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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Opinions you have that aren't popular on mumsnet(2)

999 replies

Lockdowner35 · 03/01/2021 15:58

As the last thread reached 1000 posts

I will start

Jo Swinson would have do a better job than Boris on Coronavirus

OP posts:
Orlania · 07/01/2021 20:28

You miss the point. Inheritance means people don't have equal opportunities and therefore there's no justification to say high earners must have worked harder or smarter than low earners

Although it's often true that higher earners worked a lot harder to get where they are. Not always. But a lot of the time. A time and energy commitment that I wouldn't want to give personally. But I wouldn't begrudge someone else for doing it and getting paid more as a result. And if those workers have put more of themselves into that, then why on earth shouldn't they be able to gift their own money to their own families. Or you don't agree with that because then it means your own children don't have the benefit of an inheritance that someone else worked for to give to their own children. Because yours don't have it, they shouldn't have it either. Do you think everyone should be paid the same wage no matter what they do as a job as well?

JessicaHyde · 07/01/2021 20:28

When people (especially comedians) used to have a go at mumsnet for being middle class cunts, I shook my head. Full of cunts now though.

Cattenberg · 07/01/2021 20:30

How many people in low-paid jobs have heart attacks because of work-related stress? How many lose sleep because of work? How many have to be away from their families for days on end only to then not be able to switch off when they are home? People who get paid more, often put more in one way or another. They don't come home and switch off. They work while on holiday. They work weekends. They miss kids' birthdays, wedding anniversaries.

This sounds a lot like junior doctors. Except that the salary of an NHS junior doctor is far lower than you might expect. And due to the 90 hour weeks they’re sometimes forced to work, their hourly rate is derisory.

Orlania · 07/01/2021 20:33

This sounds a lot like junior doctors. Except that the salary of an NHS junior doctor is far lower than you might expect. And due to the 90 hour weeks they’re sometimes forced to work, their hourly rate is derisory

It doesn't stay like that though. That hard work pays off eventually.

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 20:33

@Orlania

You miss the point. Inheritance means people don't have equal opportunities and therefore there's no justification to say high earners must have worked harder or smarter than low earners

Although it's often true that higher earners worked a lot harder to get where they are. Not always. But a lot of the time. A time and energy commitment that I wouldn't want to give personally. But I wouldn't begrudge someone else for doing it and getting paid more as a result. And if those workers have put more of themselves into that, then why on earth shouldn't they be able to gift their own money to their own families. Or you don't agree with that because then it means your own children don't have the benefit of an inheritance that someone else worked for to give to their own children. Because yours don't have it, they shouldn't have it either. Do you think everyone should be paid the same wage no matter what they do as a job as well?

You still misunderstand. I'm not against inheritance. I'm not against high earners. I'm against the hypocrisy of saying high earners get shouldn't pay more tax because everything they have they got under their own steam, yet still wanting to give your own kids a leg up.
m0therofdragons · 07/01/2021 20:34

On the whole, vegetarianism is much better for everyone than eating meat (I honestly don’t understand why mumsnet is so anti-vegetarian tbh).

I guess everyone is different but I really reduced my meat consumption but eat loads of fresh green veg. I went to the gp in October feeling utter exhaustion (I put it down to working in the nhs and having 3 dc initially). My ferritin levels were ridiculously low and I’m now on iron tablets. Feeling loads better but discovered humans get most of their iron from meat as our bodies can extract it easier from meat than broccoli. Humans are evolved to eat meat and veg. I guess some people must be fine without meat but not my genes. I don’t hate vegetarians though.

Orlania · 07/01/2021 20:38

yet still wanting to give your own kids a leg up.

So what? That's what all families do. Concentrate on giving your own kids a leg up rather than what other people are giving their kids. Smacks of benefit entitlement.

ddl1 · 07/01/2021 20:43

I just outlined that in most low-paid jobs the level of stress wouldn't lead you to have a heart attack. I know very few people who don't have any work-related stress, no matter what their job is.

Medical studies overwhelmingly show that poorer people are significantly MORE likely than richer people to have heart attacks. There are many reasons for this, such as richer people generally having healthier diets, so one can't say that it's just a matter of stress. But medical studies also show that poorer people usually experience more stress than richer people.

Being rich vs poor is not mainly a matter of the rich working more hours. Yes, if two people are in the same type of job, the full time worker will earn more than the part time worker; and the one who does overtime will earn more than the one who keeps strictly to the set working hours. But most differences in earnings are related to the nature of the job, not to how long hours you work.

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 20:55

@Orlania

yet still wanting to give your own kids a leg up.

So what? That's what all families do. Concentrate on giving your own kids a leg up rather than what other people are giving their kids. Smacks of benefit entitlement.

You're reading what you expect to see, not what I've written.

Once again, I'm not against inheritance. I'm not against high earners. I'm against the hypocrisy of high earners who believe morally they shouldn't pay more tax because everything they achieved they did for themselves and don't acknowledge any contradiction between that and giving their own kids a head start in life.

