Why does MN seem to hate people who have 'money'

[febbabies2023]

Genuine question

I've read a few posts where people have asked for advice etc on a topic that heavily revolves around money or property etc

Quite often on those threads, people seem to bash them or become quite nasty even though the thread was asking for advice etc

Why does Mumsnet seem to have an issue with people who are 'weathly'? And wealthy / a high earner is different for everyone right?

Someone earning 25k a year will see someone on 50k as a high earner. Someone on 60k will see someone on 100k as a high earner and so on.

I know times are tough for some people, but it seems that people forget that some of these high earners have worked their absolute butts off to get where they are? Or is that unreasonable?

Sure, but don't expect anyone to feel sorry for you and don't plead poverty in front of people who are in REAL poverty.

@Greenfairydust

I think buy to let landlords for example get criticised and frankly rightly so.
There is something incredibly distasteful about people owning several properties, and contributing to the housing crisis, and funding their lifestyle on the back of tenants

Not as simple as that though. Unless you are in favour of people being able to buy as soon as they move out of their parents home, rental properties are vital to society. It’s not that landlords renting property is a bad thing. It’s that Tory housing policy/general economic strategy since 1979 has been absolutely crap (admittedly Labour didn’t reverse it when they had one decade in power).

"Compared with other countries, the most disadvantaged in the U.K. are less likely to climb the income ladder and the economically advantaged tend to stay at the top. Covid-19 has increased inequality further, and recent rises in inflation, especially energy costs, are intensifying the problem"

Even Goldman Sachs are agreeing with me! 😆

It seems to go up and down on here. I’d say over the last year the general vibe is less about wealth / spending and more people getting annoyed

Probably to be expected with current media / trends but it will change. People like to talk about spending and money if they can

OP, no one is as hated as a LL on MN. The more houses you have the more hated you are. Even though a good LL.

The internet allows people of different classes and incomes in the same forum and possibly pre internet this wasn't the case. I think it is actually quite interesting to see how the rich view themselves and their problems and you get valuable insights into the thoughts of high earners that may not have been available in previous years.

the clashes on hear possibly mirror those real life situations where rich meets poor but with anonymity people can be a little more open. I think the wealthy (or at least some of them) need to read the room occasioanly. Talking about foreign holidays, new cars, large houses etc.can really get others' backs up.

The 'tell me what you earn' threads make me want to barf at the insensitivity right now

If that’s the case this isn’t the forum for you. It’s an anonymous forum where anyone can post about and seek advice for anything under the sun and, subject to the law, that shouldn’t be subject to censorship

@Bluecandlepink
i haven’t “upgraded”! I don’t want a bigger/flashy car. The one I have works perfectly and is expensive enough at 20k for something that I see as a tool to get me from A to B. Likewise I don’t want a bigger house although we could afford one twice the price.. this one is perfectly big enough and is right next to my kid’s school. So, anyway, I don’t think it’s human nature. I think we’ve been programmed into this competitive “upgrading” mindset. But even in the massive media/advertising assault which we live under today, there are still plenty of people who step back and see that prioritising free time/financial security/freedom is more in their own long term self interest than splashing the cash to flaunt their social status while endangering the aforementioned.

Read the room? What room? There are probably as many rooms on here as users. Not everyone is sat in one darkened room with the heating off wrapped in blankets. It’s such a silly thing to say.

I was born in the 70s in London, my parents were born in the 30s in London.

You cant look at social mobility over the space of about 2 years and neither can you count social mobility as whether someone can or cant buy a house on one salary or not, what sort of measurement is that?

I think some people have chips on their shoulders but some of it is irrelevant

If someone asks "where can I buy a dress for 100"

Replying "I buy all my clothes from Chanel you can get one for 2000"

Isn't really answering

Every landlord on MN says they're a good landlord. But are they actually?

I've never private rented admittedly (I have a HA flat) but if all the landlords are good ones then why are so many private renters struggling?

So how does that work?

Someone posts “I’ve £30 to feed my family till pay day” and you think I reply “I had to put £100 in the BMW to take the kids to prep school today, awful isn’t it” ?

Or, do I post a question in an appropriate part of the site about paying off my mortgage at 50 and someone replies that I’m boasting/don’t know how lucky I am/fucking hate the rich?

I think it's reasonable to question this. If you don't come from money it's likely that despite your income you have a large mortgage (due to lower deposit) , live in an expensive area, potentially have parents who even if they live near are FT working so can't support with childcare. Plus you earn too much for govt support.

I have friends who are better off day to day than me despite earning significantly less because they get free help and have cheaper housing due to inheritance. All stories are not the same or a stealth boast

You cant look at social mobility over the space of about 2 years and neither can you count social mobility as whether someone can or cant buy a house on one salary or not, what sort of measurement is that?

So when various bodies talk about the impact of the pandemic on social mobility, you are saying it's irrelevant?

Are you saying living standards haven't fallen? or are you saying that living standards aren't linked to social mobility? And you think living standards have no relation to housing costs?

Out of interest how are you measuring how social mobility has increased since you were born?

That's not the type of post I was talking about, is it?

The only wealth threads I've seen have been the how on earth am I supposed to manage on 1 million a week types, I work harder for my money than anyone else, I totally deserve my diamond shoes

Which fairly obviously get folks backs up

I doubt any genuinely wealthy person would be looking to Mumsnet for financial advice anyway

Wealth inequality is a huge problem that is only going to get worse

We need to do more to make things more equal instead of pretending that hard work pays and everyone can be rich if they just tried a bit harder

Like @Mycatsgoldtooth pretending nurses and forklift drivers could earn mega bucks by upgrading

I think you notice what you’re most affected by. I haven’t noticed anyone bashing rich people on MN, in fact it seems like this site has a higher concentration of high earners than most. And trust me, the threads on people on benefits are usually not particularly supportive.

Again, missing the point spectacularly.

How come on practically every other thread, women fall over themselves to ensure others that they know it's not the end of the world, at least they still have a mum (even if they don't get on), at least they've had a child (even if they're exhausted by the child's special needs), is it wrong they're ungrateful their husband bought them A bag from Mulberry but not THE bag from Mulberry?

When it comes to money, when someone comes on with a query like this they have no humility, and seemingly no understanding that they're outrageously privileged. They just post that they're struggling and don't know why?

It's crass, thoughtless, and I imagine, downright upsetting for those who are genuinely struggling.

Absolutely this.

It is incredibly shortsighted and self centred of people to try and shut down perfectly reasonable discussions. For example a 100k pension pot at early 40s. This could have had really important advice on it that other women would have found useful but other people just can't see past their own arse and let people have these discussions.

I don't disagree with this at all.

But I genuinely haven't ever seen someone come on asking for financial advice of that sort being beaten down like that. Sure one or two will have an opinion like that, but it tends to be those posters that are shut down sharpish.

Start off your post with "I'm lucky enough...." and you're golden.

Yes it is incredibly short sighted and unpleasant.

Some could say you not "upgrading" to a larger house is negatively impacting a family that need a 3 bed but are stuck in a 2 bed because the only houses coming to the market are 4/5 bed houses at a price affordable to you but not them.

It's all relative.

People are entitled to post about whatever they want to.

People with money do not bother me. If they have worked for it and they are good at handling it, that I admire.
Those who do not seem to be able to cope with £10,000 of disposable income per month or make a living on £500,000 per annun irritate me. I mean, seriously?