The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Neighborhoods

Re:The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Nei... by learc83 on Sunday November 29, 2015 @12:59AM (#10643896)

>If you're at risk of losing your job, and you need all that income just to survive - without saving anything - then you're already not in a sustainable situation and should fix it while it's easy

If you're making $100k a year, living in a nice 4 bedroom house, driving late model cars, and not saving, that is a relatively easy fix.

If you're making $10 an hour working retail, there just isn't enough money to pay for cost of living and any kind of substantial savings.

People in this situation (who make up a huge chunk of America), are one expensive car repair away from disaster and debt collectors.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Nei... by Asbostos on Sunday November 29, 2015 @02:07AM (#10644032)

Yes. If you're living hand-to-mouth, then you're already having a problem. Things have already gone wrong. It's too late to put the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff and only worry about people when they fall off - which everybody in that situation is bound to do given enough time.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Nei... by mikeash on Sunday November 29, 2015 @11:34AM (#10645027)

There is no guarantee people in this situation must fail. They might get a raise, or a promotion, or a surprise inheritance, or win the lottery, or who knows.

Now, obviously you don't want to get into this situation in the first place, if you can help it. But if a person is, then they are not simply doomed as you're saying.

We should not excuse exploitation of people living paycheck-to-paycheck simply on the basis that they're bound to get fucked over eventually so it doesn't matter when or how it happens.

[ Parent | on HN ]