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Sometimes people say I must have my economic opinions because my family is rich To set this straight: my family sometimes had trouble affording food. I couldn't afford college. As an adult I went hungry because I couldn't afford food. I worked on a factory floor for a year.

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Aella

@Aella_Girl

Jul 24, 2020

I went into sex work when I was homeless, sleeping on a friend's couch, and desperate for money but I didn't want to go back to working at the factory. I still had libertarian-leaning economic views even when I was scraping change off the ground to eat.

118

Aella

@Aella_Girl

I was like "I'm willing to do anything to survive." I remember applying to a job working in poop sewage because I was so determined. I think that my belief in the intense "libertarianish" ideals helped motivate me; if I'd been upset nobody was helping me it would have been worse.

7:06 AM · Jul 24, 2020

Replying to

and to be clear libertarianism has its problems, but the general attitude - intense 'It's you. You have to do this. Nobody else is here for you. The pain is part of life' resulted in such intense blossoming and drive. It's a difficult but useful attitude to hold about the world.

170

Aella

@Aella_Girl

Jul 24, 2020

I'm afraid of the impact of the messaging that other people are responsible for your wellbeing. It seems like it has a bad effect on motivation and drive. It seems like it would redirect energy into anger at the people who aren't helping you, instead of helping yourself.

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Replying to

If you didn’t have those views you’d be getting pepper sprayed right now screaming about the evils of capitalism and “the man” while trying to set fire to a courthouse with none of the success you have today