Orlania · 07/01/2021 21:01

Nope. I can see what you've written. I don't have a problem with people using their money to give their kids a head start in life.

Orlania · 07/01/2021 21:03

And to make it extra clear, I don't think my kids, who got a head start because of the money I worked for and earned for them, should then have to pay more tax as a result of that.

OhDearShirley · 07/01/2021 21:03

Breastfeeding has multiple benefits.

Transatlantic flights, cruises etc should be banned for the sake of the climate.
Obesity has multiple causes. It is not a choice. A fat woman with a BMI over 35 has a 1.8% chance of achieving a normal BMI, and much less of maintaining it.
BMI over 40 and you would be more likely to survive metastatic lung cancer than successfully lose weight to a healthy BMI (and keep it off).
Weight loss surgery should be the norm for a BMI above 35, it is extremely cost effective.
Fat bashing is disgusting and one of the last acceptable prejudices.

Housewife2010 · 07/01/2021 21:05

Supporting your children with work that the school has set isn't the same as home schooling.

readytostand22 · 07/01/2021 21:06

@SillyLittleBiscuit

I’d be happy if your dog jumped up at me on a walk.
Yesssssss!!
Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 21:06

@Orlania

And to make it extra clear, I don't think my kids, who got a head start because of the money I worked for and earned for them, should then have to pay more tax as a result of that.
Are you ok with higher earners being taxed more than lower? In that case, all good.

If not, then obviously you can still think whatever you want, but I can continue to think you are a hypocrite.

Orlania · 07/01/2021 21:10

If not, then obviously you can still think whatever you want, but I can continue to think you are a hypocrite

I don't mind what you think about me 👍

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 21:11

Are you ok with higher earners being taxed more than lower? In that case, all good.

If not, then obviously you can still think whatever you want, but I can continue to think you are a hypocrite.

Ah, apologies, I should have said:

Are you ok with higher earners being taxed more than lower? In that case, all good.

If not, are you comfortable saying you know that's not fair, but you don't really care? Again, all good. I don't share your values but at least you are honest.

If not, then obviously you can still think whatever you want, but I can continue to think you are a hypocrite.

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 21:15

@Orlania

If not, then obviously you can still think whatever you want, but I can continue to think you are a hypocrite

I don't mind what you think about me 👍

Cool. I'm not entirely sure why you entered into this though, since my point all along was not about the morality of high earners or of inheritance, but the hypocrisy of a certain sort of view. So if you don't care about that I'm really at a loss about why you bothered replying Confused
VinylDetective · 07/01/2021 21:17

@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother

Whoever is leaving you an inheritance is likely to have already paid tax on those assets. Why should you pay again? Or are we now just bashing wealth for the sake of it and saying the more tax high earners pay the better?
We pay tax over and over again on the same money all the time. Income tax, then VAT, fuel tax, alcohol tax ... Of all the taxes that are fair, inheritance tax is the prime example, the recipient hasn’t earned a penny of it.
Orlania · 07/01/2021 21:18

So if you don't care about that I'm really at a loss about why you bothered replying

Because it's a public forum and I am allowed to take part and post on it, just like you are.

TrailingLobelias · 07/01/2021 21:21

I'm a top 10% earner and my current job is much easier than my previous low paid jobs teaching English as a foreign language, in supermarkets, bars and doing manual labour. The only easy job I've had was as a secretary and the pay wasn't terrible.

I think most low paid work is hard. We exploit people who have no options and try to justify it to ourselves.

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 21:28

@Orlania

So if you don't care about that I'm really at a loss about why you bothered replying

Because it's a public forum and I am allowed to take part and post on it, just like you are.

Of course you are. I absolutely don't intend to say you shouldn't take part, I'm just wondering what you got out of it.
Orlania · 07/01/2021 21:33

Of course you are. I absolutely don't intend to say you shouldn't take part, I'm just wondering what you got out of it

Hmm. Interesting question. I'll have to think about the answer to that. What do you get out of posting on Mumsnet? Particularly on a thread where people are invited to post their unpopular views?

Blibbyblobby · 07/01/2021 21:44

@Orlania

Of course you are. I absolutely don't intend to say you shouldn't take part, I'm just wondering what you got out of it

Hmm. Interesting question. I'll have to think about the answer to that. What do you get out of posting on Mumsnet? Particularly on a thread where people are invited to post their unpopular views?

In general? I post either to play with an idea or a joke that's being shared, or because someone has stated something which I know or believe to be wrong and I think it's important an alternative viewpoint is heard, or if there's an actual mistruth or a logical fallacy. Because social media shapes people's views and I think we have a responsibility to make sure it represents a range of views.

On this thread? I posted my unpopular view of course! Was nice to say it out loud.

I was interested when you replied because I thought you wanted to explore the idea, so when you said it was just to say you don't care what I think I was a bit Confused well yeah, it's the unpopular opinions thread!

I actually thought my earlier post admitting to liking Mrs Brown's Boys would have caught a lot more flack but that one sailed past without comment.

RunningFromInsanity · 07/01/2021 22:11

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