We ENGLISH are we too respectful of the rich?

[GabbyLoggon]

And too critical of the poor? (I suspect we are, or I would not be asking the question, ok)

Is it because money gives power; and the rich have money?

Or do we clobber the poor because they have little money and little power?

I suppose it goes back to Victorian times.

Imo being "poor" nowadays doesn't even compare to Victorian times of being poor or even 40/50 years ago being poor.

I actually don't think we give anyone (rich or poor) enough respect for their roles in society.

I'm Welsh. Is your question specific to the English or the British in general?

A very wise man I know (lecturer on a uni course) talked about how we as a society aspire to and hold up the likes of Posh and Becs when actually they could be seen as greedy. We blame the poor for their poverty in this country, sadly.

YES.

'We English' are not respectful of the rich. We are often fickle about who is allowed to be rich and demand that wealth and responsibility go hand in hand. We tolerate David Beckham's millions but not Wayne Rooney's. We're happy with J K Rowling's fortune but not the CEO of a bank. We spend time claiming to despise the 'idle rich' but then buy a lottery ticket in the hope of becoming rich and idle ourselves... We entertain the concept of the 'deserving poor' but also the 'deserving rich'

Nah. I revile toffs.

I have no respect for anyone who does not earn it, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. So in my case, no, but I do think there is probably a certain amount of predjudice against the poor, ie, if you have little money, then a behaviour is more condemned than if you were rich.

Do you think? My impression is that bad behaviour in the lower orders goes down as 'what do you expect' whereas bad behaviour in the higher echelons gets a 'we expected better...' The high-ranking policewoman that was cleared of shoplifting this week was a good example. If she'd been lower down in society it wouldn't have made the papers in the first place.

What would be classed as the rich? Someone with millions?

MsSparkle - I think a lot of people define rich as "more money than I have", which makes it quite subjective.

Yeah i agree. I see "rich" as someone who has millions.

Another Gabby Loggon thread.

more than say the Americans?

I think there's probably as much toff bashing as poor bashing - especially on here.

I have a friend that has the poshest voice you've ever heard - she actually isn't very well off but people assume she is.

the abuse she suffers every day - just because she speaks nicely - is horrendous

I think we should do more to attract the world's rich to Britain. Stop demonising them and start bringing them here, so they can spend their money, and use their resources to create companies and jobs.

A huge cut in the top rate of income tax is probably the best way of creating jobs. Lower, flatter taxes please.

unless we can changethe climate, I don't really think we'd be all that successful tbh

Errrr what!?!

All there is in England is rich bashing, banker bashing and abuse. Wealth creation is seen as a sign of evil and criticised, over-taxed and essentially disencouraged. The 'poor' (incredibly relative) are always spoken about as if it is 100% the fault of others/society that they are in their financial situation - there is a hideous sense of intitlement and 'fairness' *along with progressive) have been hijacked by the left to promote extensive redistribution of wealth.

May I suggest all MNers read the work of Robert Nozick (the bit about property and taxation as forced labour) and watch the C4 documentary called something like 'The trillion pound horror story' that was on a few days ago. We need a complete re-evaluation of the tax system in Britain including lower business taxes such as capital gains tax and a flat rate of income tax.

Rant over.

Yeah, because when the Rich get richer it all just somehow trickles down to the less well off by creating jobs.
Apparently.
Weirdly though, during the last 30 years of the rich getting richer (yes really) and the gap between Rich and poor much much wider than it was, the steady hard working middle (forgetting about the poor for a minute) have continued, in real terms, to be less well off.

So what are all these richies doing with all their money? Oh yes, putting it in offshore accounts, and living abroad so they don't have to actually pay taxes.

So, yes. Lets make the rich even richer, the poor even poorer. We can be Brazil but with much more miserable weather. And worse football players.

I think that psychologically it is easier to revile the poor and blame them for their own misfortune. It is absolutely horrible and unjustified but it serves a purpose which is to make people happy with the status quo.

If you view the poor as being 'chavs' and 'scum' and all 'benefit cheats', then it is reassuring to think that they somehow deserve to be poor.

It means that you don't have to feel guilty about being in a more priviledged position (because you are worth it), nor do you have to have any sympathy or empathy for them.

It silences any doubts that you may have that riches and status is largely a lottery in life and therefore poverty may happen to you too at some stage. It's a useful belief.

The middle class would benefit from flat tax and lower business taxes.

Please watch the program; the entire way we see tax, entitlement and 'fairness' in this country is (for want of a better word) warped.

Too true Fluffy.

I'm not English, but here is what I think.

Rich people are taken the piss of, but aren't taxed enough.

can all of you tell me what makes one qualify as "rich"?

Obviously if you are a billionaire, then yes.

But when are you "Rich"...?

• if you have a big house? how big?
• If you have children in private school?
• If you have lots of land?
• If you have servants?

What what what? I always think the the lack of a definition of what rich means, means we are all free to attack these "rich", but how many rich people are there really? I don`t know any personally.

I hate everyone equally (including myself)