This is really important stuff. I'm in a state where there are moves to try to mandate financial literacy education and I was just trying to explain to someone why I don't support that. While I think demystifying money stuff and trying to break cultural taboos around talking about money, so much of the existing financial literacy programs and curriculum are based on the idea of "know better, do better" and assume that knowing about budgets means people are equipped to use budgets and get out of poverty with careful use of envelopes of cash. So much of it misses that how people handle their money (or lack there of) isn't what many would consider "logical" because poverty brain is real and money is emotional and shame and panic override any careful financial planning. It's so much harder than most people teaching or preaching about financial literacy seem to understand.
yes! Thank you for this comment! and what you describe is a cycle, right? Where we implement a budgeting program and then blame people in poverty when it doesn't help them climb out of poverty. errrgh! Understanding all this is really key to helping people. Thanks for this!
Thank you for posting this Kim. What an important topic! I'll be back with some thoughts later (I'm off to an art thing). I preordered your book and downloaded the Zebra book. 🤗
OMG! Thank you. This feels almost revolutionary for today's times. Many years ago, I read "Blame the Victim". Thank you for bringing this info to the forefront.
Hello, your post is very interesting about the stress of poverty that makes you "stupid", and it's the same for all the negative stresses, excessive shyness, fear etc... However, it seems odd to me that you don't mention the most important thing in Mary's situation, which is, for example, that she's reduced to giving blood to eat. Obviously, at some point, if you can't feed yourself or, even worse, your child decently, there's not much room for much else. Today, she may be homeless, or worse. The poverty of her brain becomes secondary for me, at this point. But i'm french, maybe i think differently... ;-)
This is really important stuff. I'm in a state where there are moves to try to mandate financial literacy education and I was just trying to explain to someone why I don't support that. While I think demystifying money stuff and trying to break cultural taboos around talking about money, so much of the existing financial literacy programs and curriculum are based on the idea of "know better, do better" and assume that knowing about budgets means people are equipped to use budgets and get out of poverty with careful use of envelopes of cash. So much of it misses that how people handle their money (or lack there of) isn't what many would consider "logical" because poverty brain is real and money is emotional and shame and panic override any careful financial planning. It's so much harder than most people teaching or preaching about financial literacy seem to understand.
yes! Thank you for this comment! and what you describe is a cycle, right? Where we implement a budgeting program and then blame people in poverty when it doesn't help them climb out of poverty. errrgh! Understanding all this is really key to helping people. Thanks for this!
Fantastic post, very helpful, thanks.
Thank you for posting this Kim. What an important topic! I'll be back with some thoughts later (I'm off to an art thing). I preordered your book and downloaded the Zebra book. 🤗
OMG! Thank you. This feels almost revolutionary for today's times. Many years ago, I read "Blame the Victim". Thank you for bringing this info to the forefront.
Hello, your post is very interesting about the stress of poverty that makes you "stupid", and it's the same for all the negative stresses, excessive shyness, fear etc... However, it seems odd to me that you don't mention the most important thing in Mary's situation, which is, for example, that she's reduced to giving blood to eat. Obviously, at some point, if you can't feed yourself or, even worse, your child decently, there's not much room for much else. Today, she may be homeless, or worse. The poverty of her brain becomes secondary for me, at this point. But i'm french, maybe i think differently... ;-)