My life on $35k would be exceptionally different if I had no investments, no savings, no property, no goods I could hawk on Craigslist, etc. And no family with means to help me, support me, and take me in (comfortably) if all that failed.
We spent a lot of time here talking about emergency funds and margins or error and safety nets. Those are the reasons that numbers like $20k/yr feel comfortable to us. Because we know that while we budget down to 20k, we know that we can come up with an extra $5k in a few days if our care implodes, or $10k in a few days if we need a new roof, or even $20k in a few weeks if we get sick. And we can pull a few hundred dollars today if it will save us a hundred more down the road, because we have the savings that allow is to bring forward expenses tactically. Those safety nets are a large part of why we can live on numbers lower than the average Joe. Those living in poverty, or whatever term we want to use, don't have those things.
While I agree with MMM's optimism and his notions that there is opportunity everywhere and for people in all situations, I think it's incredibly naive to think that because he was able to do X, anyone is. MMM *is* exceptional. For one things, he's clearly pretty intelligent. For another, he's articulate. For yet another, he's very able-bodied. Those things allowed him to get and keep good jobs, and succeed at them. And they allow him to do many of this own home repairs, to figure out how to blow insulation into a slanted ceiling using burlap (or whatever it was), to know that he can always work at something if necessary, and to make sure his own son gets a solid education which sets him up for his own future successes.
Not everyone has those things. And that makes a world of difference. To me, poverty isn't just about income, and it isn't even just about income and financial assets. It's also about access to resources of all kinds, including mental and health resources.