To think British people aren't thought of as rich anymore

[DeliaSmithsEpicGuitarRiff]

I kind of love this, as the child of someone from a colonised country and different race, but the other half very much British.
I am away somewhere that it is possible to spend a lot of money. There once was a time where being British would mean you received excellent service, no one thought you were poor, no one suspected you would steal or have your card declined.
Now I feel the opposite. That being British makes people assume I'm poor or likely to quibble about prices. Where I am now there are so many tourists from much richer countries such as the Middle East, China and India and we simply do not compete. The sales people look at us with contempt and pity, the poor English woman. It feels like some epic karma for the empire.
Are we likely to continue to decline in standard of living until we are Europe's shabby cousins, you know the ones who had lice and lived off tinned ravioli? And will the proud, Brexiteers even recognise that this our fate?

One can but wonder how the elastic felt when the Anglo Saxons arrived!

Edit- was supposed to quote someone - Agree with the sentiment but Russia and UAE are not wealthier than us, especially Russia;

You're in Switzerland. You're surrounded by the Uber wealthy. You're probably looking a bit scruffy in comparison. I'd look in the mirror before you look at nationality.

We are x5 gdp per capita of India

Poland does well as it has half our population and different policies to us re uneconomical people.

Sorry to say but if England ditched Scotland and Wales, it’s GDP per capita would soar up.

@DeliaSmithsEpicGuitarRiff

Upthread you asked if I had visited poorer countries in order to feel rich.

Not consciously no is the answer. Any more than I visited Miami, Bermuda and Santorini to feel poor!

Don't 34% of Brits live paycheck to paycheck?

A lot of trailer parks are really nice communities. Especially in retirement areas like Florida. That statistic means nothing really.

@devilspawn
Australia and the US and the Scandi countries and Switzerland have higher costs of living, especially for things like food, but the quality of life is much better in general, and the salaries are high to match.

The only thing I question with your post is that the US should be compared with Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland on those factors.

You don't know the US.

I did not see your original post @StMarie4me but I think you are right. I invited OP to confirm their post was just a wind-up, but they have not responded so I can only presume they are too ashamed to engage. And perhaps overwhelmed also with the strength of replies.

Because anyone with half a brain knows that there are rich people, poor people and everything in between from every country. If a salesperson or a waiter is going to judge whether you're poor or rich, they will do it based on all kinds of social and aesthetic cues about you as an individual, not assume everyone from a particular country is poor/rich. What a bizarre idea!

Then do kindly provide your own statistics that show that the UK is equivalent in wealth to the second poorest state. I'd love to see it. You'll certainly find few people in the UK in medical debt.

Again, not GDP. GDP doesn't measure wealth. A hurricane boosts GDP because of the economic activity involved in the cleanup. It certainly doesn‘t make society wealthier - you're writing off a load of assets in the process.

When I visited Brazil, it was to dance the Samba, eat feijoada, shop in HStern, go up Pão de Açúcar, see Copacabana beach. It never even crossed my mind to go gape at the people living in the favelas.

Similarly, for Colombia the attractions were the food, Salt cathedral, Emerald museum, Cartagena etc. It was inevitable that I also saw many poor street vendors, including children, at traffic lights but going there because I wanted to feel superior to the poor never happened.

Is poverty tourism even a thing?

Really? My experience is that the British are referred to as "English" where I am, and always have been. None too worried whether they´re Scots, Welsh or Irish, or indeed English. And in the countryside I was informed that some "English" had bought a house sourrounded by fields near to where we were. Turns out they were Dutch.

But surely that’s more a factor of the comparative cultural ignorance (which may obviously be perfectly understandable) of wherever it is you’re living?

I’m in a part of Ireland with a lot of resident foreigners, and no one would ever call a Scot or Welsh person ‘English’, any more than they would think a newly arrived French person was Dutch.

It may be OP that YOU are seen as not wealthy enough to give service to, rather than British people in general. Mind you I wouldn’t shop anywhere where perceived wealth affected the service I got. Sounds like you’re in Dubai, which is a shithole anyway

I haven't read the full thread but with regards to high end retail, assistants are told to give the most time/attention to those who are going to spend the most. In Harrods that isn't the white British woman (although I'm not sure they will look at you with pity either). Bit of a reach to think that Brits are looked at as being poor though.

The Irish are historically enmeshed with Britain and also speak English, they can tell. So not a good example. In the same way that I wouldn´t confuse an Argentinian with a Chilean. I speak their language and know the accent.

You couldn't pay me to read the NY Times. Absolute crap with a really nasty Anglophobic undertone.

You’re missing my point.

If you are able to travel and have holidays abroad in many many countries you will be seen as wealthy/having money (maybe not rich) but yes some tourists have always been known to like spending

but the majority of worlds population can not travel abroad so a British person going to a little village in the middle of Cambodia will be rich to those living there

I've worked in Selfridges and Harrods we knew exactly who had lots of money to spend and who didn't rarely was it a surprise. I worked in the perfumery and luxury goods it was astounding how much ME customers (from the gulf) would spend of course we would want to serve them many were on commission.

Stop bragging and check your privilege!! We can’t all
afford cat food

These overseas enemy bots are getting boring and ever more obvious now.
Yes, the U.K. has its problems like many other countries but, as a place to live, it’s better than many.
By and large people are law abiding, pleasant and decent. If you’re hurt in an accident here, everyone will do all they can to save your life without looking for your passport or insurance papers first.
Our leaders tend not to openly threaten or lock up their political opponents or seek to penalise journalists or private law firms that espouse differing political views or values.
Nor am I aware of ever having been treated less favourably due to my nationality- of course that may be due to where I choose to travel - and not travel to.

‘The sales people look at us with contempt and pity, the poor English woman.’

This happened to me in Paris! But went away,
found myself a rich man and came back with his credit card and shouted ‘ Big mistake! Big! Huge!’ And they all look so shocked.
So last laugh for us Brits.

‘lice and lived off tinned ravioli’

listen, OP, lice are all the rage with kids in the Cotswolds these days, lice are retro and making a come back and as for tinned ravioli- we’ll, it’s the food of the gods. I won’t hear a word said against it. One mouthful of cold, tinned ravioli and I’m back in my nana’s kitchen half way through the holidays, refilling before going out on the estate to start little fires everywhere and play 100 kids strong hide and seek til
dark.

Isn't that part of the Paris experience

Snooty customer service. I would be disappointed if I received American over familiar, cant do enough for you type of service in Paris

I always feel this type of thread highlights how ingrained it is in our society that so many feel that others in the world have such strong opinions towards the British. We are just a little county with a very influential often horrible past that no one cares much about anymore I think most are indifferent to the British unless its on the subject of football (and to a much lesser degree the royals)

Yea the joy of Switzerland is everyone is treated like they might be a millionaire as no one knows who is. Hint its often not those dressed up to the nines and flashing the gold card