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Why poor people usually smoke cigarettes?

They don't have money for food, but always find money for cigarettes... Why?
Miram · 31-35, F
Addiction doesn't class discriminate, neither do self destructive behaviors.
SW-User
Thank you ❣️@Miram
Miram · 31-35, F
@SW-User 🤗
SW-User
🤗 @Miram
es0tericus · 26-30
How I choose to see it, they lack the necessary qualifications to get income anywhere close to the average/low-middle class, which means they gotta work more jobs, more hours. Smoking is probably the only sense of relieve they get. Probably the only outlet they seek. Better than imminent suicide.
es0tericus · 26-30
@KaiserSolze I agree with you. Though we got to factor in addiction and its effects on the conscious/subconscious mind. Which could mean the individual is no long in a healthy state, capable of making decisions.

That second part though, I think, has a lot to do with honesty. If your subconscious mind is pushing you to suicide, it means somehow somewhere you have accepted suicide as the answer but lied to yourself. That, I believe is the fault within the individual, regardless of their material state of being.
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@es0tericus you're wrong about suicide imo. Everyone is suicidal subconsciously. It has to do with underlying masochistic tendencies. And I don't mean BDSM. I mean masochism as in joining with everything - oneness rather than separateness. That's what causes the non-suicidal person to jump infront of the train in that fleeting moment.

For you to say suicide is not woven into the fabric of the mind suggests to me you buy all the propaganda that a person must be weak or deeply disturbed to suicide. It's not some kind of strength either, as the suicidal people like to say. It's just there in our subconscious. Possibly so in times of necessary sacrifice ie one life to save many someone volunteers.

Suicide is abhorrent to our society because people are commodities. Governments seek to keep us alive. Even prisoners are worth money. If that changes then we'll see the swing the other way because they will manipulate people to death. But i am cynical and love a conspiracy theory.

But the rest, above my last paragraph, that is my opinion based on my knowledge of psychology.
es0tericus · 26-30
@KaiserSolze Then I guess I have nothing else to say. Thank you for enlightening me with your perspective.
SW-User
I see it a lot in Ireland 🇮🇪 some of the poorest people who are probably living on welfare payments smoke a lot, I've also known people who never had luxury items or holidays because of how much that they smoked, it's bloody stupid if you ask me
The real shame is the government knows this and keeps jacking up the tobacco tax.. it’s literally $1 a smoke here (cheap pk) 🇦🇺
Kids going without because mum and dad are smoking $100 a day..
The same government that provides safe injection rooms for heroin addicts at the tax payers expense.. 🤨
SW-User
Same with the liberals but what choice is there other than between the blue puppet or the red one. If the independents get more votes that just means blue or red have to sell themselves to the independent parties to win the hung votes. @TheOneyouwerewarnedabout
They’re already done. They were done when they knifed the Tony.. it’s cringworthy watching the train head for the end of the tracks lolz@SW-User
SW-User
Especially without brakes lol.@TheOneyouwerewarnedabout
chrisCA · M
Many reasons. I am not an expert, but I have my opinions.
A lack of education, they maybe more likely to succumb to peer pressure at a young age, it is a way to cope with their existence, more easily swayed at what is "cool".
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@chrisCA yea, yea, nice government churned out ideas. They're poor so they're trying to kill themselves without it looking like they're trying to kill themselves.
chrisCA · M
@KaiserSolze Being poor is more of a mindset, not a lack of money.
Your compassion is overwhelming. 😏
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@chrisCA Being poor is definitely a mindset. The government and advertising feed us constantly that because we're financially poor we are poor. They use it to suppress the masses because the masses if unsuppressed terrify the establishment or the power people or whatever you want to call them. So when you say "it's a mindset" Yes it is, one people are fed from birth.

I can't do anything about it. I have no interest in doing anything about it. I'm observing.

How does anyone overcome all that as an individual, the constant brainwashing and manipulation and suppression? They can't. So they do seemingly dumb stuff to end it all a little bit quicker.

What the establishment / power people would be better doing is seeing their herds of people more like chickens. Battery chickens may produce more but they're sickly and the eggs have no flavour. Free range well cared for chickens produce much better eggs. But they're far too frightened to treat people as well as people demand they treat chickens so they underpay them, deny them the best medical treatment and brainwash them from birth that they're inadequate. To me it's all an unnecessary false economy but I'm a poor no one who knowingly smokes so it doesn't matter what I say.
DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F
I'd love to know that same thing. 🤔
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SW-User
I dunno, addiction? I can't imagine anyone would waste their money like that for fun.
SW-User
@Grafimr Ok. I'm sure you have every right to judge.
chrisCA · M
@Grafimr Some are.
Grafimr · 41-45, M
@SW-User I'm just wondering... I like to help poor people and I often do that, but in my country a lot of poor people spend a lot of money for cigaretes. They could buy much more food for their kids if they quit smoking. I will never understand it.
xixgun · M
Can be many reasons. It does suppress appetite (a handy thing when you don't have enough to eat), and it can be a means to slow motion suicide.
xixgun · M
An interesting query that I would like to add to.

- Why do people stand with cardboard signs asking for money outside of businesses with "help wanted" signs in the window?

- Should I really give money to the guy with the cardboard sign pleading for money, that is busy texting when I pull up to the stop sign next to him?

- Just a spoiler, standing outside in the cold with your 3 kids asking for money isn't going to make me any more likely to give it to you.
chrisCA · M
@xixgun I believe many of them are scammers.
SW-User
Because they cannot afford cigars.
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@SW-User I'm going to celebrate by trying to kill myself with a cigar. We're all inherently miserable and suicidal. You're right. Lol
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KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@PainfulTruth they're poor. They're hoping they get hep B and die.
supersnipe · 61-69, M
Have you seen the price of Havana cigars? 😧
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@supersnipe they're just for depressed rich guys.
chrisCA · M
@KaiserSolze Well. Have you seen the markets? 😅
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
@chrisCA 😂
Addicts smoke.. Its nothing to do with being poor or not .. As if
KaiserSolze · 46-50, F
They're poor. They're trying to kill themselves.
So true. My mum used to choose tobacco over dinner
Pieter66 · 56-60, M
Is that true?
SW-User
to look cool
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MethDozer · M
Stacked reasons, a few being.
They have high stress and low reward lives typically so you pleasure where you can get it.

When you live day to day the long term health risks just don't have the same punch.

Lower classes are part of the blue collar. Vices like cigarettes have always been a part of blue collar culture. Again there's a whole list reasons for that too.

They often are latch key kids growing up who are left alone and looking for novel kicks. That puts them on the path of normalizing it.

It's more socially acceptable amongst your peer groups when you are blue collar and poor.

The education argument doesn't hold up too well. It's kinda absurd to believe any significant number of people are that unaware of the risks and could bve educated out of the choice. As well as their being plenty of educated people who do smoke and many who are poor as well.
chrisCA · M
@MethDozer When I say educated, I mean people who are open to ideas on self improvement,and their overall well being. They read. They ask questions, and they listen.
Many people of the lower socioeconomic classes have the attitude of, "What do them doctors, and them scientists, with their fancy degrees know?"
MethDozer · M
@chrisCA I really don't think so. Very few actually believe it is anything but u healthy.

The bigger truth is they don't care. You don't care about long-term risks when you are always forced to make shirt term plans.

 
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