Ben Affleck to live on $1.50 a day

[sluce]

Hell I did it in college but not by choice. I had to decide if my money would go for the bars or food. Thank God for Ramen and mac and cheese.

[Karistiona]

I don't see this as being particularly different from running a marathon or doing a long cycle to raise money for charity, its all publicity and it raises awareness. Of course Ben gets to go home to the things he's earned, but he'll do a good deed and try to help people less fortunate than he and that's important.

Getting yourself out of poverty isn't as easy as having the willpower, its also about having the courage and support to have higher aspirations, to escape a culture of poverty that perhaps the rest of your family and friends are entrenched in. I think its wonderful when people are able to build up a business or get a good job, but for so many its just not that easy.

This is one of my serious pet peeves too, the biggest city in Scotland has serious problems with deprivation and people living in poverty. Its so complex, and to see somebody saying that it wouldn't be an issue if people would only work hard is just not true. It even comes down to stuff like accent, I sound relatively educated when I speak, so I'd have an advantage over an inner-city candidate who sounds a bit rougher, if we both went for a job.

/manifesto

I still love Ben.

[greysfang]

Hell I did it in college but not by choice. I had to decide if my money would go for the bars or food. Thank God for Ramen and mac and cheese.

Yeah but a $1.50 went a lot further back in the 40s.

[sluce]

Hahahahahah. Good point from the old broad who is not far behind me.

Truth though - I think I paid about 25 cents for each ramen back then. They are still about the same.

[laurenshelton2]

If Jen buys it, does it count towards his $1.50/day, I wonder? The woman goes to Starbucks every day, it seems. I'd like to see her live on $1.50.