I pay rent, insurance, taxes, credit card payments, food, and utilities. I do not live with family, I paid off my car, and I am preparing to make payments on student loans. I work full-time and I drive myself hard. I've taken special care to make sure that I am not in debt when I can prevent it.
It's easy to assume things about someone's character when you don't know anything about their lifestyle and the responsibilities they bear. So yes, I am responsible for my own well-being.
My qualm was with those who chose not to be smart early on. I knew since I was very young that saving money would be important, and I saved up $3,000 since I was little by the time I was 18. I had insurance to pay on my first car, and had to pay that off, and when it ceased working I had to get to school by bus, which was a 2 hour trip each way. And now I saved up and bought my next car in full. You just gotta work, scrape, and save. In my experience, which I acknowledge is extremely limited, it was only frivolous spending that accumulated debts and struggle.
I guess it's on me for the assumption, but seriously I've lived through poverty and I know several people struggling in both lower-middle and middle class. Frivolous spending might account for a lot of families being put into debt because of attempts at luxurious lifestyles, but for the most part it has nothing to do with it.
It's less to do with oppression and more to do with the cycle of poverty, like people posted. When you're poor, it's really hard to stop being poor. It seems like all cards are set against you and if you can't afford extra education, it is a true challenge to qualify for higher paying jobs.
