Increase in culture of envy

[BrighteyesBonnie]

AIBU to think that the culture of envy has increased significantly in the UK (if Mumsnet is anything to go by)?

For example, a thread by a lawyer asking whether their current salary is fair given their qualifications and years of experience contained a lot of responses angry that the OP is earning more than them and also ridiculing the OP for wanting a better salary.

Another example are threads on private schools, where there is a strong undercurrent of anger at those who are sending or want to send their children to private schools. Privately educated people are viewed with harsh lenses and often insulted.

Ambition and doing well do not appear to be appreciated if you’re doing better than the average.

People can’t see it but if it does continue it’s not going to be great

The country is broke because the government mismanage our taxes. Billions spent on HS2. Money wasted on many developments that never happen like the London garden bridge. The total corruption of PPE contracts. It goes on and on. If they money was managed properly it would be fine.

The inequality has been increasing precisely because of lower productivity - net takers and a huge disincentive to work and pay 60% marginal tax rate.

@BrighteyesBonnie This isn't true. The problem with inequality was created in the 1980s when the incomes of higher earners increased much more than those of lower earners. In the 80s, people didn't notice so much because all incomes were growing (albeit the incomes of the higher earners at a much faster rate). However, wages stagnated after the 2008 financial crisis, and now we have the COL crisis, so people are starting to notice the effects of a problem that was created several decades earlier. Prices are rising due to external factors, and the poorer members of society can no longer afford basic living expenses - but inequality in the UK hasn't actually increased in recent years.

The thing is, there should never have been such a huge income discrepancy in the first place - prior to the 80s, inequality was actually decreasing, not increasing. The shit storm has now caught up with us, but it's only really unearthed problems that were already there.

There are issues with productivity but these are separate from the issues of inequality and started much later.