Mumsnet race to the bottom

[limeandwater]

I have noticed on MN there has been a real race to the bottom mentality. To be clear I am not talking about budget advice threads that can be incredibly helpful.

I am talking about the posters that think working people should be so accepting of a miserable life.

Again I am not talking about 5 star holidays in The Maldives, 26 plate Range Rovers, or shopping at Harrods Food Hall.

Somebody posts about the price of coffee then the response is to make your own and bring it with you. Somebody posts about the price of a cafe lunch on a family day out and the response is bring your own sandwiches. Somebody posted about the cost of running a car and the answer is cycle. Like that's realistic in a rainy December.

When did people get so accepting that life had to be miserable?

Whatever it takes another line trotted out by those who have actually got absolutely no idea as to what it would take

I have been comfortable and poor and everything in between. I have experience of different socio economic positions so you are wrong.

But you are preaching to my generation some of whom didn't have heating in their homes, had two sets of clothes to their name and walked everywhere. So can you see how and why some people feel a bit pissed off that others are moaning they can't take out their family for a meal out or have to cut down on their coffees.

There is real poverty in this country and I honestly don't think many of the people who are struggling to find enough money to eat worry about their daily coffees.

But you are preaching to my generation some of whom didn't have heating in their homes, had two sets of clothes to their name and walked everywhere. So can you see how and why some people feel a bit pissed off that others are moaning they can't take out their family for a meal out or have to cut down on their coffees

When was this? Wasn’t there any public transport?

We walked to the shops, we walked to school, we walked into town. Of course there was public transport but where did the bus fare come from?

Do try not to be so obtuse.

There was a bit of public transport where I lived in the late 80s but never at the right time and it was expensive. I walked to work every day and if I was lucky a colleague would give me a lift home. I walked to the supermarket for my weekly shop and caught the bus home with all my bags. I was far fitter in those days than at any point since.

There was always public transport, but I remember not even having bus fares, so walked where I needed to go.

I think a big difference now is, thanks to readily available global news, and of course the internet, people who have little are very aware of others who have lots, so not only does it hit home how poor some are, the fact we can all compare, can breed resentment.

This clearly shows how the younger generation are clueless about the levels of poverty the so called wealthy boomer and silent generations experienced. How did they better themselves, a 2 hour walk to work (each way) was normal and work was a 6 day week. Nowadays they jump in a car for a journey less than a mile.

I would be more than sympathetic to their plight if they endured real hardship rather than demonstrating pure entitlement.

A two hour walk to work was never normal. No wonder we get mocked.

It was. Granted if you walked quick it was an hour and a half.

"'Ad to lick the road clean wi' our tongues..."

Exactly. I hate it when people post ridiculous shit. Nobody I know ever walked two hours to work - and I’ve got a lot of life to look back on.

This clearly shows how the younger generation are clueless about the levels of poverty the so called wealthy boomer and silent generations experienced

Can you not imagine a world in which a clueless younger (I’m not young) person has family who belonged to the boomer & silent generations?

How did they better themselves, a 2 hour walk to work (each way) was normal and work was a 6 day week

What a steaming pile of crap.😆😆

My ‘boomer” parents are immigrants from a (then) developing country & this wasn’t even the norm for them!

How far back do you personally recall?

It just makes any chance of reasonable debate pointless. Why lie?

I was born in 1953 - you can work it out.

@Cuttingthroughredtape when was it the norm for boomers to work 6 days a week with a 4 ht daily commute on foot?

Go back further. I know of others who experienced the same. If you lived in a town your walk would have been shorter.

Silent generation.

But you said it was the norm for boomers?

Even the Victorians didn’t have long commutes.

Like you, I grew up in the 50's and 60's, and there was real poverty about.
Honestly I dont know anyone who walked for 2 hours to get to work, because back then most people I knew worked locally, but an hour walk (which I regularly did) was not unusual.
It was easier then because the majority of people in our neighbourhood were in the same boat, no one had money, we had not much knowledge of richer people, and even though my mum cleaned for a couple of well off families, we never actually compared ourselves to them, and their wealth was certainly not rammed down our throats as it seems to be in todays society.

I do think it's harder to be poor nowadays, I doubt I could cope like I did back then.

My parents were born in 1916 and 1918. My dad never walked two hours in his life except on the golf course and my mum rode her bike everywhere. You’re talking absolute nonsense.

It was for the early ones. Late boomers were born in 1964 so no doubt their experiences are considerably different.

No it wasn’t

I’m an early boomer. 🤷‍♀️