Why did the ancients say, laugh at the poor and don't laugh at prostitutes?

From ancient times to the present, there are many proverbs circulating among the people, which seem to be true, but I don't know that many proverbs have already changed their original intention. Some were originally two sentences, only one sentence was passed, which eventually led some people to take it out of context. Today I'm going to talk about the sentence "Laugh at the poor and don't laugh at prostitutes". Everyone has heard this sentence, but few people understand its true meaning.

Although the phrase "Laugh at the poor and don't laugh at prostitutes" has lost its real source, it is not to belittle the poor. But many people think this is true. People think that poverty should be laughed at and wealth obtained by dishonest means should be promoted. The "prostitute" here does not mean "prostitute", but refers to evil, crime and other improper means.

In fact, this is a wrong understanding. "Laughing at poverty instead of prostitution" is actually a sarcastic remark and a condemnation of people's mentality in the present society. Whether in ancient times or now, it is a utilitarian society and a money-worship society. If a person becomes rich, he will be respected by people in any way. And those poor people, no matter how firmly they insist on their own character, will be laughed at. This is an incorrect value.

In addition, there is a second half of this sentence. That is, "save the poor if you are in emergency", which is easy to understand. In other words, help the poor, not the lazy. We should lend a helping hand to those in urgent need, but for lazy people, they are not worthy of our help, because they are poor because they are lazy, have no ambition and motivation, and such people are not worthy of help. And even if you want to help, it is a bottomless pit.

So these two sentences together mean that when we evaluate a person, we can't just look at his appearance, laugh at him because he is poor, and curry favor with him because he is rich. As everyone knows, those rich people may also be evil people. When you see a poor man who wants to help him, it also depends on whether this person is temporarily in difficulty or long-term poverty, and whether this person's quality is worth helping.