This is getting a bit philosophical so I’ll add a couple of cents while it’s the flavour du jour…
Taking the Drug Dealer analogy down a different path, is it the User’s fault they started taking and became addicted? Yes, on many levels. But why did they feel the need to do this in the first place? I’m lucky enough not to know from personal experience, but I can assure you they must have been in a pretty terrible place to feel that was the only way out. Does that make them responsible for their addiction?
No one is perfectly savvy, witty, all knowingly Street smart and with such emotional and intellectual prowess that they aren’t entirely fallible. Some people will make a mistake with credit card debt because of a lack of financial awareness, some might choose the wrong Frequent Flyer program to credit their miles to from a lack of awareness in this FF game we play, while some may not have even had responsible, loving, caring parents under a safe shelter or any form of education to afford them many basic understandings in life. There’s lots of ways to look at it, especially if we’re judging from our entitled, privileged armchairs.
I hate big business, especially the banks. I hate that many of their business models are specifically designed to target the vulnerable. And it grinds my gears when our taxpayer funds are dwindled away on the futile efforts of our egotistical, self absorbed and power hungry Politicians whom have the ability to address many of these issue but choose not to do so because of “politics”.
So while some may call credit card interest a stupid tax, I would call it a learning opportunity. I’m all for ownership and responsibility, but sometimes some compassion and humanity is also warranted.
