Poor People Happier Than Rich People for the First Time in History

One unexpected benefit of the worst economic depression in a century is that for the first time in history, poor people are happier than rich people. Experts claim this is because the lifestyle of poor people has barely changed with the economic downturn. They were below the poverty before, and they're below the poverty level now. But apparently, according to experts, many poor people are taking great comfort and the joy in the misery of the rich. In addition, they feel that President Obama actually wants to help them, a notable change from the last eight years in America.

Many rich people, on the other hand, have lost boats, airplanes, luxury automobiles, jet skis, two or three homes, and large portions of their wealth. Certainly many have been the victim of their own greed, but many have also been swindled, deceived and lied to. Just as poor people have been throughout the ages. And many rich people have never been poor, so they have no idea just how hard it is to be an American without money. Whereas most poor people, having been poor most of their lives, are very used to it.

Gerald (not his real name) is a doctor. He is in his mid-50s. He had a thriving practice. He lived in a beautiful home. He had enough money saved to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Or so he thought. Unfortunately for Gerald, he was friends with a very well thought of financial genius named Bernard Madoff. All his friends also knew Bernard Madoff. And they all trusted him to make them more money. In fact Gerald trusted him so much that he went out and mortgaged his house so he could give Madoff all his money. And now it's all gone. His house, his retirement, all his money.

"It's very depressing," said Gerald, "I worked so hard for so long to build my practice. So I could provide for my family, so I could retire and travel. And now it's all gone. Decades of hard work flushed down the toilet. I'm tired. I can't sleep. And I'm angry. Why is this villain, this crook, this Madoff, still living high on the hog, in his palace? He should be in jail. Getting shtupped by big angry criminals. I guess though, I've always known, in the end I have no one to blame but myself. And that makes me depressed."

Carla Crandall (her real name) is in her early 30s. She is a very talented writer who will be published for the first time this summer. She suffers from mental illness, and she is a recovering drug addict. She lives on a fixed income from Social Security because she is disabled, and lives in one of the nastiest neighborhoods in America. She's been depressed for years. Her income hasn't changed at all. She has no retirement. She has no home. She has no money to invest. She didn't lose one single penny during this catastrophic crash.

"Actually," said Carla, "I'm really excited that my work is finally going to be published. It's always been my dream to be a published author. I'm engaged to be married. But it's so hard to live in the ghetto, drugs shoved down your throat, screaming lunatics and junkies, you just know at any minute someone can stick a knife right between your ribs. It just wears you down. If Obama would only give me, like, maybe ten grand, I could get out of the ghetto, get a computer, get on the Internet. Doesn't seem like that much out of $800 billion, does it? But I have noticed you can get pants cheaper on the streets recently, so that's good."

Yes, it seems that everyone is suffering. But for once, the poor, the downtrodden, the huddled masses, the Carla Crandalls of the world, are suffering a little less than the rich people.

Comments

[Jimmy121]

human right under Article 19
"I have been poor my hole life, Now the midclass & rich can see how the poor & homeless live, You walk down the side walk thinking you're a lot better than the poor are & homeless. You are saying to yourself that will not happen to me.I have a good job, nice home, People are one pay check from being homeless. I can't go to church i have been turn away from churchs, Read the outlaw preyer on google.com by Johnny Paycheck its a true story in a song it happened in Ft Worth Tx, You midclass & rich have turned your back on us for years, Now you can see how it feels. Go live in the woods tell the city council tells the police go out & run you out of town like it happen to a lot of us poor & homeless.The city council is the ones hire the police to do their dirty work,"

[lewes17266]

The former rich are killing themselves. They don't know how to lose. It is very sad.

[FdeBear]

Now, if we could all get good medical care.

[Philip Davis]

I think we all - and I mean the global world here - have a great opportunity to change. A crisis usually precedes a transformation. Many of us will redefine what makes us happy. I'm 43 and middle class and I've been running my own company for the past 8 years and it seems every month brings some kind of crisis. I've come to realize that happiness comes in the pursuit of something. Some rich people I know seem more paranoid than happy (and this is in good times, now they are downright frantic). Some poor I know seem to be more concerned with being a victim than finding a worthwhile cause to pursue. I also know many happy rich people and many happy poor people. These people are all pusuing something new. One rich man I know is out raising money for a new venture. He sees this economy as a great time to start a new venture. One poverty-level person I know is going to school to get a better job. Both of these people are extremely happy.

So what about the people who got ripped off by Madoff and others? Well, there will be anger - a lot of anger - but my guess is that most of these people will return to a state of happiness with a new goal to pursue and will hopefully look back on this time as a great moment of transformation in their lives.

[historymatters]

We had what was often called a "jobless recovery" after the 2001-02 recession. HuffPo readers probably already know the drill - the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, the middle class shrank, and the Bush tax cuts resulted in an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the lower class masses to the wealthy few. Corporations enjoyed record profits that somehow never trickled down to their employees or even the holdings in the average worker's mutual fund.

At this point, I think we're now entering the 8th year of a recession for the poor and middle classes in this country. And those folks have been so miserable for so long, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them (us) hadn't noticed a big change in their misery index in the past 12 months. We're just numb now.

For the wealthy, on the other hand, the big party is finally over. No wonder they're miserable. Hangovers are a drag, man.

[DeniseLaFrance]

My own theory is that those who live in financial poverty have long since learned how to find happiness in more abstract fashion...despite the lack of funds...because they're GOOD at it.
People with $ have grown paranoid & are very careful about how they shall blow their wads & they've slipped into the "hoarding mentality" of the post-war people of days gone past; though most still have more than ample cash to live comfortably.
So, while most may not feel "at ease" to re-do the kitchen AGAIN, & while some may have to forfeit having little Chloe in high end piano lessons; they still are not walking in "poverty shoes". Even those who've lost tons of revenue in bad investments with companies that went awry: They clearly HAD those "spare millions" to invest in the 1st place. Their own version of "tough times" will do the affluent Public good so they can gain the riches of EMPATHY. Yes--it feels good to know that this is not an option for them.
So, while some may even have to forego that daily $4.00 low fat, soy, mocha cappuccino with ground ortolan-beak sprinkles (a la Mitterrand)...it'll do them good to enjoy a good sweet slice of humble pie...and spend more at-home quality time with their families--where they belong.
This recession is an opportunity for the wealthy to reassess their list of priorities and presents a valuable lesson in restraint, appreciation, empathy and compassion.

[ShiraTarrant]

Thought-provoking and contentious, to be sure.

But it seems there's confusion here between absolute and relative happiness along with slippery melding about absolute and relative wealth. It's problematic for all sorts of reasons to suggest that some (poor) people experience happiness at other (rich) people's misfortune. And not having enough scratch to make it through the month = a lot of risk and fear and discomfort. Do you really think this is something people get used to? Like you, I've had money and I've had none. The difference? Rich people have more money for therapy and meds to dull the discomfort.

Love ya, David. xoxo

[foujj]

Nice....I love it when rich people are sad because they don't have enough money.

Good article Mr. Sterry!!

yours,
Jim Fourniadis

[LollieDotCom]

David you had me laughing and applauding. You get em, tiger! :)

[jsomerville5]

Yeah, since I've always been poor, I finally feel that I'm in with the in crowd !

[Whatashame]

Lets put it this way. The fall from rich to poor is a big fall. From poor to nothing, well you're already poor so there is no fall. So the poor is able to cope because we have been doing it for years without wealth.

[lwaxanatroi]

For me, the real difference between Gerald and Carla is age. When I was in my thirties, I could have weathered this financial storm a lot better than I can at 62. Carla has 30 years ahead of her to plan for some sort of security. Gerald and I don't. Having said that, I also recognize that it is a valuable life lesson that there is in truth no such thing as security in the material world. Things change. Our true security must come from within and it must be based on our soul's satisfaction, not the presence or absence of material goods. There are happy people living under bridges and depressed people living in mansions. Our entire country has been on a binge and now it's time to sober up and scale back and re-engage with the things that really matter to us. I don't exempt myself; I kept my head in the sand about the realities of my financial situation, as did so many other Americans. But I feel for Gerald. He planned for retirement and now he will work till he drops. Just like me.

