Oh noes. I left for half an hour and when I got back I had started an argument.
Before I go further, I would just like to say I don't think you're flipping out nor am I trying to gang up on you LordDullard, I just have pent up rage on the subject completely independent of your expressed viewpoint.
Clearly, the fact that our hypothetical poor person is selling the TV makes the fact that they realize this bit of divine logic self-evident.
But what, you're seriously saying they were never entitled to buy it in the first place? What if they lost their job and suddenly had to do it to make sure they could go on? What if they were selling it so that their kid could make their rent or afford books for college?
The problem here is not poor people getting nice things, it's poor people getting nice things when there's no way they can afford it, because the end result is no nice things anyway. I'd feel empathy if this person was a little more careful with their money, and if that was the case, I wouldn't need to feel empathy.
Wow, you guys are being amazingly narrow-minded.
Here, I'll sum up your logic for you in one sentence so you can understand why it's both flawed and slightly offensive:
ALL PEOPLE WHO SELL THINGS IN PAWN SHOPS EITHER STOLE THEM OR ARE POOR DUMBASSES WITH NO ABILITY TO MANAGE THEIR FINANCES, AND THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY THEY COULD HAVE A LEGITIMATE EXPLANATION FOR WHY THEY ARE SELLING SOMETHING THEY OWN - THEY ARE CLEARLY JUST STUPID.
(Already conveniently bolded for emphasis)
Pawning =/= selling. Pawned items are collateral taken on a loan, only if the customer is unable to pay does it become the property of the pawn shop. So basically, this person buys a TV for roughly a grand, pawns it for $200, pays $60/month interest for a while until they can afford to get it out again (because, seriously, who'd lose a 50'' for $200 amirite?), end up getting it out after having paid more than the initial loan amount in interest alone, and they haven't been able to use their fancy TV for that period of time
anyway. When they could have just bought a 32'' TV, saved $400, not gone into debt, kept their TV the entire time, and not gotten nailed on hundreds in interest. And I'm not talking trust fund babies here, I'm talking about welfare babies. It's a whole lifestyle.
Trust me, I'm a professional. This shit is stupid.
Not everybody who pawns fits into this template, but a good majority do, in my (albeit not very classy) town, at least.
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Topic: Things that made you sad today thread. (Read 9471914 times)