Why is it that the more money someone has, the more they seem to complain of being poor? The other day as I was sitting in someone’s garden with swimming pool, they were bemoaning that they couldn’t afford that second holiday of the year. An acquaintance recently described her new boyfriend as a ‘poor Etonian’. And in my experience there seems to be some correlation between salary earned and complaining about the cost of local council tax. Has the arrival of your oligarchs and onshore exiles in London ruffled the status of the existing rich? Or is it just cos once you have some you always want more?
crackerjack
Well-known member
Maybe it's because that's when you start reading the Daily Heil.
People who would have been considered "rich" twenty five years ago can no longer afford the trappings of rich Brits (top public school education, charming period house in the country, perhaps a flat in Kensington & Chelsea, plenty of skiing etc). The lifestlye of their parents, in other words.
The arrival of global money-money in London has pushed property prices sky-high, fees at the top schools have risen way beyond inflation (plus they run a cartel). So a country solicitor or a doctor whose salary might have afforded the classic post-war Upper Middle Class lifestlye now "struggles". Also a lot of capital among that socio-economic group was gobbled up by Lloyds of London in the 80's and 90's.
Thus: "poor rich people" or "noveaux pauvres" as they might prefer to be called.
The arrival of global money-money in London has pushed property prices sky-high, fees at the top schools have risen way beyond inflation (plus they run a cartel). So a country solicitor or a doctor whose salary might have afforded the classic post-war Upper Middle Class lifestlye now "struggles". Also a lot of capital among that socio-economic group was gobbled up by Lloyds of London in the 80's and 90's.
Thus: "poor rich people" or "noveaux pauvres" as they might prefer to be called.
Yes it is noticeable that the Daily Heil recently have got very het up about private equity financiers. Whereas before they might have celebrated their entrepreneurial go-getting.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Obviously the properly rich whinging about being hard-done-by is ridiculous, but I think it's getting increasingly difficult to be in the middle-income bracket. Somehow households/families of middle income are now paying a greater percentage of their total income as tax than people in the highest income bracket - and this hasn't been cooked up by the Heil, it's official figures. Sure, it's no fun being poor, but in that case you're not affected by many factors; e.g. if you don't have a car you don't really care about petrol tax hikes, if you had no means of a buying a house in the first place then skyrocketing house prices don't really affect you, etc.
Of course, poor people pay lost of unprogressive taxes through booze and tobacco (not to mention the Lottery).
Of course, poor people pay lost of unprogressive taxes through booze and tobacco (not to mention the Lottery).
crackerjack
Well-known member
That's a tax!? I thought it was my ladder over the wall
N
nomadologist
Guest
i do know that the difference between being rich and poor is the number of bills you have to pay, and how high they can get. you have to spend money to make it. so i have $70,000 in debt from grad school that i'll be paying $500/month on soon.
crackerjack
Well-known member
You mean you had loans to go college? What a world! (sometimes I just love being middle-aged)
crackerjack
Well-known member
Yeah, but with all that money saved I can afford wigs
bruno
est malade
at the most you'll end up broke, not poor. as i understand it, poverty is when you are stuck in a cycle of education and health so insufficient as to keep you and your children (and their children, etc) stuck within the cycle of insufficiency, without recourse (if available) to mobilty. as standards for poverty vary from place to place i would look at how possible it is to escape a situation of poverty in a particular context to judge if someone is truly poor.
N
nomadologist
Guest
yup, and i'm an idiot, so i'll probably default on them because i spent the money on crack
N
nomadologist
Guest
oh, i'm broke! i have $.17 in my bank account and no paychecks till the 31st! i make a shitload, too.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Well that was silly, wasn't it?