[rlugbill]

It is better to be rich and in good health than poor and sick.

[joceeco]

The poor might be happier that the rich are suffering, but us middleclass, taxpaying idiots are hurting like hell. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to sit on my ass and wait for a government check everymonth. I am a Desert Storm Veteran, who was injured, when a 50cal. machine gun dislodged from the mounting rack of my vehicle and fractured just about every bone in my freaking upperbody. I spent about six months recovering. Its exactly twenty years after my accident and I have worked everyday since then. Maybe I should tell some shrink about the burned bodies I saw in iraq or the nights that I needed the help of a machine to breath, because inhaling and exhaling was too painful, because every bone in my chest was fractured. I am not dissing Carla Crandall, but no one in America is as mentally scarred or ill as our veterans. If Carla had the mental capacity to right a book, then Carla could have found a damn job to support herself or at least to help support herself , while she worked on the book that she's about to have published. I know that the money that Carla receives from the government is no match for the funds that the rich have stolen from the American people, but don't you guys think that Carla is part of the problem.

[Shotgun Mary]

Yeah, to hell with Carla! Why can't she get a job without an address, a phone, or a place to shower. Why doesn't she user her $550 a month from SSI to rent a decent apartment, buy some decent clothes, get a phone and find a job? I'm sure she could use the bum in the box next to her as a reference on her lease.


_ _ _

(Insert necessary platitudes about service to our country here)

- - -

I know that its difficult to get off of our own pity pots sometime and understand that there are people worse off than we are, but I have yet to meet a homeless person who wouldn't love to have a house, a job, and a chip on their shoulder about people who don't pay their taxes.

[Asad Malghani]

joceeco

Don't blame your issues on the poor and homeless. Your issues and issues of other verterns should be blamed on the party that "loves" the military so much, aka the Republican party. They pretend to be on your side as long as they want you to fight thier wars. In the past eight years, no Republican would vote for any bill that had timetables for withdrawl, meaning to keep you soldiers on the front line; at the same time they shot down many resolutions to provide you with the armor you needed while on the front; we all know what happened at Walter Reed under Republican watch; they also filibustered the GI bill that would have given returning soldiers $40K a year for school (John McCain lead this fight against the GI bill). My point is that the Democratic party says it stands up for the poor and downtroden, because that is where they get their votes from. Thus it provides programs for the poor and the mentally ill. The Republican party says it stands for veterens, but every occasion that it has been granted has chosen to reward defense contractors even whey they screw up; but refuses to grant veterens their rights. So it is not Carla's fault you cannot get medical attention, it is your (most likely Repulican) congressperson who has refused you this benefits.

[SC341]

Schadenfreude anyone?

[David Henry Sterry - Huffpost Blogger]

gesundheit!

[AgrippinaMinora]

This:

"Yes, it seems that everyone is suffering. But for once, the poor, the downtrodden, the huddled masses, the Carla Crandalls of the world, are suffering a little less than the rich people."

Is utter crap.

Comparing the plight of so many people who lie awake at night wondering if the next paycheck will cover rent or mortgage and juggle some bills to keep the utilities on and still have enough to eat for the next two weeks, or if their medical insurance will cover an emergency, or if a child will be cut off in the lunchroom because there is a balance due to some overpaid banker who lost his vacation home insults everyone's intelligence.

[David Henry Sterry - Huffpost Blogger]

thank you for commenting. but i think you missed my point. a person who is used to being poor understands what it is to be poor. my homeless friend carla's life is not one bit different than it was before the crashing of the economy. whereas many people who had wealth that is now gone are hysterically angry and/or depressed. for them the process of being poor is unthinkable and therefor overwhelming. whereas many poor people have learned how to cope with being poor and have learned through sad experience that it is possible to have happiness without money. the point being everyone's moaning about the rich losing what they had, while the poor continue to be ignored, just as they were before.