Why do the poorest in the US waste their money on bling-bling, gold chains, rims, drugs, etc?

If you drive thru the ghetto you always see these things

Shouldnt they be saving their money to further their education or start a business? If they can afford these trivial items, we should cut off their public aid/housing benefits

Then when Katrina hit Red Cross gave them credit cards with Carte Blanche. Guess what they bought? Hookers, liquor, gambling, etc

Most of them grew up accustomed to not having anything of value, usually because they were born to teen-aged mothers. Because some young parents lack maturity, they fail to realize how important education is. School is perceived as a burden to some of them so they eventually drop out so that they can make fast money in order to live the glamorous life and show off to their friends. On the other hand, there are some who use the "fast money" to buy houses and educate their children, these houses are usually purchased under someone else's name, presumably a relative who actually works for a living. A friend of mine grew up in that type of situation, he didn't agree with the way that his father was earning money, but that money kept himself and five sisters in a really good private school. They are now the proud owners of ten soon to be eleven funeral homes.

I totally agree. I have NO idea why they do that, I guess caring about what other people think comes before education and everything else.

Or invest their money in a nice mutual fund! Problem is parent's are failing them and unless their school can inspire them then they'll never see another way out.

For the same reason homeless people wear business suits. They try look normal.

What makes you think it's THEIR money they spent?

Anyways, immediate pleasure has always been the greatest temptations.

It's because they're poor that they do such things. They hate the idea of poverty and people looking down on them for being poor, so they do everything to hide that fact. They don't want to spend the time and effort with an education to improve their condition, so they look for quick fixes. Usually by buying pretty expensive stuff. In a way, it just magnifies their poverty.

As an escape; to temporarily hide their problems and to feel a false sense of security through the identity that they try to portray by buying these type of things that the media has shown to be what 'successful' people wear...

...education is far from some of these people's minds.