To think, what is behind the fixation with money& status?

[Oscarloser]

I grew up in a working class London 1980s environment. To the extent there was an obsession with money it was about how to get enough to survive. I relocated to Croydon in my teens. Other side of London, seemed a totally different world. Also changed from state primary to private (bursary) secondary. All anyone ever seemed to talk about was money. How much they had, how much their house was worth, how they knew people with money. Their cars, their extensions, their children's successful careers. Now it seems even more pronounced. I don't live there anymore and am.trying to work out, is this a cultural pr political phenomenon? Is it worse in certain environments? Is it exacerbated by the relative lack of a social security safety net,.especially.for single and/or child free people? If financial security is the goal, why is there an enormous social emphasis put on the.ability to make money, but almost none on financial savvy in.not spending more than you need to?

Because if we all built assets and passive income their would be nobody to generate the unearned wealth.
Why do you think it isnt taught in schools?

Nothing has changed.

money is power… and step away from poverty and being powerless

Surely that depend on a certain group of people.

I live in stereotypical "leafy surrey" area, people are oviously not poor, no one speaks about money. They speak about holidays and possibly cars, but who doesn't. They would speak about the same subject with a much lower budget anyway.

Throughout the history of humankind people have wanted to amass enough to provide for them and their families and some have placed a great emphasis on status within this. It may be more acute in some societies than others but this is hardly a new phenomenon.

To answer this question:

If financial security is the goal, why is there an enormous social emphasis put on the.ability to make money, but almost none on financial savvy in.not spending more than you need to?

Because someone has to generate the money in the first place. Managing money prudently is obviously an important life skill but it doesn't help you much if you don't have any income. Unless you're content to live off the state for your entire life, you have to be prepared to earn money and that implies some degree of competition and push.

I think the people who have actual real money never speak about it and a lot of the time don’t show it either . It’s the people who like to think they have money who show it and make a big deal of it .

You've hit the nail on the head there @Profpudding.

The main reason why the government is so keen on paying tax credits. Keeps people poor, in low paid jobs, and unable to mass more than 6k. Very useful for the rich.

I wonder if it’s to do with you having moved up one rung from being poor into the aspirational middle.

People are very keen to signal that they aren’t the thing they might be mistake for, so maybe that made money especially important in that circle.

I’m now of an age where some of my circle are very rich and others not, but it mainly signals which careers people went into, ie choices not success. Not much talking about money for status purposes. People much more likely to talk about their children (albeit obliquely) as that’s re-set the playing field!

I also wonder if in Britain the fact that accent signals class influences this. If someone shows up in old rags and stinking of dog, the moment they open their mouth I know which end of the social spectrum they are from. No need for money markers.

People who have nothing to prove don't care about what others think. Not everyone subscribes to the usual pecking order. They have better things to think about.

I'd love to see financial training in schools.I suppose people who boast about money may feel insecure.

I know most people on our street and can honestly say I've never heard anyone discuss money or boast about it.

Some years ago now, I was involved in a court case against our local council. I had a barrister and it was clear the costs would exceed 5 figures. A neighbour who knew about the case said to me quietly "I can help if you need money."