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[Moral Panic]

Single Parent, Two kids. Hey I know a family like that....


$260,000







WTF are they smoking

 

[CyclopsRock]

Then they are clueless for not predicting the reaction that basically everyone I know who has seen the picture would have.

Well maybe, but that's different the what the vast majority of people here are criticising them for. Both the blog in the OP's quotes and Oblivion's blog make suggestions about the article that aren't borne out in the actual article. I don't think it's entirely reasonable to blame the WSJ because people would rather read blogs damning the piece than actually read the piece itself.

 

[radios shipping overview]

I don't think the WSJ is under any allusions that these people are poor. It's not claiming they represent a cross section of society, either.

There's a lot more than the text of the article at work here. The graphic has all the subtlety of a Chick tract.

 

[entremet]

WSJ got worse with the Murdoch buyout.

 

[Jado]

How do some of these people get to make so much money, I know a lot of people that have busted their asses studying and working who cant even aspire to ever make that much money, damn, they make it look easy.

I wondered myself until I started meeting these people. Most aren't exceptional, brilliant, entrepreneurial, or hard-working. The truth in many cases? Legacy. Where your daddy went to school and where you, in turn, will end up going to school and be surrounded with opportunities to be successful and comfortable. If you're not a total fuckup in everything and can do decent work, you can coast through just fine at a good private school that will feed you a waiting seat at an Ivy and set you up with high-paying work for life.

Besides that, just having high grades stuff like in law or finance, but not at a mediocre school where top firms won't even look at you -- even with a very high GPA.

 

[AlexMogil]

It's like the editors were drunk.

 

[HoodWinked]

earning power tnx WSJ.

two blacks < asian woman < white woman < white couple

 

[The Technomancer]

I wondered myself until I started meeting these people. Most aren't exceptional, brilliant, entrepreneurial, or hard-working. The truth in many cases? Legacy. Where your daddy went to school and where you, in turn, will end up going to school and be surrounded with opportunities to be successful and comfortable. If you're not a total fuckup in everything and can do decent work, you can coast through just fine at a good private school that will feed you a waiting seat at an Ivy and set you up with high-paying work for life.

Besides that, just having high grades stuff like in law or finance, but not at a mediocre school where top firms won't even look at you -- even with a very high GPA.

The idea of meritocracy in America is laughable as long as schools of varying quality and prestige continue to have wildly different rates of tuition (and as long as the estate tax is so low, but that's a different issue)

 

[TheOMan]

I thought for sure this was a joke...I literally re-read it thinking I had missed the punchline.

 

[commedieu]

earning power tnx WSJ.

two blacks < asian woman < white woman < white couple

I still love the fact that the "bad guys" without the tax increase, are black. AND retired.

i crack 6 figs, but ffs, this is retarded.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

how do you even spend $260,000

Once you made that money, it costs more now. It may cost a lot more than you think.
You basically buy the same things as everyone else, just better and more of them. Refrigerators and phones are the exception. The poor love refrigerators and phones.

 

[commedieu]

Once you made that money, it costs more now. It may cost a lot more than you think.
You basically buy the same things as everyone else, just better and more of them. Refrigerators and phones are the exception. The poor love refrigerators and phones.

How much do u make a year?

 

[ksan]

It's like they're targeting a part of the demographic reading WSJ.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

The drawings are silly but I still find it crazy for people to equate a couple making $250k a year or a single person making 200k a year to be the equivalent of Donald Trump or Bill Gates. If you have kids or depending on where you're living, you're likely doing all right, but its lunacy to think you're in the same league as multi millionaires and billionaires.

 

[Row]

If I was making 1/5th of what these cartoons are making I'd be ecstatic

 

[monchi-kun]

What I learned:

Single asian chicks are the new sugar mama

 

[The Technomancer]

The drawings are silly but I still find it crazy for people to equate a couple making $250k a year or a single person making 200k a year to be the equivalent of Donald Trump or Bill Gates. If you have kids or depending on where you're living, you're likely doing all right, but its lunacy to think you're in the same league as multi millionaires and billionaires.

