What is it that divides rich and poor people ? The obvious answer is money , but wealth (or lack thereof) isn’t the only factor. There are all sorts of other indicators that are dead giveaways of whether someone leads a pampered and cushy life, or if they grew up fighting for everything they got.
Dani Fernandez called out one of these factors on Twitter, sparking a lively debate.
Student loan forgiveness has been in the news a lot lately.
The Biden administration has made it clear that they’ll soon unveil a comprehensive student loan forgiveness plan — something that’s long been a hot-button issue for grads who struggle with student debt. After all, the outstanding federal loan balance in the U.S. is an astounding $1.620 trillion and climbing every day.
The plan has supporters and detractors (they usually fall along party lines), but what does it really mean? Is this much-needed relief for people struggling with absurd levels of debt, or a handout for privileged college grads?
Dani Fernandez has a few thoughts.
The actor took to Twitter recently to reflect on the news. She wasn’t discussing the forgiveness plan itself, but delved into the larger philosophical debates of rich versus poor and industrious versus lazy in a series of tweets .
The whole thread is worth a read.
We haven’t included all of her tweets here, but Fernandez makes some interesting points about the generalizations surrounding ‘lazy’ people. Having grown up poor herself, she understands all too well what it’s like for working class people to struggle.
Poor people aren’t poor because they’re lazy.
At risk of wading into a massive socioeconomic debate, there are countless factors that go into a person being poor. The myth that poor people made themselves poor because they’re too lazy to work is just that — a myth.
It struck a chord.
Fernandez got a lot of replies to her tweets from people who understand the struggle. Even for folks who will get some relief from the debt forgiveness plan, it won’t be nearly enough to make them whole again.
This is important.
There’s been heightened awareness of mental health issues related to work, including burnout and fatigue. This is a positive thing, but the working poor have understood for a long time that they can’t really afford to take time off due to these issues.
Is the forgiveness plan going to change anything?
It’s a big, comprehensive plan, and does represent a step in the right direction for grads who struggle with debt. But as this tweet points out, it really only represents a baby step. There’s still a long way to go, largely owing to the interest rates that aren’t affected by the plan.
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Being poor costs money.
If you have the money to pay someone to fix things for you, if you can afford to pay full price and if you don’t have to deal with social services, it gives you more time to enjoy life. Poor people don’t enjoy these privileges.
How relatable is this?
Life happens fast. It feels like you can go from a teenager with no bills to an adult with a mortgage and car payments in the blink of an eye. When you add debt from student loans of top of all this, it truly can feel overwhelming.
The thread is a must-read.
Start with Dani Fernandez’s first tweet here , then check out the rest of what she had to say. It’s really hard to argue with any of it. Once you’ve had a look, let us know what you think in the comments.
