[dennisgorelik]

> The idea that any significant percentage of poor are poor because they are not prudent does not hold.

It holds pretty well.

There is no contradiction in billions of people being not prudent.

It's easily achievable with poor culture dominating in the whole society.

[coldtea]

>There is no contradiction in billions of people being not prudent.

That's in theory -- we're talking about reality. If you think poor people in India, Asia, Africa etc. are poor because they are not "prudent" or because "poor culture" dominates the whole society you probably haven't met many in real life -- hardworking, pinching pennies and raising families on a handful of dollars a month.

It's easy for people playing life in easy-mode to condemn the poor's "lack of prudence" from a first world middle/upper class existence, where prudence means not buying a new car every 3 years.

[dennisgorelik]

Being hardworking is not enough. You should also work in a right direction and in right environment. Right culture helps you choose right direction and right environment. Right culture also helps you to make right changes in your political environment.

For example, if your culture allows lies and corruption from elected politicians, you are likely to create suboptimal environment around you.

My friends in Russia make that silly choice - they support lying corrupt politicians in favor of pleasing their nationalistic feelings.

Guess what - they lowered their income ~2x just by that.