AIBU to think there is a problem on MN discussing anything at all to do with income

[amillionyears]

There are a lot of threads started nowadays, that are causing offence to people who are on low incomes.

It is getting increasingly difficult for those on higher incomes to discuss quite a lot of things.

I dont know if the answer is for those with more income, to not talk much about anything, or those with less income to let them talk about what they want to talk about.

I dont know the answer to all of this.
I would like both sets, or indeed anyone in the middle, to be in harmony on MN!

Ooo who?

How did miss a naked picture of the lovely Hully? It's bad enough that I missed daft punk on the camberwick bedspread

Post it again Evadne hulster.

I wish I could find the lovely pic

Oh, I always liked very and ernie!
Them and their latent homosexual overtones :) :)

I loved that they happily got into a double bed together and no one batted an eyelid.
Very funny.

Me too.
And the pjs!
All so innocent and lovely...sigh.

MN Version needed

MN has made me appreciate more the very different positions people find themselves in. Still at times the first reaction to a post may not be entirely sympathetic or understand where someone is coming from.

Thank you for the link Nigella!

Thread with naked Hully is here BOF.

My favourite bit is the way you keep it in the sitting room Hully

Was around at the time but still in nappies!! But it's a bit of a classic.

Also recall from Economics at school a description of the spread of wealth as represented by height - like a parade (Keynes maybe - or Galbraith - blimey not sure now!).

The first part of the parade goes on for a while - very very small people for a very long time, then gradually height gets bigger until you get to average height, doesn't last that long, then you'd get a run of giants followed by a few super super super giants. Also shows how the wealth is distributed, so the few at the top end tend to loose touch with those at the tail end.

Keep thinking we are average 'height' but when you really look at it we are more like above average tall but not in the giant part of the parade.

If you have come from further down the parade (so to speak) then you can forget what it was like there, similarly if you have been fortunate to always be tall it can be difficult to understand how the short and the very short manage. It's quite a good analogy.

So now on MN we can talk about height vs income!!

Oh thank you TonyDanza

I loved that thread. I loved the people desperately being nice to Hully when faced with that picture. And the rude one who called it akin to prostitution. Fab

Did you? I thought it made them all seem rather wonderful?

You are lucky to have a man like Timon Hul.
Sensitivity, warmth and buttocks that can crack walnuts. You are living the dream

yy me too, such kindness and politness in the face of such oiled horror...

Thank you Tony- I shall put my pyjamas on and peruse it in comfort...

Ah, what a wonderful thread! I have only my imagination to go on for the actual picture, but it is so vivid.

It's not that people on high incomes can't post. They can post what they like. But if someone on a very high income posts about feeling poor because of the choices they have made in terms of what to spend their money on (private school fees, large house in expensive area, multiple pricey holidays etc) then it's actually probably a good idea that they are reminded that they are making those choices and that they are privileged to be able to do so.

If everyone thinks they are skint, and conveniently forgets that they have an extremely enjoyable and comfortable lifestyle from their money, then we're going to finish up as a miserable, envious society, where even the wealthy aren't happy with their lot. It's probably a good idea for people to have a bit of a reality check every now and again.

There's also a big difference between posting "We've got very high outgoings and should be a lot better off than we are - any advice on how to make savings. BTW I know we're lucky to have these choices" and "I can't believe how poor we are - we've only got £1000 a month left after paying all the bills, four sets of school fees, the livery fees for the horses and the deposit on next month's ski-ing holiday. Poor me."

DP is a fairly high earner. I'm a fairly modest earner. We've opted for a biggish mortgage and DP works away part of the week so we have quite high outgoings due to effectively being two households part of the time. We have had cheap, UK-based holidays for the last three years and we have to be quite careful about expenditure. But those are our choices and we can't complain about them - otherwise people would be quite right to say "er, you could buy a smaller house and move closer to DP's work."

So while I might moan about specific aspects of our financial situation - eg cost of childcare meaning that my personal contribution to the household finances is fairly negligible, or losing my child benefit which paid for part of that childcare - but I'm not in any position to make sweeping complaints about being poor!

mumsnetters are from both ends of the scale, rich and poor and middle, it is an open forum. When i win the lottery I shall moan on which mansion to buy, so watch out it will happen, fingers crossed and every thing else, in the meantime working poor.

It also works in other ways.

Someone who says 'I earn £1200 per month' may or may not be a high earner.

If they earn £1200 per month working 1 day per week from home, they are indeed much 'richer' than someone who earns £1200 per month working 6 days per week in split shifts during unsociable hours.

Again, the reminder that they are fortunate to be able to choose a working pattern that is both short and convenient while bringing in a good salary, wouldn't be unreasonable.

Thanks for the posts.

Lougle, I see your point but being a high earner is not defined by reference to the time spent earning - you are only a high earner if your earnings are high in absolute terms. Earning £15k a year is not being a high earner, it doesn't matter if you've earned it by working one day or 350.

You may be time-rich and cash poor, but that is an entirely different matter.

If you are able to charge yourself out at £1,200 a day, you can always work more days. You are a high-earner working PT.