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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel really angry that Petra Eccleston is buying a £98 million pound housewhile while people are starving?

233 replies

mightybright · 18/06/2011 09:29

I am completely judging her for buying a £98,000,000 second home, her first cost £56,000,000.

I'm not jealous, it just makes me feel quite sick that people are dying of starvation and that amount of money would go a long way towards making the world a better place IMO, aibu?

OP posts:
flippinada · 18/06/2011 11:20

ROFL at all the MNetters getting all aerated on behalf of the poor little rich girl.

She couldn't give a tuppeny ha'penny shite what us plebs think.

SardineQueen · 18/06/2011 11:21

She's not a poor little rich girl.

I don't understand your point. You think that people shouldn't be responding to the OPs ill thought out and rather feeble argument?

flippinada · 18/06/2011 11:24

"The vast majority of people in the UK have vastly more than the vast majority of people in the rest of the world. Applying your idea only to this one person is illogical."

This is true.

But it's not unreasonable to feel shocked at the sheer scale of expenditure. I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend that much on a house myself but then I'm not mega rich.

TE moves in a different world to most, doesn't she? It doesn't make her a bad person of course...it's just amount of money is unthinkable to most people.

flippinada · 18/06/2011 11:27

It's not for me to tell people whether to post or not SQ. As if anyone would pay attention anyway!

I'm laughing at all the people getting seemingly cross on TE's behalf.

atswimtwolengths · 18/06/2011 11:31

Her father's doing her no favours at all. She'd have far more fun if she was living in a flat in London with her friends and working in a job that used her brain and skills.

SardineQueen · 18/06/2011 11:32

I am interested because I think the real cause of the anger of the OP and the one or two people who support her is summed up in one posters comment "silly little girl". People all over the place are spending vast sums all the time and yet the OP picks on this individual rather than say a wealthy businessman.

Birdsgottafly · 18/06/2011 11:36

If she is going to live in America then at least she is paying her staff at least minimum wage. There have been plenty of MN's who think that it is acceptable to use the 'live in' clause to pay less.

People like her keep whole industries going. You could pour money into some places forever and it would not solve their problems without getting involved with politics and that sets you up for assassination.

There are plenty of older men who originate from third world countries who spend vast amounts on stupid things, never pay a minimum wage and their fortunes are made out of corruption. I cannot link it but there was a Sheikh who wanted to create an ice rink in the desert, it costs billions to put together.

The 'silly little girl' is unfair. She may be sponsoring whole villages for all you know. Many 'clebs' do use ethically sourced and fairtraded products, do you OP, whenever you can?

flippinada · 18/06/2011 11:38

"People all over the place are spending vast sums all the time and yet the OP picks on this individual rather than say a wealthy businessman."

Good point.

I can understand why the 'poor little rich girl' comment might seem offensive, but I didn't mean it as a sexist comment.

I understand that POV completely SQ and you are right to question why the ire is directed against her rather than, say, her father or another wealthy man.

My heart will never bleed for the super rich though. They don't need my sympathy and I'm sure they don't care either.

Portofino · 18/06/2011 11:51

It is the most expensive house ever sold in the US though! I don't care who bought it really, but it is an obscene amount of money for a house.

Waswondering · 18/06/2011 11:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Birdsgottafly · 18/06/2011 12:00

It isn't really a house though, it is more of an estate. She must get involved with a lot of socialising and events to need the gift wrapping rooms, it might be an excuse for a party but it still raises alot of money for charity.

What would be the point of letting it out, there probably would then be mass unemployment in the area if all of the rich people moved out. Compare the running of the estate to a car collection, which many 'silly business men have', hers is much more productive.

loiner45 · 18/06/2011 12:08

The way in which the super-rich are actually a drain on an economy is nicely illustrated in this short video here only 2 and a half minutes but very instructive IMO.

BornSicky · 18/06/2011 12:09

there used to be a display at the eden project that showed that 5% of the world's population owned 95% of the world's financial worth. it is sickening to me to see one person with that much money. with 5% of the value of that house you could live in luxury for the rest of your life.

sorry, but capitalism is a monster and it breeds monsters, and that kind of ostentation makes me feel quite ill.

