I'm often confused by discussions around poverty, addiction, and crime because they seem to focus heavily on society and not much on individual responsibility

[YourWaryPlumBalonz]

For context, I'm autistic, grew up in a low-income household, and my dad was largely absent and neglectful. He rarely showed up, wasn't particularly involved, and wasn't much of a support. Despite that, I never got involved in crime or drugs.
Instead, I used the support that was available. I got help from charities, received government support related to my disability and employment, and eventually found a professional job. It wasn't easy, but there were people and organisations willing to help.
So what I'm struggling to understand is this: if support exists, why are so many problems framed primarily as society's fault rather than the responsibility of the individual?
I'm not saying circumstances don't matter. Clearly they do. But there seem to be plenty of people who experience poverty, disability, family breakdown, neglect, bullying, etc., and don't end up addicted, committing crimes, or repeatedly making self-destructive choices.

YourWaryPlumBalonz · Today 21:54
i cba tbh

I'm autistic too and I've never taken drugs. However, I can understand why some people do because my brain is very difficult to live with. If I knew that cannabis would help me and not make me worse I'd probably give it a try.

How does that tally with her being from a low income household? Something doesn't add up.

OP if it’s so easy it as an individual to make it (surely even you can see you’re an exception not the rule) then resign from your job, give up your house, give away all your possessions and present as homeless this week with nothing.

Accept no hand up or hand out. Then and only then judge those you look down on if you can replicate it all as an individual alone.

If you’ve made it, good for you. What are you personally doing to help pay it forward for the next kid who comes along?

Hardship doesn’t just affect those who have never had it, many of us can just as easily lose it all. You seem tone deaf to that. Bereavement, accident, redundancy, illness etc.

You’re young, but cleverness is not the same as wisdom. Your hubris and lack of empathy/life experience is evident.

to explain, my parents only recently began to earn more, for my childhood, they were phd students, ten academics so low pay

What did others fail that you didn't?

a job,

Many people still have jobs and struggle with poverty and/or addiction. What else?

😂 Are you on a wind up?

Having parents who were PhD students is a very different starting point from growing up in a household affected by generational poverty, addiction or crime, is it not?

What professional job do you now have?

Yep, fully agree with you. Being poor doesn’t stop you from being honest, working hard and being accountable. My mum’s dad died before she started school, she grew up in very poor circumstances (just about having enough food, nothing more) and had to leave home at 17 to move 400 miles to London to work, knowing no one. She’s a very stable and hardworking person.

What I would say is that this is two generations ago. If you still haven’t made it out of poverty, it could be that there’s a genetic reason why not (ie lower intelligence or predisposition to mental health problems) because many of those who were capable of bettering themselves will have done so since education expanded beyond age 14 after the war.

obviously but i also have ND and am not white, additoinal barriers

Sorry, your idea of low-income is an academic’s salary? So employed, with an income above minimum wage and not on benefits?

I am struggling to believe that you are posting in good faith. If you really wanted to discuss the issues, why have you failed to acknowledge or respond to the multiple posters who have shared their personal experiences and/or provided very eloquent explanations in answer to what you asked?

You remind me of the poster who kept starting thread after thread about being fired from a Big 4 company. Endless threads, one-line responses and no engagement with people who took time and effort replying to you.

It is really RUDE to ignore the many people who are engaging with you in good faith despite your behaviours.

And people from worse off starting points are also ND and aren't white... so... what else?

Engagement harvester.

ahaahaaha

😂

No reply @YourWaryPlumBalonz? I’m intrigued as to what job you do as being ND myself I’ve found the world of employment very challenging.

Thought it was farming 😁

Is this the ghost of Margaret Thatcher?
Spooky

I voted YABU. Then I realised who you are.

Tou got lucky in being able to access services that helped you. In some areas these services are non-existent or so oversubscribed that people would wait years to get help. Public services are also incredibly difficult to access.

You need to remember everyone is not like you.

Crack is just so moreish

Oh OP I was giving you the benefit of the doubt but you’ve really landed yourself in it, look up what low income means typically in society.

Being a PhD student as an adult and living on an academic salary while raising a child is a choice and not ‘low income.’ You would have had access to two parents who had higher education and knowledge than most people in the general population putting you at an incredible advantage in life before you were even born.

Oh OP, do you read at all? Or even just put some questions into chat gpt if reading isn’t your thing. Are your parents still around? Did they ever talk to you about things? Do you ask them questions? Starting to think you’re not as privileged in some ways, maybe your parents were shit, smart but shit perhaps?

1. We’re human which means we make mistakes, by definition
2. Posh people commit crimes too - slightly different sorts
3. Addiction’s a bastard to fix if you can’t afford rehab seven times
4. Families end up with Social Services cos they can’t buy their way out of the problems, as the middle classes usually do.
5. Social services and the police deal with eg domestic abuse from every level of society.

How long were they PhD students for?

The academics I know are not low paid.