Slave underclass; No voice, no money, no hope.

[HomeSliceKnowsBest]

Posting for a non Mumsnetter friend...

AIBU to think I am now part of the burgeoning slave underclass in England?

There is no political party which represents my interests or will stand up to the Tory juggernaut, nor does it seem likely there will be one in the near future.

I am stuck in a low pay job with no hope of owning a home nor living in a reasonable quality rental property.

I cannot access help with my increasingly dire mental health as the waiting list is huge.

I live hand to mouth each month, I have no social life or treats as money doesn't permit it and have budgeted down to the last 1p. I do not have the time nor energy to 'take in ironing' , 'do matched betting' etc between kids, work and (badly) running my home.

I will be worked to death, as by the time I am old enough to draw a pension I doubt I will last all that long due to the lifestyle that poverty forces me into.

AIBU to say there is a slave class of people in our population and ask if you think this is deliberate on the part of the Government, to ensure an adequate supply of workers to feed into the machine and earn their peers big money, while keeping us so miserable or strung out on medication that we quietly comply? We are disposable, despised and unheard.
There is not the possibility of working or educating our way out of this situation as there was in the past.
I feel entirely nihilistic and numb plodding through this daily grind for the next 30 years.

YANBU. If Labour can't get it together then they need to move out of the way and let another party come into play to challenge the tories. It makes me angry. They know they don't have a hopes chance in hell of getting in with their decisions right now.

You have a point. Also about medication -antidepressants - propping people up, yet not solving much about their unsatisfying lives. We need a revolution, but not many have the strength or awareness.

social mobility is dead in the UK unfortunately. Conservative gov have an "i'm all right jack" attitude and woe betide anyone who cant afford private health care, school fees, or doesn't have contacts to help them out when they need it.

but....love is free, books are free, looking at nature is free, life's about more than cash and no one can own y
your mind op.

don't let the bustards grind you down!! 💐 💪

@GettingUntrapped

You have a point. Also about medication -antidepressants - propping people up, yet not solving much about their unsatisfying lives. We need a revolution, but not many have the strength or awareness.

What form will this revolution take?

YANBU. Wealth inequality is responsible for so many ills, and people refuse to wake up to the fact it's in the interests of the Tories - I'd go so far to say it's their raison d'etre - to keep it that way.

You have a point. Most people don't seem to understand that some jobs pay so poorly it's impossible to make ends meet and what do you do if you have children who need to be cared for and you can't work extra shifts?

I agree with you there are so many areas and jobs that don’t offer anything more than slightly above mim wage. if you do get a job with a slight increased wage it’s eaten up by yearly increase in rent and council tax and travelling and food and bills. It is much harder being single as can’t half most of the bills the only help you get is 25% off council tax not even 50.

Whilst I agree with what you are saying, slave is not the right word.

You have control & freedom of choice, not to mention some coverage of basic human rights.

A slave has nothing. No choice what to eat, where to live, who to sleep with, whether to leave the house for a walk, talk to whoever they want. A slave can be beaten, raped, bred or killed. And that's only a basic comparison.

I think using the word slave here is actually quite offensive when we have an actual problem with people being trafficked and used as actual slaves.

It's true to a certain extent but you still have freedom to make some choices.
There are areas in UK where your money on minimum wage will go further and you can rent or even buy on low income. There are areas where local services and facilities are better or more focused at low income households. Where state schools are fine, crime is low and community is well developed.
There are plenty of opportunities to get qualifications or experience and training.
All involve change and risk, but you do have the freedom to make them, so technically you are not a slave.

I doubt any government is going to make your life better. If you are in a low paid job, you are not a slave.

The argument that slavery is the same as being a low paid employee has been, and is sometimes still, used to justify slavery. It is very wrong.

OP.
How many hours a week do you work / commute to work?
How old are your DCs? Do you have a partner / any support with the DCs so that you have some time to do other things?
As the DCs get older, you should get more time to yourself. Can you find a hobby you love and which costs nothing or very little? Can you find a sport or other exercise which you can do - to help with depression, physical health and social life?
Is there anywhere beautiful near you, where you can go to enjoy nature and recharge your batteries?
Can you soak in the bath and lose yourself in a book?