You're not on the same level as millionares or billionares but you also are not living the life that the vast majority of Americans are living, and a tax increase of a few thousand dollars isn't going to enganger your lifestyle.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

How much do u make a year?

1752500 Bolivian Boliviano

 

[mr2xxx]

I hope they quit their jobs and go on welfare to show us!

 

[ElectricBlue187]

Once you made that money, it costs more now. It may cost a lot more than you think.
You basically buy the same things as everyone else, just better and more of them. Refrigerators and phones are the exception. The poor love refrigerators and phones.

and microwaves, those craaaazy poorers

 

[onadesertedisland]

If you pull in a quarter of a million per year, unless you are retarded with money you have plenty to invest and stock away.

You're taking home about $3400 a week.

 

[xKilltheMx]

Seeing this and being 1 yr from graduating in engineering makes me sad. I'll have to do all this hard work, take all this liability and be making what they make from "other" income - barely. dafuq, I hate you now mom WHY WEREN'T YOU RICH AND PRIVILEGED!

 

[Rubbish King]

Oh they're allowed, it's just that everyone else is allowed to laugh and tell them to fuck off.

.

 

[Keru_Shiri]

I need to figure out how to earn $25K in investment income.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

What are the taxes for a household income of let's say 90-120k? I think that's more in line with regular folks?

 

[Cat]

I am indeed quite envious of the income the people depicted in the picture are making.

 

[CyclopsRock]

There's a lot more than the text of the article at work here. The graphic has all the subtlety of a Chick tract.

So your problem with the piece is that the figures aren't smiling? It's not like they deviously hid their incomes or anything. Your problem is that it's the "main image"? How little is the WSJ to expect of its article readers?

 

[Kazerei]

how do you even spend $260,000

This article has some ideas! Here are my favorites:

Groceries: $1,000. (&#8220;We like Whole Foods and try to eat organic as much as we can.&#8221

RRSPs and investments: $0. (&#8220;Ha! We live month to month. When we have money left over, we go out.&#8221

Gas for their Mercedes E320: $150. (&#8220;We buy a new Mercedes every three years; it&#8217;s our big indulgence,&#8221; says Doug. &#8220;We always pay cash. This one was $80,000.&#8221

Wine: $800. (&#8220;I&#8217;ll spend anywhere from $15 on a Rhône to $100 on an Amarone, and I open a bottle almost every night. I&#8217;m one course away from sommelier certification, and they practically know my name at the Summerhill LCBO. &#8220

Clothes at Harry Rosen and shoes from online collectible sneaker stores: $1,000. (&#8220;My big buy last year was a couple of Zegna suits for $1,500 each.&#8221

 

[Valnen]

how do you even spend $260,000

http://mashable.com/2010/07/05/diamond-iphone-4/

This article has some ideas! Here are my favorites:

So they throw their money away quite literally. Not surprising.

 

[commedieu]

What are the taxes for a household income of let's say 90-120k? I think that's more in line with regular folks?

they dont change.. if thats what you're asking.. ?

 

[CyclopsRock]

This article has some ideas! Here are my favorites:

Aha, I like how he says "They practically know my name" at the Wine place as if that's indicative of an enormous frequency of visits. Knowing his favourite wines etc maybe, but his name's written on his fucking credit card.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

I am indeed quite envious of the income the people depicted in the picture are making.

Amazing that you'd focus on that rather than the huge tax increases they're facing.

 

[Valnen]

Amazing that you'd focus on that rather than the huge tax increases they're facing.

Even with those huge tax increases they still live like kings compared to most people so fuck em.

 

[akira28]

But look at how sad they are.

That single asian woman has the resolute look of a future tiger mom. She's pissed that that afro-american woman and her platonic life partner get to pay less taxes than her. She's probably going to go blog about it over on hotair.com. And scowl during her appearance on Morning Joe tomorrow.

