Guardian article - the squeezed middle class?

iclaudius_2

Quick p.s ruggedtoast that is a fascinating study. Like it. However I'm less comfortable blaming politicians. Their decisions (even the most deplorable) have not caused my family to sort out its finances. It was our taking personal responsibility which has.

Generali

iclaudius wrote: »

I'm sorry if my two articles have got us talking cross purposes. In the first we have over entitled folks with rugs slid out from under. The second, a few hacks playing a money game akin to an agnostic Lent.

Alain de Botton has a good book on class anxiety. Generali, we can choose to feel sorry or challenge ourselves as a society to de-normalise this careless consumption.

I made the mistake of reading only article #1 and leaping in.

What I wrote is, IMHO:
1. Valid
2. Completely off the point

Oh well.

BobQ

iclaudius wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/16/what-thinking-squeezed-middle-class

Did anyone else read this and wish to vomit? .

This is just another real person with ideas above their station. There was a time when the middle class mainly encompassed the small percentage of people who had enough disposable wealth and security/independence of income to survive the ups and downs of economic changes. The term has become devalued by those who "think " they are middle class because they have acquired a university degree, become self-employed etc.

The lady featured in the article is typical of those who thought they were middle class and are finding they are not. They have tried to live to what they think are middle class standards to impress friends and neighbours many of whom are doing the same.

BobQ

Generali wrote: »

I feel quite sorry for her. It's hard when the things that you feel define you are taken away.

For whatever reason, this woman feels that she is defined by her wealth and her consumption. It's easy to deride that but it's not for us to decide how she defines her place in the world.

Not sure I feel sorry for her at all.

Anyone defining themselves in these terms needs to be judged by the standards of the world they choose. If you write cheques for expensive classes for your children without knowing you can afford then you are a poser, living in a fools world, and should get your priorities right.

antrobus

iclaudius wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/16/what-thinking-squeezed-middle-class

Did anyone else read this and wish to vomit? Nice to have the confidence to write in and share such humbling truths (if in fact it is a real person) but the tone of entitlement and serious lack of 'this is a mess we made and we're going to sort it out-ness' just makes me sad.

I fear this is an example of what the Guardian likes to call 'citizen journalism' in the 'digital age' i.e. we're losing so much money that we're going to sack some actual journalists and populate our website with any old carp that we can get for free.

Calling it an 'article' would be a misuse of the word article. But expect more of the same.

Generali

BobQ wrote: »

Not sure I feel sorry for her at all.

Anyone defining themselves in these terms needs to be judged by the standards of the world they choose. If you write cheques for expensive classes for your children without knowing you can afford then you are a poser, living in a fools world, and should get your priorities right.

I suspect that you've never had your world taken away from you.

Try losing your job and the majority of your income and see how you get on. It nearly wrecked me which is why I have some sympathy for this woman, I am also empathetic towards her.

I thought that it was only the 'Posh Boys' that couldn't feel empathy. Didn't you post something to that effect a couple of days ago? I think you did. Turns out the class warriors aren't empathetic too.

kabayiri

Doesn't an economy driven by credit imply life on the margins for some people?

Get the breaks going your way, on jobs or property, and things can swing dramatically upwards. When things move against you the impact can hit on many levels.

The couple in the article work in graphic design. A good friend also used to work in this area. In the North West competition for graphic design work is fierce, and margins can be thin. Poorly run print shops are prone to going to the wall if just a few key clients are lost.

Re: salary incomes, my friend had a salary circa £50K around the turn of the century. Move forwards a decade and she was being offered work for mid 20Ks. You can decry the effects of outsourcing to cheaper labour areas all you want, but the effect is clear on wages.

This couple made the mistake of thinking the world they had become used to would continue. It isn't a given.

michaels

I have trouble feeling sorry for people who spend amounts on no-essentials that I can't imagine feeling comfortable with even if I could afford them.

However I guess if you believe that a relative measure of poverty makes sense then bemoaning relative falls in income is merely following the same logic.

Next year I expect to earn minimum wage and am the only earner in the household but I still expect to be able to pay the interest portion of mortgage and all living expenses without running down my savings - savings which prevent me getting any govt help with council tax etc. However that will not cover any lattes at starbucks or sky TV and I don't consider that makes me deprived.

Going4TheDream

Seems like many she is in denial about the state of her finances, but even worse is the fact that she still goes for 'coffee and a croissant' knowing she cant afford it and 'expects' (knows) her friend to pick up the tab.

I can empathise with people who lose a large proportion of their income but not when they try to live the same lifestyle as before.

GeorgeHowell

Going4TheDream wrote: »

Seems like many she is in denial about the state of her finances, but even worse is the fact that she still goes for 'coffee and a croissant' knowing she cant afford it and 'expects' (knows) her friend to pick up the tab.

I can empathise with people who lose a large proportion of their income but not when they try to live the same lifestyle as before.

Consumerism is an addiction, and materialism is the new religion. That's why we are where we are.