... to think that most MNers live in a bubble?

[frgr]

Seriously, the amount of times I read on here about "oh we earn 70k a year but we're really struggle to provide for little Jacob's polo lessons this year" (or some other such shite).

In real life, the average income of my family and friends is probably circa the national average. I know for a fact that my BIL is on around £6/hr and works 42 hours a week, I know that my best friend's total family income is about 22k because she was talking about mortgages a month ago... I'm talking about hard working people who go out come rain or shine and do their day's work, to provide for their families.... and then I log on here and find out MNers are posting trivial shit about being unable to afford XYZ and feeling hard done by on their incomes of "only" 3x the national average.

I don't know if I've become more sensitive to this crap since starting re-posting on here last year (after a break of about 3 years), but it seems to me that certain members of MN are totally and utterly oblivious as to what the average family is having to endure during this recession.

It's fucking unbelievable, it really is.

In your opinion, why are so many MNers out of touch with reality? Does this site cater to a different class than me? Are avg MNers just generally deluded - do I even belong here any more, with our 21k combined income, worrying about where the next school trip fee is coming from despite the fact that both of us work?

Christ.

I never talk about money usually but I really resent the way some people on this forum seem to imply that anyone earning good money must have a perfect life and general digs that they don't know what 'real life' is.

We have an income of over £80k+ per year. The idea of university didn't appeal to either of us and we have worked hard to get where we have.

It such inverted snobbery.

"The thing is, it is seen as perfectly acceptable on MN to slag off/ridicule/whatever those who earn more. If you dare to complain about it, it is apparently fine as those with more money can take it hmm"

The thing is I've noticed that on MN people pn benefits or working and claiming HB and tax credits get a hard time. And the attitude that if you are poor it is your fault you shouldn't take taxpayers money all you need to do is get of your arse. The thread this week about tax credits were being claimed by too many people and were an incentive to breed. I thought it pretty offensive that someone though that about people who were working. Perhaps you feel and remember insulting nonsense more when it is directed at you.

I don't think I know anything abot the finances of any of the other posters on here really.Much like RL where my friends and I only discuss money if we are experiencig extremes like being really skint or having had a bit of financial good luck!Apart from that money and who has what is way down the list of topics

I agree LeQueen, when I had a miscarriage, my monthly income was hardly a fucking comfort. Having more money helps with some aspects of life, but it doesn't remove you from real life and it certainly can't help you deal with the genuine unpleasant real life things. Life is painfully real whatever your income.

I am amused by the £70k earners mentioned early in the thread who are spending £7k on sofas. Who spends 10% of their yearly income on a sofa?!

People on benefits/tax credits etc get slated on MN by some posters ...so I think the slaging off is quite evenly split really

Money doesn't help with the real things that are difficult for most of us, except for financial issues. Of course it might buy respite care etc but it doesn't stop people dying and the like.

I hope I always remain appreciative of my capacity to earn and I would never in am onth of Sundays expect anyone to be sympathetic that I had to take out a 7 figure mortgage to pay off my ex husband's financial demands on the divorce. I don't expect it. I do though have sympathy for people on about £25k who work full time and have less spare money than those on housing benefit and other benefits. They are often in the same financial position but working pretty hard and they are not better off than those. There's a kind of income bracket and I haven't done the sums where you can be better off not working and I'm sure that feels wrong to a lot of people.

No one's safe on mn. If you are rich, poor, middle class, working class, if you have/don't have family money, if you work ft, part time, don't work, which University you went to, if you went to University, if you didn't etc etc etc etc ad nauseam

it's all relative surely?

In the SE you certainly could not buy a house for a family on £22K.

My son is in his 1st job earning £25K as a single young man and he can barely afford to rent a room in a shared house in London.

I consider us reasonably well off on a combined income of 6 figures-but we still have a mortgage ( quite a big one) in our 50s. and are still supporting 2 DCs who are not financially independent. We have never had a flash holiday and my car is 10 years old.

There are others who are considerably better off such as someone on the Style and beaty thread asking opinions on dresses costing £700 each, and a mum the other day was asking for advice on holidays around the £6K mark.

Going back to the original post- there are all sorts on MN.

Someone who is going to be complaining they are poor soon.LOL. Reminds me of the council houses with swimming pools and the people on benefit travelling in limosines that I have read about on here. And you are right, money won't mean your problems are easier, it just removes the problems to do with being poor.

In response to mainly

I suppose in one way I do live in a bubble. When people start to talk about benefits and rentals and some other things I dont have the faintest what they are on about.

The inverted snobbery really grinds on me though. Immensely.

Riven, I don't think anyone would deny there are some things that money makes easier and that is clearly one of them. It's shit that it is going to take that long to sort out for her. How much longer have you got to wait? (Fwiw, I would happily pay higher taxes so that things like that could be made easier for everyone).

But there are also lots of things money doesn't help with and having a higher income (and the incomes being talked about here aren't the mega-rich, they're 2 teacher incomes) doesn't put people in a bubble. People's incomes vary too, so an income now says nothing about what you've lived through in the past or what you might have to in the future. For most people income is pretty fragile, whether they realise it or not.

I've read posts on here from people who think that all council houses are free and only occupied by the unemployed and no one works to pay their rent on them ,so yes some people are so out of touch with my life its unreal ...

hoovercraft - but then there are things you could talk about which others wouldn't have the faintest idea what you were on about, maybe we all live in our own bubbles?!

sorry but why is living in a council house "real life"?

usualsuspect - but then you might be out of touch with their life too

I like my bubble. It's warm and cosy here. Smells a bit funny but I think dd had egg.

sorry usual I misread that

Riven, you're absolutely right, in your particular case money would be a godsend. Anyone who is well off and doesn't recognise that doesn't have any sense. Having said that, people who are well off still have problems where when they are going through the mill, being financially comfortable doesnt make the blind bit of difference. I thought LeQueen gave a good personal example of that.

Going back to your post FGR it's not that most Mns are out of touch with reality- it's that your reality and theirs are different.

A combined income of £21K is very low.

You could be acccused of being out of touch with what constitutes "real life" if by that you mean an average wage.

I agree wizardora ...I have no idea how some people live ...so I can only offer an opinion on what I know about ...its the posters who have no clue about life on benefits/low wages who say, well, don't have kids/work harder etc that piss me off

I agree with usualsuspect. I don't care how much money anyone else has but I don't like it when people judge me without knowing anything about my life.

Inverted snobs are in the wrong though too.