Any time discussions of wealth and poverty come up, people inevitably start talking about boots. The standard phrase that usually gets thrown around is “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” which is shorthand for “work harder and don’t ask for or expect help.” (The fact that the phrase was originally used sarcastically because pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps is physically impossible is rarely acknowledged, but c’est la vie.)

The idea that people who build wealth are able to do so because they individually work harder than poor people is baked into the American consciousness and wrapped up in the ideal of the American dream. A different take on boots and building wealth, however, paints a more accurate picture of what it takes to get out of poverty.

A fantasy author’s take on boots

Author Terry Pratchett died in 2015, but his writing lives on and is occasionally shared on his official social media accounts. In January 2022, his official Twitter account (now X) shared what Pratchett called the “Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socio-economic unfairness” from Pratchett’s 1993 book Men At Arms. This boots theory explains that one reason the rich are able to get richer is because they are able to spend less money.

The thread supported UK anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe’s proposed “Vimes Boots Index,” which Pratchett’s estate authorized to track the price of basic goods. Monroe said the UK’s Office for National Statistics then announced it would change how it reports food-price inflation across income levels,........

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