Basement Whatever

I’ve come to accept that we all live in information bubbles, that it’s hard to pierce those bubbles, and that it’s helpful when we get a chance to see outside our realities. But unfortunately, piercing through what we know is often a very painful experience.

One obstacle is that people get judgmental about people not like them. You hear this when people with money say that poor people should work harder or when poor people say the rich are all callous. The world outside always looks different.

Another obstacle is that the best way to get out of our information bubbles is to be kicked out of them, and that is exceedingly painful and not something I recommend. But occasionally a well-written, non-judgmental piece gives us the opportunity to widen our understanding, and when that happens, I think it’s good to pause for a moment and take the opportunity, because it’s better for everyone when people widen their information environments. So here are two excellent articles, and they’re eye-opening and a reminder don’t take anything for granted:

“Being poor” “Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.”

“secretly poor” “I’ve invented headaches to beg off from dinners with friends at restaurants and broken water pipes to cover the fact that sometimes I can’t afford to host people at my place.”