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An indicator of poverty?
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I've been doing a fair bit of people watching during the snow and have reached a conclusion that extreme weather shows who is struggling financially or is in poverty.
You can tell by those who do not have the wherewithal to fund clothes/footwear for coping with the extreme conditions: pensioners out in snow in sturdy shoes when the snow is up to their calves, families where every member appears well dressed but they are all in trainers and even the children don't have wellies. And at the park some families have salopettes and insulated snow gloves and others have jeans and thin, acrylic knitted gloves.
It's rare that social disparity is so clear for all to see. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Or some people don't know how to dress appropriately for the snow, children not wanting to be seen in wellies and preferring to brave it out in their trendy trainers maybe ? |
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"I've been doing a fair bit of people watching during the snow and have reached a conclusion that extreme weather shows who is struggling financially or is in poverty.
You can tell by those who do not have the wherewithal to fund clothes/footwear for coping with the extreme conditions: pensioners out in snow in sturdy shoes when the snow is up to their calves, families where every member appears well dressed but they are all in trainers and even the children don't have wellies. And at the park some families have salopettes and insulated snow gloves and others have jeans and thin, acrylic knitted gloves.
It's rare that social disparity is so clear for all to see."
I'm always in T-shirt, jeans and trainers by choice, I wouldn't be seen dead in salopettes unless I was in The Alps. I'm not poor  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Or maybe some of them are just not very bright, I saw a fairly stoopid woman the other day, it was bitterly cold - the kind that stings yer fingertips. She was all wrapped up hat, scarf, gloves yet the small child she had in the pushchair looked frozen! not even a pair of mittens on her tiny red hands!!  |
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By *ub bbwWoman
over a year ago
oldbury |
im now technically living below the poverty line with only about £20 a week to live on after paying debts however i went out in a pair of old winter boots waterproof winter coat and gloves and scarf so you wouldnt know i was technically poor |
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To be honest ive never thought like that, kids teenagers, do tend to wear inappropriate clothing for the weather. I know i did. I dont own a pair of wellingtons and i definetly dont have insulated gloves and i wouldnt class myself as poor |
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The local news broadcast a piece that said a fifth of children in this area live in poverty. There is genuine poverty in this country, more so than there has been in the previous 50 or so years and you're right in my opinion extreme circumstances do highlight it.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Maybe some of the trainers are waterproof too, I've seen some beauties on-line designed for winter - Merrell do have some crackers but they still look like trainers 
To be honest, I think there are plenty of very affordable warm clothes out there.. they may not look the grooviest but they do the job, I look a right twat going to work most mornings but am nicely cosy so don't really care |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Mine is choice..
I dress the kids up warm, sallopettes, snow boots, hats, layers. They hate ski gloves so hand a zillions pairs of gloves with me and teach them to bang the snow off their hands.
Me: erm possibly a 3/4 length sleeve cover, body warmer with hood. Short skirt with knee high socks n boots. Or my current fav is tights n denim shorts with boots. I'm not into warm clothes overly....  |
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Also I agree that stupidity, vanity and ignorance is to blame for many people not dressing appropriately a proportion of people will have been unable to afford the proper stuff and will have been in poverty for long enough that they don't have old clothes to use. We've been there, kids grow out of coats and wellies and if you haven't got any money they can't have new ones. |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
The snow indicator I spotted was the kids using black bin liners, the ones with a plastic shovel-type purpose-built device, the cobbled together sled and the purpose-built expensive sled. Oh, and the one's with skis. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I often hear about peeps having their camping trip spoiled by the weather.
The response from seasoned all weather campers is usually in the line of: there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.
Good gear costs money, however, we are not talking about surviving in the highest mountains and polar ice caps here.
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Never been a lables or designer person, but for the price that people pay for the latest this that or the other decent affordable outdoor clothing is available..
as said though, some of the kids would'nt be seen out unless its the latest trendy gear..
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When we where kids we used to walk a couple of miles to "death hill" and spend all day slding down it, most of us had black bin liners or some hand made contraption. It was fun, we loved it. But you couldnt buy ready made fancy sledges in those days. Noone thought we where poor just having a good time.
My son and his friend used to go and would slide down hills on any old bit of wood ect that they found. It was called fun and making most of your imagination. I could of afforded a proper sleigh for him, but would it have been anymore fun? To me its like saying making a den as apposed to having a childs garden house, no imagination there |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Or some people don't know how to dress appropriately for the snow, children not wanting to be seen in wellies and preferring to brave it out in their trendy trainers maybe ?"
I think its more this too
I'm outside most of the day but i dont wear wellies, not because i cant afford them but because i dont like them, i'd sooner wear shoes
Some people just choose not to 'dress for the snow'
Trainers cost far more than a pair of wellies i think anyone who can afford trainers can afford a pair od cheap wellies, if they wanted some |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Does it give you a sense of smugness seeing these people?
Some people (me included) won't pay 60+ for trainers. When you got size 13 feet you gotta make do with what you can |
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