To really dislike the expression "I've worked hard all my life"

[Kendodd]

So what, haven't most people, and what do you expect, to be able to put your feet up all your life.

[greatshakes]

I find it a tiresome phrase. It's not just used by the wealthy justifying their salary ime, but also lots of lower-paid martyr types who have council house/benefits jealousy. I've not 'worked hard' all my life, not been able to due to a host of reasons including ill health and a severely disabled DS, but it makes me no less worthy than the hard workers with big houses or those with factory jobs.

[Hoofdegebouw]

I don't like it - but it doesn't annoy me as much as "hard working families" that the politicians trot out every five minutes. It's all divide and rule rhetoric and it really bloody annoys me.

[afriendcalledfive]

Looking after a severely disabled child makes you a hard worker in my eyes, greatshakes.

I'd rather work than be on benefits tbh, even if it is/was on a factory floor, no low paid martyr here and not all factory work is low paid, anyway. Depends where you work, I suppose.

[Financeprincess]

I most often hear this phrase used as a preamble to a variant on, "...so I know best, and I expect you/the council/the government to do exactly what I want."

The pensioners demanding an increase in the Bank of England base rate by protesting outside the bank last week were doing exactly that. "We've worked hard all our lives (but have you really? All of you?) and we want more interest on our savings, so never mind helping the economy to recover by keeping rates low. Give us what we want now. We deserve it, because we've worked hard all our lives"

It's an isomer of, "I pay my taxes!" - often trotted out by people whining about immigrants etc. and demanding that benefits claimants be left to die in the gutter. As if most people weren't on PAYE: paying income tax is something that happens automatically for most employed people and is a duty, not a generous gesture that entitles you to demand what you want at other people's expense.

[gilliangoof]

I'm not sure why 'working hard all your life' makes someone such a great person. Sometimes it just means they like having a lot of money and are prepared to neglect children, relationships etc to get it. If by working hard you mean long hours. If by working hard you just mean having a ft job then people should get over themselves. Most people work ft jobs. Once a decent standard of living is met money is not very important and people who think gaining more and 'working hard' makes them saintly are deluded.

[Landoni112]

Agree with Sinister. The phrases 'I have worked hard all my life' 'I pay my taxes' are only (in my ear-shot) uttered by people Middle Class (men usually) of a certain age.
The baby boomers have really benefitted from the period in which they were born. No major wars, booming house rises, good pensions, and now they wanted to tell the rest of us they got there through their own individual talents and determination. Some did, but most were just riding the boomer wave and were lucky not to fall off.

[Suzannewithaplan]

it's just rhetoric
surely it's not hard to figure out that we dont exactly live in a meritocracy

[Suzannewithaplan]

makes me think of the Harry Enfield 'angry man in the pub' character

is that whatchoo want??
cos thats what'll 'appen!!

[lastnightIwenttoManderley]

Whenever I hear this it seems to be a preamble to 'so I'm going to claim x,y,z'.

Some people seem to think our tax/NI system is some sort of personal savings account. (sadly, mostly older generation). This makes me desperately sad and unfortunately seems to be a response to the crap peddled by 'certain' newspapers which says that if yoi'te claiming benefits under 65 you're clearly pissing about and probably got pregnant at !6 to get your own house...

Yes, I do get irked by some people who think they are entitled to do nothing whilst others subsidise it but I'd rather have that small percentage of abusers if it means we can support those who work hard without adequate remuneration.

I'm more than happy to pay taxes to support that (yes, it would be nice if they were lower, but things cost money!)

[daisychain01]

Kendodd I do t agree I'm afraid

Genuinely how often in reality have you experienced someone saying it to justify their house price increase? Once? Twice?

Sounds like plain sour grapes this thread! In case you need reminding just because someone's house increases in value doesn't mean that is disposable income it's invisible money on paper only. Yes if people start bashing them because of their house price maybe they feel they have to defend themselves

Only on here have I ever heard of this issue. this theme has been done to death. in RD people don't habitually go on about it. Maybe in your circle of friends and family but generalising that is a different matter!

