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Commercialism rant! (long but worth a read)

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Comments

  • fimonkey
    fimonkey Posts: 1,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    LM, Bangerchick and Johnny - I think you're being a bit hard on the OP. Its easy to look back to how things were in 'our day' and moan that we had it tough - I'm sure I used to walk 4 miles to school in the freezing cold with no hat and 5 miles back again aka Monty Python Yorkshiremen styleeee. But we also had it good too. It's the benefit of hindsight - which you can only get with age IMO - which has made us accept our lot in life and be grateful for what we have got.

    LM - a free university education and your first house bought for less than 5x's your annual salary I would guess? So it took you till you were nearly 30 to afford a car, but a car was a luxury back (In the same was as owning your own house is nowadays), and we all remember how hidiously expensive electronic equipment was in the 70's and 80's (how proud my family were of our first VHS video recorder, people in the street used to pop by to marvel at it!).

    OP with the benefit of age you come to realise that its all swings and roundabouts. The generation above you wanted electronic equipment and cheap holidays. But they owned their house and paid 2.5x's their annual salary for it. Today your generation wants to afford to run a car and have a house - but you take your iphones and cheap air travel for granted. In another 10 years time you will look back and see that the generation below you are moaning and threatening to revolt - but you will have learnt to choose your battles carefully by then, you will be playnig the game and spotting the next trend that will make you confortable in your old age.

    Enjoy your youthful exhuberance while it lasts and apologies for any patronising tones in this post, its more jealousy that yuo still have the passion to fight!
  • JonnyBravo
    JonnyBravo Posts: 4,103 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    fimonkey wrote: »
    LM, Bangerchick and Johnny - I think you're being a bit hard on the OP.

    You're right.
    I'm just used to the mindless whinging on here from the "dispossessed". Each generation has it's challenges and it will ever be thus.
    You're also right that with age comes a bit of experience, learning (in most cases) and the insight of how to make the best of each situation.
    A good post thanks.
  • @OP ahh poor ickle baby is throwing temper tantrums, poor didums. 21 and yet you still have SO SO much growing up to do!

    1 - Insurance is based on statistics a younger drivers are more likely to have an accident. Insurance isn't just there so that you your car repaired or replaced to have when you have an accident. 3rd party insurance (the legal minimum) is to ensure the that the poor unfortunate you hit gets THEIR car repaired/replaced or that they get compensation if you've crippled them for life etc.

    2 - I bet mummy and daddy never had a house/mortgage at 21. Interest rates aren't just about profit they have to cover staff salaries (from the cleaners at the bank branch to the bosses at head office), pay interest to depositors whose money is being lent to you and overheads like gas/electricity.

    3 - Make your mind up! You can't have low borrowing rates and high savings rates.

    4 - Your clearly too young to remember how expensive clothes used to be. I can recall (20+ years ago) being over the moon at finding a pair of smart black trousers for under £10, you can probably get a whole suit for that amount.

    Any thoughts, which of the following is you?
    FullCastMuppetPoster.jpg
    "One thing that is different, and has changed here, is the self-absorption, not just greed. Everybody is in a hurry now and there is a 'the rules don't apply to me' sort of thing." - Bill Bryson
  • benb76
    benb76 Posts: 357 Forumite
    edited 21 December 2010 at 1:48PM
    What an absolutely crappy spoiled child like rant of a post that was, it seems that the OP has led an easy life and always got what he/she wanted off of mummy and daddy! I remember struggling a bit when I first moved out of my parents' house, but I'm glad I didn't suffer from having the same sense of entitlement as him/her.
  • Percy1983
    Percy1983 Posts: 5,244 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have many disagreements with how insurance works as it seems the industry is allowed to disciminate as much as it likes.

    As for arguement of so what you have it better (ipods, TVs etc), I don't look forward to day when I have to say to my children "yes I know house prices are 50x you income but you can afford a 100" 3D TV so stop complaining (prediction on TV future may do wrong).

    On the flipside life is too short to be bitter all the time, yes things have got worse but hey we will out live most of them.
    Have my first business premises (+4th business) 01/11/2017
    Quit day job to run 3 businesses 08/02/2017
    Started third business 25/06/2016
    Son born 13/09/2015
    Started a second business 03/08/2013
    Officially the owner of my own business since 13/01/2012
  • chippy_250 wrote: »
    Why is it the LAW to have insurance?

