Interesting thread which illustrates OP’s point; it’s very difficult to start a thread about higher earners without having half of Mumsnet jumping down your back.
Theres is a lot of talk about tone deafness and the idea that people who are not well off shouldn’t have to read threads about people with money.
I would agree if this was a site specifically aimed at those who are struggling; but it’s not. Much of MN’s advertising income is derived from the size of its audience and the fact that it enables advertisers to access middle class shoppers. But then it seems that the expectation is that those MNers will stay quiet about anything which discusses their privilege.
I think it is a really unhealthy herd mentality. It makes the site very one dimensional and dull. I also think it encourages fragility; if someone finds it difficult to see threads about a MNer buying a house for £1.5m, is it also difficult to see expensive houses in real life; watch television showing pictures of anything aspirational; see expensive cars on the street and friends who are well dressed etc? There will always be people who are better off; that’s just life.
I am doing well now but have struggled financially at times and when I did I liked the escapism of knowing that there were better things out there and aspiring to a different life.
The politics of envy also always looks only in one direction. Every single MNer is fortunate compared to the poorest both in this country and especially around the world. Applying the logic of those who object to threads mentioning wealth, there would be no MN as we should not talk about anything which might appear trivial to those worse off than us. Of course the reality is that those posters do want to continue to use MN but that their position is fundamentally hypocritical.
A problematic side effect of this hard mentality is that it is seen as acceptable to demonise the wealthy and in the context of MN to attempt to shut down their discussions or attempts to seek support. Eg the stuff about the OP’s spelling error. Why is this ok?
As is illustrated by this thread, this contempt is often coupled with misconceptions about how much money constitutes being so rich that someone is no longer entitled to have financial problems. Eg the example of £90k income used by the OP; if you happen to live in London this will buy a moderately poor quality of life as the vast majority of that income will go into housing costs. There is no room for cars, holidays, private education. Increases to the cost of food and utilities will absolutely be a source of stress. Yes they could theoretically move out of London to go somewhere cheaper, but leaving your home, family, friends, kids’ schools and job is also massively stressful and so people in that situation will seek support. As this thread demonstrates, unfortunately, the knee jerk response from many on here is to tell them that it’s their own fault for mismanaging their money or to sneer that the problem doesn’t exist (“diamond shoes too tight” etc).
Those who are more seriously wealthy also don’t deserve the opprobrium they receive on here. It is not a crime to be well off and indeed their spending habits help to support society; eg a MNer who has nannies, cleaners and gardeners, or is engaged in a luxurious renovation, all help to create work and wealth for others but are likely to be slated on here whether or not they are a good human being.
It boils down to nasty tribalism, and an absence of critical thinking and kindness, and makes MN a worse place.