You can't gain empathy when something is temporary. Most of the stress of being poor comes of worry about how to handle long term problems / the fact that life has no point except slaving away. That cannot be replicated without genuinely taking everything away from a person.

I disagree, if reading books can increase empathy [0], then I'd expect any activity that forced you to experience the way another person lives would do the same.

[0] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/342/6156/377

They need a show like undercover bosses, but instead the CEO must live on 7.50 for an entire year, and work as their own employee they have 0 access to savings, they cannot use credit either, and they are given 1 suitcase of clothes, a cellphone, laptop, and some feature comforts for their tiny apartment like a 32 inch tv.

30 Days Season 1 Episode 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmSGEGOVI34

I'd pay money to watch Angelo Mozilo go through that.

>You can't gain empathy when something is temporary. Most of the stress of being poor comes of worry about how to handle long term problems

This was a really insightful comment. I had never thought about it that articulately, but yeah if you are only dealing with stress temporarily, you can't even comprehend what it's like to deal with that FOREVER. It's just an impossible concept to grasp for someone who has that level of a safety net.

I'm nowhere near executive compensation and I would just tap my savings for 2 months.

I think you'd have to limit their usage of previously acquired funds. Once you're rich, you can ride out a 2 month storm like it's nothing.

The goal is not to impose hardship on them, but instead remind them for two months out of the year just how little minimum wage actually is. Most of them could probably blow that $500 paycheck on a single trip to the grocery store.

That's a minor irritation of a similar scale to accidentally leaving their wallet at their summer home and having to wait for replacement bank cards.

Poverty tourism is bollocks.