I relate to some of this, and struggle to see people who are 'poor' buying a whole load of shit that I simply don't buy because it's crap - expensive crap - that all adds up. And I have different financial priorities. But I also appreciate that there are some people who need help. When faced with someone asking for money, that's potentially a difficult situation. I've yet to meet anyone as frugal as me, and I expect I'd want to help them cut costs instead.

EDIT — your article reminded me of a piece I wrote a few months ago, on similar lines. You may find it interesting and relatable… https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/feeling-poor-adopt-this-new-mindset-to-grow-your-wealth-3bf60db45a23