Jonathan Kamens 86 47jik@federate.social

Jun 12, 2026, 8:57 PM

Seen recently on a blog: as clear an example as I've ever seen of fundamental attribution bias, with my response asking the OP to do better.
People struggling to get by are not "scumbags." Have some compassion.

Quoted text: "…about three or four times a year you will be humiliated at the grocery checkout… when your card is declined for reasons you will only discover later and you don’t have cash money to cover it, and have to leave your items behind and slink away looking EXACTLY like one of those scumbags who doesn’t have enough money in the bank to buy basic groceries but tries to pull a fast one anyway."

My response:

1) If you actually find out later why your charge was declined, consider yourself fortunate. I have had my card declined multiple times at the grocery store for reasons which the bank was subsequently entirely unable or unwilling to explain.

2) I would like to gently ask you to consider the language you use and grace you extend when you personally are unable to pay for your groceries , vs. the language you use and (lack of) grace you extend when you observe others in the same predicament. Consider the possibility that they are not scumbags, but rather people who, like all of us, need to eat, and are struggling to afford being able to do so.