[paxtecum]

I heard this phrase last week used by someone whose DM has bad dementia and is in a care home.
Her DD is livid because they had to sell the DMs house for the fees.

'My DPs worked hard and bought a house and now it's been sold to cover the fees. If she had lived an a council house then the fees would be found by the LA'.

She didn't mention that her DM would have hated to live in a council house.

I must admit it did annoy me!

[Sicaq]

Agree, especially when it's followed by " ... and I've never owed a penny." Bully for you. As PPs have said, it's a staple comment of the baby boomers. Well, some of them - my dad is a baby boomer who gets equally annoyed when he hears this comment from his fortunate peers.

[whatever5]

I find the expression really annoying particularly as often the people who say it haven't worked particularly hard all their life (e.g. women in their 70s/80s who retired when they were 60). As the majority of people today will actually work hard all their lives (i.e. we won't be able to retire in our 50s or 60s like many of the babyboomers) I am not full of sympathy when they moan about not getting this or that benefit.

[Diane31]

I know what you mean; the baby boomers on those daytime adverts going on the cruises, mortgages paid off etc. My hubby and I cried last night watching a programme about the miners' strike 30 years ago...He believes the working classes were betrayed. The miners would have worked hard all their lives if they were given the chance! I was in my early 20s then and didn't appreciate what it was all about then as much as I do now.

A bit off subject I suppose...

[Diane31]

gilliangoof, like your post! Well said.

[Diane31]

...selling your house to pay for a nice care home. Don't really see what's wrong with that. Get the grown up kids to look after the parents themselves if they want the inheritance later. Can't have it both ways.

[angeltulips]

Whatever that's exactly what I was going to say. Usually this is said by an older person who took a final salary pension at 50 & has spent the last 10yrs+ pottering about, travelling and maybe doing the odd bit of consulting work. And who feels there's something else that the government should be paying for.

I always respond, well I'll have to work 2 of your working lifetimes just to afford what you already have (if that)....

[Grennie]

I hate it. If working hard led to fair rewards, people who have worked in sweatshops all their lives would be millionaires.

I have done poorly paid and well paid jobs. I have worked physically much harder in poorly paid jobs. I shudder at the factory work I did as a student when actually sitting down in a meeting would have been a total joy.

[diamondlizard]

Yanbu

I hate that expression

I feel like saying so what what do you want a medal

[SignoraStronza]

It gets on my nerves when people moan in the Waily Fail about having to sell their homes to fund a care home. As if working hard all their lives means their children deserve to inherit a pile?

My parents (teachers, who just managed to get early retirement with enhancement in their 50s) really don't want us to do the caring and fully expect to sell their house/s to fund it. DH, on the other hand, who worked in the family business right through uni and a little beyond, feels miffed that mil's house would probably have to be sold to pay the iht bill. But then his family is very much of the old fashioned 'look after your own' type. Just very different opinions.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

This thread has given me a chance to get something off my chest.

I had a friend,she's 26 years old and has held a adult job for 2 years (as opposed to a sat job) she grew up in a council house with a lone parent on benefits and was able to go to uni with no cost to herself or family and has recently married someone from a affluent background. And has not yet started paying back her student loan.

All of a sudden she's become very vocal including publicly about those getting benefits being scroungers in her rants she includes carers and people with significant disabilities and those with work preventing illness.

Her rants always start with either "I work hard for my money" or "I've worked hard my entire life"

It makes me want to slap her around the face with a rancid fish

[daisychain01]

This thread is a real eye opener I do get that it must really piss people off if someone rubs it in how hard they work, talking about scroungers etc horrible. I work and know people who are from all walks of life not all wealthy some do probably live in council houses they have never said and I couldn't imagine them talking like this, but obviously people must do. maybe there needs to be a stock answer like the Do you mean to be so rude? Etc

Needsa- it seems that person has forgotten her roots and where she came from!