I'm not disagreeing with you, I was simply commenting that a poster coming to GAF and saying he earns more than the average and won't pay more into the NHS is always going to be met with derision on GAF despite what he ( and I) believes is a far amount of tax (probably) he already pays.
The Fifer in me shivers at the thought of £300 jeans........
Scoffing on GAF tends to come with phrasing. At times some appear a bit callous or with a lack of any empathy, but then again, it's the internet and text on a message board is a very narrow way to judge someone. Emotion is lost, as is meaning and intent at times.
Anyway, you and me both. Even some higher end Levis will
only set you back around the £100 mark. Diesel tends to ramp it up to mid to high £100's and even into £200. There's nothing wrong with enjoying some nice clothing, or eating out, or nightclubs, I think my bigger point was it doesn't matter if you have wealth, you still fall "victim" to overspending/mismanaging money/being ripped off/making dumb decisions and ultimately regrets.
In the fields of psychology, it is often proposed the "ideal" amount of money to be earning is enough to pay your bills and spend a little bit on yourself/family/home/etc (as well as a portion for savings). In regards to happiness. Often lots of wealth doesn't necessarily correlate to a mass of happiness, and for many, it brings in its own set of new "problems" with addictions, stupid spending and at times drugs and other "coping" mechanisms such as elite nightclubs/gambling and so on. Living with
silly wealth as much as this remark will get scoffed at often leads to many mental health problems. I think many humans just aren't cut out to know what to do with wealth, and the innate response in many is to want to spend it constantly. Very few people manage to master the skill of saving, regardless of how much they are bringing in. If you're swimming in money it is actually hard to keep finding ways to spend it all, without getting crazy, careless and continuing to look for ways that hoover up money (often leading to gambling/drugs/anything else that can suck money up).
I also know people struggling will often read statements like that and feel angry because the dream is always to "become a millionaire" to solve life's problems. The key point to remember is the proposal is the "height" of happiness is having enough to pay bills comfortably with some left over. Often "down the bottom" you're scraping by to manage to pay bills and feed yourself/your family, and that is high-tier stress, depression and upset. Therefore it's no wonder being rich as fuck is fantasised about.
All of this is an offshoot of discussing taxes and funding public services, but it also ties into how minds can get very hostile to the idea of their money being parted with them on something that they don't perceive to be "getting something back" from. If you're in a "privileged" position of being able to pickup nearly anything you want whenever you want, you're used to getting something shiny to use/play with/store/etc. The tax man coming in and whisking your money away to "pay for poor people's healthcare" becomes an actual line of thought for some. It's why living in a bubble of wealth can be dangerous, and yes, I know 50K is hardly rich as fuck anywhere in the country, but 50k should be enough (combined with a partners salary) to cover your bills and have some left over. It's why these lines of thought can start creeping in within the middle-class, as being part of the middle-class does often meaning being able to cover bills and have a reasonably comfortable life.
Alternatively, just look at America where the "I have mine" is fucking rampant around anything to do with social care/health care. #NotAllAmericans, many are fighting for a fairer society, but the perception has spread far over there through middle-class families. I genuinely think the uptick of middle-class and even lower class over here voting Tory in droves is beginning to lead the UK to that kind of future.
So, east end of Glasgow is currently seeing a huge Orange March parading around.
I know Scotland hasn't had the uptick in fascism that England had, but denying the growing numbers of them here is crazy.
Theresa May's call for a GE and backing her party to quell the saboteurs was a call for action for every little fascist organisation in Britain - not expecting them to cut down on marching through Glasgow until the end of the GE.
They are getting their voters in line right now, and they will organise their vote, too.
I sincerely hope the SNP/Greens/Labour are planning to show a lot more anti-fascist presence in these areas here, because right now the whole east end is regressing hard.
Orange Walks have been a thing forever, but yeah, they are often filled with bigots, Rangers/Celtic hostility, religious hostility, and are also usually the strident Unionists
Not that being a Unionist is inherently wrong, not at all, but the kinds of Unionists you'll find in an Orange Walk are probably the ones that'll tell you Nicola Sturgeon is literally Hitler trying to destroy
their UK.
_/¯