She's the only one not sad, merely...disappointed.

digby is a gaffer? I've been reading him over at dk for yeARS.

 

[Jacob]

What are the taxes for a household income of let's say 90-120k? I think that's more in line with regular folks?

It's closer to "regular folks", but 90-120K is still comfortably in the upper-middle class range.

 

[Kinitari]

If you pull in a quarter of a million per year, unless you are retarded with money you have plenty to invest and stock away.

You're taking home about $3400 a week.

One year I lived on 12k income. With a girlfriend I pretty much supported. While paying rent (with a roommate). It was bad.

That being said, I'm less outraged and more intrigued by the article. I really want to know what the intent of painting the pained look on those people's faces was.

I wonder if the editors knew what effect it would have. These "tax increases" (ie expiring temporary tax cuts) really aren't so significant that it would hurt any of these families in any way.

So your problem with the piece is that the figures aren't smiling? It's not like they deviously hid their incomes or anything. Your problem is that it's the "main image"? How little is the WSJ to expect of its article readers?

I don't think the tone of the article or the pictures were made in ignorance, but I think they are subtle enough that if pressed WSJ could say "I don't know what you're talking about".

But do you really think the editors would see what this article is portraying and min not realize what subtle message might be brought across (these taxes hurt these wholesome people who wrap sweaters around their necks).

 

[onadesertedisland]

What are the taxes for a household income of let's say 90-120k? I think that's more in line with regular folks?

That's still above average.

I'd wager the average is around $55k per year.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I like how disheveled and disaffected the kids look like they just walked off some backwoods porch in appalachia or something lol
why are you making mommy pay more taxes? ((

 

[Ponn]

I am indeed quite envious of the income the people depicted in the picture are making.

We just need to invest in more bootstraps.

I like how disheveled and disaffected the kids look like they just walked off some backwoods porch in appalachia or something lol

They just returned from their first day at...PUBLIC SCHOOL!! Oh the horror.

 

[Magnus]

If I was making 1/5th of what these cartoons are making I'd be ecstatic

Christ, seriously.

 

[commedieu]

1752500 Bolivian Boliviano

awwww shy?

 

[Guevara]

So how many of their writers are making even $180k per year

 

[megarockexe]

So many extra zeroes. I think my parents made what the single parent in the illustration, minus the zero at LEAST up until 1999/2000.

 

[Byakuya769]

Lawyer, C-Level exec, or business owner.

You'd have to be a partner to make 600k as an attorney.

 

[GotEmRunnin]

Damn WSJ!!!

My wife and I are a little above 115k combined and we have 3 kids, but sheesh man. We aint ballin but we aren't hurting like those poor saps in that pic either.

 

[akira28]

I like how disheveled and disaffected the kids look like they just walked off some backwoods porch in appalachia or something lol
why are you making mommy pay more taxes? ((

That's where she keeps them.... For tax purposes.

 

[VariantX]

Single parent, 2 kids. 260k.

Ok. Someone still thinks the American Dream still exists.

Hell, with just 1/5th of 260k, I'd be living on easy street compared to what I make now

 

[Guileless]

What are the taxes for a household income of let's say 90-120k? I think that's more in line with regular folks?

Yes, but this article is explaining how federal income tax rates and deduction limits changed in the recent tax bill. You have to get up to 250k in income before any of that takes effect. That's why the incomes in the illustrations are high.

It is not because the person who writes the Wall St. Journal personal finance column (who I doubt qualifies for the new rates/deduction limits unless she is married to a high earner) does not know how what "average" people earn.

 

[Eighty Deuce]

You guys think this is rage inducing? You should check out the Rich kid tmblr, some of these people have fucking lion cubs as pets. I wish I was joking.

 

[Brazil]

lol... 260k, single, and sad?

please..

Seriously. Holy shit.