t make it, and when health concerns arose he went back to his money because it sucks to be working poor and in need of medical assistance.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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        6 months ago

        He also didn’t have the stress that would come from actual failure with no money.

        Bankruptcy, homelessness and real poverty fuck up your ability to succeed in a vastly underrated way.

        • whereisk@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Exactly. The calculus for taking risks is vastly different when there’s a safety net. You can treat it as a game and go all in.

          On the other hand if there’s even a small chance of losing housing or getting in legal trouble or your family being destitute you take no risks - if you are a person with a sense of responsibility that is.

          • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
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            6 months ago

            Yup, or you take maybe a couple risks in a lifetime, but if they don’t pan out you suffer from them for years as you go back to stability and try to regain what little of a toehold on a good life you might have had.

            The very real lesson for the poor is “don’t try,” especially if you have dependents. You’ll be knocked back harder than you can imagine.

            These mfs don’t know what it’s like to see loved ones start losing teeth because you made a failed push and now you’re paying it back with interest.

            • whereisk@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              You can see how this structure favours the most sociopathic members of society, as they are the ones that will take more risks without regard for others.

        • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          His father got cancer during the experiment. He considered ending it then, but he continued with the experiment.

          Imagine having that sort of choice. He didn’t have to skip work to take his dad to appointments. He didn’t have to eat ramen to afford chemo. It was only when his own health was at risk that he pulled the plug.

          Imagine a world where everybody had that sort of safety net. Just like, “Nope, shit’s too hard.”

        • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          For most people, it’s easier to become homeless than it is for the homeless to extricate themselves from it.

        • TheHarpyEagle@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Even the stress of worrying about money. Yeah you can take out a loan for your risky business venture when you know you won’t have to worry about paying it back. Yeah, you can couch surf for a while when you aren’t staring down the next few decades of your life.

      • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 months ago

        Right, those 62k he did earn would have been gone and him probably homeless as soon as his health issues got worse. It’s a reality for a lot of Americans. Also those 62k he earned were thanks to all the education and experience he was able to get thanks to his privilege. Most people aren’t fortunate enough to have his level of education and experience to help them even get to 62k. I make 25 percent less than that and still feel fortunate of where I got to since I came from absolutely nothing.