Woman Says People Below The Poverty Line Shouldn't Be Dating—'Dating Isn't For People Who Can Barely Support Themselves'
Money matters, but not in the way that she thinks it should.
Twitter The rise in popularity of social media is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, its great to have access to the world, news and information at the touch of a button but all too often people use the power for bad by sounding off their opinions that might be better kept to themselves.
One woman recently shared an opinion that caught the attention of nearly 6 million people online that has caught a lot of flak, and surprisingly, got people on her side.
She believes that people living below the poverty line shouldn’t be dating.
In the tweet penned on April 22, 2023, Shirley Dor shares the story of a conversation between her and another man, offering her opinion on the idea that he had presented to her.
“I asked someone what their annual income is and it was below the poverty line,” she wrote. “I asked why he was dating. He said if we come together we can change that. I don’t know if you guys see Joe Biden’s economy but dating isn’t for people who can barely support themselves.”
Dor believes that people who can barely support themselves should not be on the dating scene. People who are poor, should not be dating. Poor people, don’t deserve love.
Instead of understanding the way her original tweet sounded and being open to criticism and adjusting her close-mindedness, she doubled down on her outrageous opinion and continued.
“I expressed to him that I have no desire to simply be partnered with someone just to get them out of poverty,” she claims. “If you lack the self-determination to improve your financial situation now, a relationship will not improve it.”
While there can be some truth to what she said, in that she shouldn’t have to drag her partner out of the mud, a partnership doesn’t necessarily mean all of your money has to go to that person nor should the primary focus be who makes how much money.
“To seek a partner when you barely can afford life is already a sign of poor financial decision-making,” she said, finishing her little thread.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2021, approximately 37.9 million people in the United States were living in poverty — the numbers have probably not changed all too much considering they barely changed from a year prior.
The replies did a fair share of roasting and agreeing with her.
One man in the replies wrote, “I would take it a stretch further and say dating, having kids, luxury living isn't for anyone living below the poverty line.” He believes that instead of wasting time and money there, time and money should be spent increasing your income in order to achieve those things. Dor agreed, saying “This is so thought out,” but others find them delusional.
“Poor people shouldn’t have friends. Get a second job. Work 80-hour weeks. Grind. Hustle,” one person started, clearly mocking the kind of “hustle culture” this woman seems to be subscribing to. “It’s your fault a 100k house now costs 500k. You shouldn’t be socializing, happy, resting, or sane. You should only be making money. You can have friends when you have a savings account.”
According to a press release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), researchers from the University of York and the University of Essex found that personal finances have become decreasingly less important to people searching for love.
Put more simply (and seriously), someone offered up the explanation that “Dating is for anyone who wants to date. Just because you don't want to date them doesn't mean they shouldn't be dating at all.” Material wealth shouldn’t matter, and someone else wrote that part of dating and having a partner is about “building together,” not tearing each other down.
If only Dor could see it that way, but she’s more concerned with her own material possessions.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.