    The fact you ask that question demonstrates precisely why it is necessary to have insurance by law.
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Percy1983 wrote: »
    I have many disagreements with how insurance works as it seems the industry is allowed to disciminate as much as it likes.

    As for arguement of so what you have it better (ipods, TVs etc), I don't look forward to day when I have to say to my children "yes I know house prices are 50x you income but you can afford a 100" 3D TV so stop complaining (prediction on TV future may do wrong).

    On the flipside life is too short to be bitter all the time, yes things have got worse but hey we will out live most of them.

    The joy of the capitalist system is you can compete with these scum. Set up your own T-Shirt company or insurance company. Beat them at what they do by not scamming your customers.
  • wotsthat
    wotsthat Posts: 11,325 Forumite
    Chippy, being cynical is a good tool to stop yourself being ripped off and will help you make more informed decisions. Bitterness however will have the opposite effect.
  • wotsthat wrote: »
    Chippy, being cynical is a good tool to stop yourself being ripped off and will help you make more informed decisions. Bitterness however will have the opposite effect.


    Want vs. Need: Basic Economics
    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]One [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]of the most basic concepts of economics is want vs. need.[/SIZE][/FONT]

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]What[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] are they exactly?[/SIZE][/FONT]
    goodfood.jpg[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]A[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] need is something you have to have, something you can't do without. A good example is food. If you don't eat, you won't survive for long. Many people have gone days without eating, but they eventually ate a lot of food. You might not need a whole lot of food, but you do need to eat.[/SIZE][/FONT]
    musicalnotes.gif[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]A[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] want is something you would like to have. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would be a good thing to have. A good example is music. Now, some people might argue that music is a need because they think they can't do without it. But you don't need music to survive. You do need to eat.[/SIZE][/FONT]

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]These[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] are general categories, of course. Some categories have both needs and wants. For instance, food could be a need or a want, depending on the type of food.[/SIZE][/FONT]

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]You[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] need to eat protein, vitamins, and minerals. How you get them is up to you (and your family). You can eat meat, nuts, or soy products to get protein. You can get fruits and vegetables to get vitamins and minerals. You can eat yogurt or cheese to get other vitamins and minerals. You can eat bread to get still more vitamins and minerals. These basic kinds of foods are needs.[/SIZE][/FONT]
    icecreamcone.jpg[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]Ice[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] cream is a want. You don't really need to eat ice cream to survive. You can eat it to get some vitamins and minerals, but other foods like cheese and yogurt give you more of those same vitamins and minerals without giving you the fat that ice cream does. Still, ice cream tastes good to many people. They like to eat it. They want it, but they don't need it. They like it, but they don't have to have it to survive.[/SIZE][/FONT]

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]OK[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1], we've covered food. What other kinds of things does your body need to survive?[/SIZE][/FONT]

    soda.jpgmilkcarton.jpg [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]Another[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] example is liquid. Your body has to have liquid to survive. Water is a good liquid to drink because it keeps you healthy. Milk and fruit juice are also good because they give you vitamins and minerals your body needs without giving you the fat and excess sugar found in cola. Still, cola tastes good. Drink a Pepsi or Coke or Mountain Dew or Sprite and you feel good because it tastes good. But you don't need that cola to survive.[/SIZE][/FONT]

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]See[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1] the difference between need and want?[/SIZE][/FONT]
    Long live the faces of t'wunty.
  • ninky_2
    ninky_2 Posts: 5,872 Forumite
    good rant and fair points in the main.

    youth apathy definitely seems to be on the decrease these days. you guys are !!!!ed off - and rightly so imho.

    the system is slowly running out of willing fodder.

    but the big problem remains...what should replace it?

    big state intervention? managed economy?

    how wouod we like to live instead?

    is it just us being ripped off or is it the planet?

    who says you should be allowed to own, exploit (and sell to the highest bidder) global resources like oil / forest / etc etc.

    buy fewer items of clothing. buy fewer items of everything. money is just a notional value anyway. if you can increase the value of your time you can work less and still increase purchase power.

    remember there are plenty worse off and bigger problems than costly car insurance.

    it's only a rip off if you swap the time it took you to earn the money for the item you want and regret it.
    Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves. - Lord Byron
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