You're not a slave....but I take your point

@EverNapping

Whilst I agree with what you are saying, slave is not the right word.

You have control & freedom of choice, not to mention some coverage of basic human rights.

A slave has nothing. No choice what to eat, where to live, who to sleep with, whether to leave the house for a walk, talk to whoever they want. A slave can be beaten, raped, bred or killed. And that's only a basic comparison.

Actually there isn't much of a difference between a poor person and a slave. They often don't have a choice on where to live or what if anything to eat because they don't have the money. If they were beaten/raped/killed then they can't afford to bring any kind of justice or just are ignored by the police.

I'd say you and your friend ANBU about the general sentiment. But the comparison to slaves is really inappropriate. Peasant under class might be a more accurate term. Peasants had some freedom of movement and choice, but would only earn small wages and there was no social mobility. They would always be the working poor.

There were big underclass of working poor at various times over the course of recent history, particularly during the Industrial revolution. They tended to have very few rights and many worked jobs that would have significant negative impacts on their quality and length of life and that provided insufficient income to live in a safe comfortable home or to achieve adequate nutrition. Working poor in this context would also be an appropriate term.

Social mobility through education has improved immensely over the last ten to twenty years. It’s still nowhere near good enough but it is better.
Education or training is the way out. Unfortunately you need teens to be motivated to work hard and make the most of the opportunities they have. You can lead a horse to water…..

Obviously it’s a whole other issue for some people with disabilities.

Education has not improved social mobility in the last decade

We have more graduates , doing jobs that don't need that level of education

The good jobs are not there for bright kids with no parents to pay for doctorate level training which is now needed to access good jobs in many scientific sectors

@user1473878824

I think using the word slave here is actually quite offensive when we have an actual problem with people being trafficked and used as actual slaves.

Completely agree. Slavery isn't something which died with Abe Lincoln.

@EverNapping

Whilst I agree with what you are saying, slave is not the right word.

You have control & freedom of choice, not to mention some coverage of basic human rights.

A slave has nothing. No choice what to eat, where to live, who to sleep with, whether to leave the house for a walk, talk to whoever they want. A slave can be beaten, raped, bred or killed. And that's only a basic comparison.

This. Also a slave can be sold, and certainly does not get paid for their labour.

YANBU to be angry and upset about your economic circumstances, political matters and poor UK mental health services.

YABU using the terms ‘slave’ and ‘worked to death’.

A slave implies no choice in what you can do and usually no wage.

Job choices, hours worked, number of children etc are down to the adult. Everyone has to live within their budget and take personal responsibility, it’s not the governments job to fund people’s choices if they can’t afford what they want.

@ClareBlue

It's true to a certain extent but you still have freedom to make some choices. There are areas in UK where your money on minimum wage will go further and you can rent or even buy on low income. There are areas where local services and facilities are better or more focused at low income households. Where state schools are fine, crime is low and community is well developed. There are plenty of opportunities to get qualifications or experience and training. All involve change and risk, but you do have the freedom to make them, so technically you are not a slave.

And when all the low income people move to this magical place who will work in your local area in a low income job that is really expensive to live in? The local society would collapse as everyone would be moving off elsewhere.

The totally inadequate housing issue in this country absolutely needs to be addressed. there is a huge divide between those who own property/ have second homes to rent out/ have benefited from inheritance because relatives had property etc and those who are at the mercy of insecure private tenancies with ever increasing rent, and will never own or benefit from inheritance.
We are lucky, my dh inherited money from his parents house being sold and we will use this to help our kids buy property when they are ready to but for many they are stuck in the situation of never being able to buy or access secure council housing leading to worse mental health.

I voted YABU because you used the term “slave”

You are working class/working poor but that is still far better and privileged compared to a slave. You are also far better off and privileged compared to the working class/working poor of prior generations.