The believed entitlement of the rich.

[reohn2]

An interesting article in the Guardian :- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... e-numbered
Worthy of discussion?

[853]

Worthy of discussion?

No, it's just envy journalism

[Nearholmer]

I’d say it falls into the camp of the bleedin’ obvious.

Anyone who has more of anything than anyone else concocts a story inside their head to justify their good fortune, and it usually involves them being “better” in some way or another than those who have less of whatever it is, or none at all. When someone has a stupendous amount more of something than someone else, their concocted story naturally involves them being stupendously “better”; it’s a very exceptional person who realises that they are simply stupendously lucky.

[reohn2]

I’d say it falls into the camp of the bleedin’ obvious.

Anyone who has more of anything than anyone else concocts a story inside their head to justify their good fortune, and it usually involves them being “better” in some way or another than those who have less of whatever it is, or none at all. When someone has a stupendous amount more of something than someone else, their concocted story naturally involves them being stupendously “better”; it’s a very exceptional person who realises that they are simply stupendously lucky.

I'd say that's a pretty good assessment of it.

[reohn2]

Worthy of discussion?

No, it's just envy journalism

"Envy journalism" now there's a new one

[Stradageek]

Will Hutton joining Gary Stevenson and even Kamala Harris in stating what needs to become obvious. To quote Kamala, "The rich can afford to pay their fair share, it's necessary, it's moral and it's wise"

And whilst lionising the American dream she also acknowledges that the key to wealth is simply rich parents.

[reohn2]

Will Hutton joining Gary Stevenson and even Kamala Harris in stating what needs to become obvious. To quote Kamala, "The rich can afford to pay their fair share, it's necessary, it's moral and it's wise"

And far to many the world over choose to game the system,all legal and above board you understand.Our last three PM's for a start

And whilst lionising the American dream she also acknowledges that the key to wealth is simply rich parents.

And with it,for many,comes the belief in entitlement,much like our monarchy!

[PH]

Anyone who has more of anything than anyone else concocts a story inside their head to justify their good fortune, and it usually involves them being “better” in some way or another than those who have less of whatever it is, or none at all. When someone has a stupendous amount more of something than someone else, their concocted story naturally involves them being stupendously “better”; it’s a very exceptional person who realises that they are simply stupendously lucky.

This is true, but on a global scale just about everyone reading this will be in the stupendously lucky category. Those stories in our heads may have been taught rather than concocted, but they're stories non the less. I don't know the answers, the story in my head is that I can't do anything about it, but in honesty I haven't spent much effort trying.

[Cugel]

Anyone who has more of anything than anyone else concocts a story inside their head to justify their good fortune, and it usually involves them being “better” in some way or another than those who have less of whatever it is, or none at all. When someone has a stupendous amount more of something than someone else, their concocted story naturally involves them being stupendously “better”; it’s a very exceptional person who realises that they are simply stupendously lucky.

This is true, but on a global scale just about everyone reading this will be in the stupendously lucky category. Those stories in our heads may have been taught rather than concocted, but they're stories non the less. I don't know the answers, the story in my head is that I can't do anything about it, but in honesty I haven't spent much effort trying.

There are things one "can do about it".

The first thing is to acknowledge one's own luck. I was lucky enough to be born in 1949 and thus the recipient of a huge number of socially-provided benefits & aids that were denied to those born not long before me. The health and education and housing were the best bits, not least because without them I might have (with thousands of others born a scant few years before me) died before the age of 2 from the various factors of deprivation imposed on most after the crash of the 30s and the world war of the 40s. Or survived but with rickets and an underused thinking apparatus.

The second thing is to acknowledge the sort of politics, policies and policy makers that provide far more "luck" for a much wider range of citizens than do policy makers and policies of another ilk. Thank Gaw for Attlee getting elected rather than Churchill, after WWII, for example.

The third thing is to try to put aside, where possible, the tropes of the still dominant "you should profit from all & everything" culture in favour of alternative modes of behaving. I'll now do some virtue signalling for Al, to provide examples.

Me and t'ladywife spent 15 months living away from home about a decade ago. We arranged for two of our neighbours who had lost their rented accommodation (the rent was put up beyond their means) to housesit for us for those 15 months. No rent, just look after the house and pay the rates and for fuel used. This enabled them to save the £12,000 they were paying as rent per year prevviously to eventually get enough deposit to buy their own house. We got our house looked after very nicely, of course.

With money we saved over our working lives (once the daughters had grown and stopped sucking at the wallet) we bought a holiday lodge in West Wales. When we weren't in it, we got a local lad to look after it (no rent, just keep it fixed) who would otherwise have been sofa-surfing at his mates or homeless. He too managed to find the means to acquire somewhere of his own to live because he wasn't saddled with a huge rent (or any rent) for around two years.

**************
These are small things to do, especially if one is a lucky Boomer with a good pension and some savings. After all, someone paid for all my free orange juice, malt and school milk, not to mention a very good education enabling me to get a good job with a good pension.

It's just a different attitude to the, "Make money by exploiting everything and everyone around you" mantra. It doesn't cost anything significant to behave like this .... if you have more than enough to live OK and don't tell yourself that you deserve more to waste on endless gew-gaws and status badges.

*************
Someone once did "a study" and counted the numbers and types of people in Blighty who do voluntary work of significance, give to all sorts of "good causes" and otherwise ignore the pressure to be greedy little consumers and nothing else. The count came to well over one million folk; and the cash value alone hundreds of millions in terms of "pay for work". But of course, there was probably 100X other values besides cash value generated. Those values just don't get counted in neolib mass media land, where everything is reduced to "my cash profits".

PS I also make nice hardwood furniture and give it away. It's me hobby! (One of several, including virtue-signalling and annoying some posters here).

[briansnail]

And with it,for many,comes the belief in entitlement,much like our monarchy!

In our cycling club.We are democratic.We cater for the rich and poor.Some people have very expensive cars (and bicycles).
Here is the thing when we meet up in the pub.It starts in school.If your clever and the top 25 % Teachers praise and love you.You select the career you want.Potential mates eye you up.

If your in the bottom 25% it is the opposite.Irrespective of how much money your parents have.

The money the rich guys/girls make can buy only one life,house,car bicycle.

Now it would be terrible to discriminate on grounds of IQ.It would equally be bad to discriminate on grounds of money.Anyway we all would given the choice of equally balanced mates for our kids.The intelligence choice would be for them to marry the one with most money.Think of all the bikes we could buy given Elon Musk as a son in law.
************
I ride Brompton,Hetchins 531 no debates on Eysenck and the meaning of IQ

[axel_knutt]

Now it would be terrible to discriminate on grounds of IQ.

The education system discriminates on the basis of IQ, that's what it's designed to do, employers need to be able to discriminate between those who are capable of doing the job and those who aren't. The problem arises when society permits excessive levels of inequality.

Spirit Level

on a global scale just about everyone reading this will be in the stupendously lucky category

[Nearholmer]

The first thing is to acknowledge one's own luck

If we all did that, we might even become “this happy breed”.

Doubtless some would say “but what about hard work; people get ahead by hard work!?”, to which I would say that it’s a matter of luck whether one emerges from childhood with the capacity for it, mental, physical, or both, the motivation for it, and into an environment where working hard actually gets you the basic necessities, let alone ahead in life.

[PH]

[

on a global scale just about everyone reading this will be in the stupendously lucky category

Global Wealth Distribution.png

Thank you. It was the point I was making that Cugel seems to have totally missed.
I doubt anyone reading this is in that half on the World's population that owns less than 2% of the wealth. If anyone wants to talk about redistribution, it's this inequality that's the pressing issue. That isn't to say helping your neighbour isn't a good thing, but those who think that leaves them with no more than their fair share are usually delusional.
Just a reminder before anyone tears me down, I've already said "I don't know the answers, the story in my head is that I can't do anything about it, but in honesty I haven't spent much effort trying."

[Mike Sales]

During the trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes", a quote which was identified with her for the rest of her life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leona_Helmsley

[pete75]

The first thing is to acknowledge one's own luck

If we all did that, we might even become “this happy breed”.

Doubtless some would say “but what about hard work; people get ahead by hard work!?”, to which I would say that it’s a matter of luck whether one emerges from childhood with the capacity for it, mental, physical, or both, the motivation for it, and into an environment where working hard actually gets you the basic necessities, let alone ahead in life.

People get ahead by effective work not hard work. Effective meaning a good return for the effort put in. I'm a lazy bugger, so chose a job I found easy and which paid quite well. They kept promoting me, and with each promotion came more money and easier work.
In Britain, the land of incompetence, being merely competent will lead to being well paid. If luck is involved, it's the luck to be here where a little ability goes a long way.