Birdsgottafly · 18/06/2011 12:14

If we all only bought fairtrade coffee and chocolate and eat less meat then it would do alot to stop people from starving. There are people stock pilling arable land in the third world to have as a standby, if ever needed, this sort of money spending should be being questioned but then those doing that own the press.

SardineQueen · 18/06/2011 12:25

The inequality between rich and poor in different countries, the super-wealthy and their behaviour and all the rest of it is a very interesting topic of conversation.

The way the OP was framed though was not about that, it was about picking this one individual out of a whole stack of enormously wealthy people for special attention. And I think it is because it is a young woman with a wealthy father. To pick out the super-wealthy as a group and ask questions about them is one thing, I think the real motivation for singling out this woman is slightly different. And has an element of "WAAAAAH snoffair". "Silly little girl" I mean FFS.

Original poster
mightybright · 18/06/2011 12:29

SardineQueen - actually it was because I had just read an article about this woman buying the most expensive house in the US. It has nothing to do with the fact she is a woman or because her wealth is inherited - no ulterior motive there I'm afraid and no, I didn't call her a 'silly little girl'.

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 18/06/2011 12:32

Op do you accept that it isn't really a house more of an estate? and in itself generates employment and puts money into various economies.

Original poster
mightybright · 18/06/2011 12:32

SardineQueen - although yes, I do think it is deeply unfair and there is something fundamentally wrong with one person buying a £98 million pound second home

OP posts:
bruffin · 18/06/2011 12:33

It's the like of super rich who buy nice boats that keep my dh in employment, it's the people who buy cars who keep me in employment.
In my previous career at a charity the money came from big companies and a few wealthy people that kept me in employment.

Original poster
mightybright · 18/06/2011 12:35

Birdsgottafly - yes of course but employing - at a rough estimate, I have no idea - say 50 staff in minimum wage jobs isn't going to make much odds to the US economy IMO

OP posts:
SardineQueen · 18/06/2011 12:37

Whatever you say.

You say you are judging her, and basically say that she has the deaths of starving people on her hands, with no reference at all to any other very wealthy people.

Do you get so enraged with bill gates, the queen, or the sultan of brunei? Her father? Premiership footballers? Lakshmi mittal? Want to talk about that?

What about the fact that to a starving child in India, your wealth is as you perceive this woman's wealth? Irrelevant?

It's all relative, your point was poorly made and illogical, and was certainly saying "come and slag off this woman" with no wider point made.

SardineQueen · 18/06/2011 12:39

If I was to start a list of very wealthy people who are causing harm to a lot of people I wouldn't be starting with this woman TBH.

Birdsgottafly · 18/06/2011 12:42

She will be employing alot more than 50. If she has bought the house then she probably will use it for galas, events etc. It does the economy much more good paying 5k for a handbag than going to primark or even coast. Alot of very rich people have clothes custom made and they do have the silk etc hand sewn and ethically sourced, this is often underestimated to how many people and countries benefit. As i said i totally support the idea of buying fairtrade that makes sense as does putting a level on what we pay for materials sourced from third world countries but i don't believe in telling others how to spend their money. If she was buying a forest and cutting half of it down to build a new house for that money i would have a problem with that. Do you know who used to own it? Perhaps question what they are now doing with that money?

sue52 · 18/06/2011 12:45

As long as she pays the proper rate of tax, I don't care.

Original poster
mightybright · 18/06/2011 12:47

SardineQueen - Yes I was talking about her in particular but that doesn't mean that I don't feel the same about the others you mention, of course I do.

I think due to her immense wealth she has the ability to help more starving people than most of us could.

Wouldn't say I was enraged, it just makes me angry.

I give an awful lot of time and money to charity but it is relative as my family is considered below the poverty line here in the UK, I don't own my home or have much expendable income but I do what I can.

My point was illogical how?

It is your perception that I was saying 'come and slag off this woman' .

OP posts: