Do You Ever Get Jealous of Those with Money?

Trying2SaveABuck on 18/10/2018 - 15:02
Last edited 18/10/2018 - 15:17

I work 2 jobs 6 days a week around 47 hours a week. I was at my second job chatting to a member off staff when he told me he worked 3 days a week (maybe 24 hour a week) and basically worked for the sake of getting out of the house.

He was divorced and his two kid had recently moved out of home and was saying his family was loaded and his parents essentially paid for his house and his car and literally if he needed money he would call and ask and it was just a matter of how much $$$ he wanted.

It was at the moment I was like FML what do you mean you just ask and his response was ‘yeah If I want to go on holiday I just call dad and say dad I need a little bit of money like 20k and I jet set’

My first response was ‘20k! WTF that’s not a little money that’s massive’ his response was that’s nothing when I went to buy my son his 1st car his parents shelled out of a NEW BWM with extras and that was easily 80k’ and that ‘if he needed a million that wouldn’t be a problem’
He then told me basically his whole life paid for he has studied got his masters etc but had never struggle or worry about paying bills/rent/mortgage because he was 1 phone call away from cash

now lets get this straight he is a decent guy looked after his kids his wife left him for no good reason and left the kid behind and if he hadn’t told me his parents were multi-millionaires I wouldn’t of picked it. In no way was he gloating he was someone shocked I didn’t have such a safety net (my parents where not rich) and this only came up because I was saying how if I won the powerball this Thursday I’d pay off my house and probably change to 3 days a week like him

Now I like to think I’m not a vindictive man and generally I don’t care how rich someone is but that night left work a bit jealous because my whole life feels like a consent struggle to survive and achieve better and there was someone who basically been handed everything i wish i had…

Just wondering if i the only one?

For the record im not bitter or anything happy for my college just wish it was ME! sometimes

General Discussion

Comments

        • chumlee on 19/10/2018 - 08:28

          She does work. She has her own business which is doing well.

          Not sure why you would be offended if your wife asked you that question. Perhaps a better attitude would help or just take the pole out of your backside.

          • doncarajo on 20/10/2018 - 12:59
            +1

            @chumlee: Because if she asks that, it clearly implies that you are not providing enough. She KNOWS why you don't have flashy cars; you can't afford them. Or is she a little girl that has no knowledge of the home finances? So her question is just masking a complaint…a complaint about YOU. Does that explain why I would be offended with that crap? Your wife must think you are dense.

      • bargainfinder on 19/10/2018 - 19:45
        +1

        I can not aggree more. I am driving a 18 years old Camry while my friends or work colleage is driving newer car. However 90% of them have it througg finance while i have no thing to worry about.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 15:40
    +32

    Max jelly until I discovered AfterPay and ZipPay.

    Now I'm balling like the best of the rest.

    • serpserpserp on 18/10/2018 - 21:37
      +2

      Awww yeah! Pay this silk pirate shirt off is next 3 weeks problem!

  • donga100 on 18/10/2018 - 15:52
    +30

    Stop comparing yourself to rich people. Compare yourself to poor people and you'll feel much better.

    • CloudZero on 18/10/2018 - 22:39
      +5

      Well actually, I thought it was much better to compare yourself to who you were before. I was taught that it was petty and useless to compare yourself to others because there will always be people greater than you, and people who aren't. It's much better to compare yourself to your past and if you had reflected and made changes to your actions/thoughts based on that, you'd feel so much better knowing you are an improved version of yourself.

      Unless of course this is a satirical comment, in which ignore me.

  • Godric on 18/10/2018 - 16:18
    +7

    I get jealous of my GTA online accounts money in comparison to my RL accounts lol

    • Kangal on 18/10/2018 - 21:08

      Stolen any Commodores recently?

  • John Kimble on 18/10/2018 - 16:25
    +3

    Yes, but I don't let it consume me, otherwise I would die like Frank Grimes.

    But then again, the grass is always greener they say. He could be jealous of aspects of your life that you wouldn't expect.

    • Meconium on 19/10/2018 - 00:53
      +4

      Or Grimey, as he liked to be called.

  • FiDad on 18/10/2018 - 16:29

    my whole life feels like a consent struggle to survive and achieve better and there was someone who basically been handed everything i wish i had…

    I have come across a similar situation and I thought to myself that maybe this person parent or grandparent have worked their ass off like I am doing which is why their kids can enjoy this chilled out life. This motivates me to keep working harder to make sure my kids won't have to although I for sure ain't going to give them handouts and hopefully will be able to instil enough financial sense in them that they won't need the handouts in the first place

    • Scrooge McDuck on 18/10/2018 - 18:18
      +4

      That's a nice thought. But a lot of older people just became wealthy by holding Sydney property over the last 60 years.

      • Ten on 18/10/2018 - 20:55
        +3

        Plus old people rarely eat smashed avocado on toast…It gets under their dentures.

        • Kangal on 18/10/2018 - 21:10
          +2

          And they have bad vision, so they take the bus rather than a High Yield Vehicle.

        • Miss B on 21/10/2018 - 00:26

          The cafe at my works sells a big piece of toast with smashed avo on it for $1.20. They don't call it smashed avo though, so probably why they can't charge the premium.

          • Craze on 21/10/2018 - 16:02

            @Miss B: Very lucky of you. Or is your workplace subsidising the cafe by any chance?

            • Miss B on 21/10/2018 - 19:23

              @Craze: They do, but even if they didn't it would be under $2 and it's nearly twice the size of a regular piece of toast. They seem to have good quality avos year round too, which is awesome.

    • serpserpserp on 18/10/2018 - 21:35
      +1

      So you are working hard so your kids won't need to, but you aren't going to give them any handouts.

      So how aren't they going to have to work hard for their money?

      • FiDad on 19/10/2018 - 10:41
        +1

        I will be more like insurance and come in the picture if things go wrong but more importantly, I will be able to teach them stuff I wish I was taught at a younger age like the power of compound interest, the difference between good debt and bad debt, Index investing and the concept of financial independence and above all benefits of OzBargain

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 16:40
    +2

    After seeing Steve Jobs and Paul Allen die with billions in the bank…no.

    • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:36
      +6

      I mean…. if you're under any illusions that you won't also die one day, boy have I got some news for you. You might want to sit down for this….

      • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 18:55

        In your seated enthusiasm, you seem to have missed the 'with billions in the bank' bit.

        • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:58

          Stalker, how'd you know I was seated?

          No but was that because you'd spend more, or that too much money isn't useful either? I think they spent far more than the average person, and it's probably just there being limits to how much a single person could buy that led them to have the billions left.

          Paul Allen had like… 2 sports teams.

    • Indomietable on 18/10/2018 - 19:52

      I rather die with billions than debt.

      • TheMindsetTraveller on 18/10/2018 - 20:32

        One day we leave this world behind, so live a life that you will remember

        Thank you Avicii

      • onetwothreefour on 19/10/2018 - 06:41

        Dying with millions in debt is probably not that different to dying with millions in the bank.

        • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:36

          Depends. Having millions in your bank generally means you don't have debt collectors after you before you go.

      • [Deactivated] on 19/10/2018 - 23:40

        not me! i'd rather die with debt to the government that i can never pay back from the grave. because (profanity) the government!

        • popcornready on 20/10/2018 - 18:05

          I’d rather die rich than die poor.

          At least whilst I was alive I could do more of my chosen activities than those who have to worry about their next pay cheque or saving all year for a 5 day holiday.

  • bluesky on 18/10/2018 - 16:41
    +5

    Read somewhere that envy is counting the other person’s blessings instead of one’s own. Being grateful of what one has is the best way to deal with envy.

    In truth, you never know what the other person’s life is like – it is a whole package, not just the attribute you envy (money in this case). E.g. a person with money may lack the feeling of fulfilment, since everything is dished up on a silver platter. Or could end up with spoilt children and unhappy consequences of that.

    How many times we are puzzled and shocked by those who seemingly have all the trappings of success (money included) who went and took their own lives? In short, often, if we weigh everything up about the person, we will not be so envious.

    • bluesky on 18/10/2018 - 17:55

      P.S. Envy can be benign, and harnessed for good – as a drive to improve. But it can also be destructive (hence considered a deadly sin in some traditions). The smart thing is to have proper control over this emotion.

      • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:59

        I think envy is inherently negative. It can be used for good, but that's saying a nuclear bomb can be used for mining and excavation.

        • bluesky on 18/10/2018 - 20:07

          The word benign is used here in the context that psychology papers/articles would use to describe the types of envy, e.g. here.

          … an increasing amount of research suggests that a non-hostile, benign form of envy is also common. Furthermore, this benign form can help us achieve our goals.

          … benign envy produces a leveling up motivation; malicious envy produces a leveling down motivation

          • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:37

            @bluesky: I think you missed:

            Both experiences are painful

            And given this is an example of "benign" envy:

            What do we do about the envy? Often we find a way to purchase the product ourselves.

            I don't think it's "good" at all - it's just not destructive.

            • bluesky on 19/10/2018 - 14:52

              @HighAndDry: Envy can be benign, and harnessed for good – as a drive to improve.

              The students who read accounts of the high-achieving person, felt benign envy, making them want to put in more hours, and aspire to be just like the high-achiever - is one example of harnessing it for good. Although generalized as “painful’', the experience here is more like discomfort, from unrealized ambition.

              As for which example is good and which not: as a person of reason, one can adopt the good, discard the bad – part of having proper control over this emotion.

              Personally, the example of the friend owning a desirable item and I will find a way to purchase it - doesn't sit well with me either. Unless the item happens to be something I want for its utility, beyond just a status symbol.

  • tsunamisurfer on 18/10/2018 - 16:46
    +6

    I think its human nature to want more.

    I want more money.

    I want a bigger house in a better suburb.

    I want a nicer car.

    I want an 18 year old Czech Au Pair.

    But I don't let it consume me when I see someone else with more, I just keep trying my best to catch up.

    As an aside the Australian interpretation of poverty is a joke, the poverty line for a couple and 2 children is more than $46k.

    On what planet is $46k poverty? Travel the world and you will see REAL poverty.

    • Diji1 on 18/10/2018 - 17:16
      -4

      This is clearly false when you look at societies that are not steered by marketing.

      So I gather you're happy to live in a plutocracy where your hard earned money is given to the super rich and you rationalise this by comparing yourself to people in poorer countries for some reason.

      • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 17:32

        your hard earned money is given to the super rich

        Obviously you're not talking about Australia where the super rich don't get much back.

        • serpserpserp on 18/10/2018 - 21:33
          -1

          Get much back from where? If you mean taxes, the super rich don't pay it.

          • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 23:32
            +1

            @serpserpserp: They do pay income tax and they contribute far more than the average person as a significant portion of their income is in the maximum tax threshold.

            If mean corporate tax, obviously they don't pay corporate tax other wise they would be paying tax twice.

            Non liquid assets are also not taxable but they face taxes on capital gains at time of sale.

            Face palming so hard

          • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:42
            +1

            @serpserpserp: I can't believe this kind of drivel is still spread around and believed by some people.

            https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/tax-paid-by-the-wealt…

            From the ABC, probably the least likely to have any sympathy for the rich:

            It found the wealthiest bucket was responsible for 79 per cent of all personal income tax this year

            • serpserpserp on 19/10/2018 - 13:39
              +2

              @HighAndDry: @HighAndDry , @tshow said "super rich", not "wealthy" there is a difference. You'll find the super rich do not pay the same percentages as others in the 2nd and top tax bracket. Being responsible for 79% of income tax does not mean you are paying your fair share of tax

              mega super ballistic face palm for the ages

              • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 13:41
                +1

                @serpserpserp:

                Being responsible for 79% of income tax does not mean you are paying your fair share of tax

                Did we magically turn into Venezuela? Christ. Ok, I'll humour you - define "fair share" for me, in a way that doesn't involve your feelings if you can.

                • serpserpserp on 19/10/2018 - 13:48
                  +1

                  @HighAndDry: What it means is that the dude earn 300k p.a. is probably paying close to 45% on every dollar. He is still wealthy. The mega rich earning 10mil+ a year will clearly not pay anywhere near that much tax on a percentage basis. Only a portion of it will be driven through his person earnings which the rest of it will be diverted.

                  I'm not going to be naïve and believe that you don't already know that the super rich have enough nous and resources to know how to not pay the full amount on their tax.

                  But yes, even if they pay an effective tax rate of 10% on 10mil that will be way more than the guy on 300k in real dollars. Doesn't mean it is a fair rate though!

                  • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 13:49
                    +1

                    @serpserpserp: You think a rich person (with a rich person's income) could have an effective tax rate of 10%.

                    Yeah this conversation is over. Especially since:

                    Doesn't mean it is a fair rate though!

                    You also can't read because you still haven't defined what you actually mean by "fair". You're not advocating for a flat rate of tax are you?

                    Edit:

                    What it means is that the dude earn 300k p.a. is probably paying close to 45% on every dollar.

                    You also don't apparently understand the concept of marginal tax rates. No. Absolutely no one is paying close to 45% on every dollar, that's literally impossible, because that's the top marginal tax rate.

                    • serpserpserp on 19/10/2018 - 14:17

                      @HighAndDry: Oh god i'm not going to split hairs on tax definitions with you, you know what I am talking about. The top marginal tax rate is 98-99% of a 10mil dollar earners rate anyway.

                      Super wealthy people who own the big private companies in Australia barely pay any personal income tax and sometimes the private companies themselves still pay well below the 30% rate of yesteryears.

                      I'll stop writing because this is common knowledge and you blokes assumed I was talking about Joe Dentist that gets taxed through the nose for his high earnings and "wealthy" living and now you are just trying to obfuscate and skew the argument.

                      • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 14:29
                        +1

                        @serpserpserp:

                        The top marginal tax rate is 98-99% of a 10mil dollar earners rate anyway.

                        When you said:

                        What it means is that the dude earn 300k p.a. is probably paying close to 45% on every dollar.

                        Yeah. Again, this is why this conversation is going nowhere.

                        I'll stop writing because this is common knowledge

                        No, this is a common misconception because people like you keep believing it blindly and spreading it around.

      • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:38

        This is clearly false when you look at societies that are not steered by marketing.

        You think there's a society on earth which isn't motivated by wanting more?

    • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:37

      I want an 18 year old Czech Au Pair.

      I hear Dutton's running a clearance on these. Or was that French…

      • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 20:02

        Czech is the new French.

    • crentist on 18/10/2018 - 19:07
      +1

      why Czech?
      wait, do you even have kids?

  • DarthAntz on 18/10/2018 - 16:59
    +4

    the guy got divorced for no reason, and he has a lot of money? sounds like he is full of it.

    in my experiences theres one of these people in every industry. 'filling a role to get out of the house'.
    they all got special treatment from coming from their wealthy backgrounds too.

    Read Donga100 above a few times

    • John Kimble on 18/10/2018 - 17:06
      +1

      No reason he's aware of (maybe).

    • Quantumcat on 18/10/2018 - 17:51

      If he can get money by calling his parents then he isn't really earning money so there's nothing for the ex to claim apart from assets,of which he can just get more

    • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:39
      +1

      the guy got divorced for no reason, and he has a lot of money? sounds like he is full of it.

      Maybe the ex wanted a lump sum payment instead of installments over the next 30 or so years.

      • DarthAntz on 18/10/2018 - 20:22

        she definitely wanted a guy who is capable of doing things himself, and not living out of the shadow of his parents wealth

        • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:45
          +1

          Great to know we have a long distance mind reader here.

          • DarthAntz on 19/10/2018 - 11:39

            @HighAndDry: youre thinking about bargains and the next superfluous comment to counter

            • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 11:44
              +1

              @DarthAntz: You got me! How'd you do that? Lucky I wasn't thinking about my bank PIN…

  • chumlee on 18/10/2018 - 17:38
    +6

    If he's now single you should ask him out

  • Quantumcat on 18/10/2018 - 17:48
    -4

    He probably lived at home until he was 30.

    He could have started a company with access to all that money and became amazingly successful and didn't.

    He sounds like a bit of a loser.

    You are richer in terms of family, friends, and professional success I am sure.

    • HighAndDry on 18/10/2018 - 18:39
      +7

      Well you don't sound bitter at all….

      • Scrooge McDuck on 18/10/2018 - 19:02

        I think a double exclamation mark would've worked better here than your ellipsis.

    • crentist on 18/10/2018 - 19:06
      +2

      And then what would he do with that success? Start more companies? And then more companies?
      When would the poor guy ever be able to relax and spend his money doing things he enjoys? Oh wait, he already does.

      Family and friendships are worse when everyone works. How many people lose touch after school and uni? How often can you visit family overseas? This guy could spend way more time with the people he loves.
      Professional success is overrated.

      • Quantumcat on 18/10/2018 - 20:41
        -2

        So he has no success and no wife, probably no hobbies and no friends given he only works to get out of the house. He could have gotten at least one of those things, instead he has none.

        • crentist on 19/10/2018 - 02:24
          +2

          He's got a postgrad degree, looks after his kids after the mum disappeared, and enjoys travelling the world. That makes him sound intelligent, responsible, and open-minded. He works by choice to give himself some structure while making sure he has enough time for other things in his life. I know older retirees and young guys making lots of money planning retirement by 40, and casual fun work is a common idea among all of them.

          I don't know why you would assume no hobbies or friends since OP said little to indicate either way. 4 free days a week gives him time to do other things, he would probably work more days if he was stuck for ways to spend his time. The wife situation could be good or bad. He may be better off without her, relationships often break down, and not everyone needs to get married anyway. Marriage status is a weird, very personal and particularly judgmental thing to criticise another adult for.

          Success is subjective. You're probably thinking of something that requires years of dedication and stress, and would not improve his quality of life in any way. Since OP wouldn't have picked him as a rich guy, he's probably got a decent attitude in his daily life and the way he interacts with people. You don't seem like you would have these qualities, given how quick you are to assume the worst and judge someone you haven't met for not living up to some ideals that you think they should, even though many people don't meet those ideals and everyone has their own opinion on how to live their life. Do you have a problem with everyone who lives differently to you, or just the ones you are envious of?

        • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:48
          +4

          So he has no success and no wife, probably no hobbies and no friends given he only works to get out of the house.

          Christ, how poor do you have to be to feel this much antipathy towards a complete stranger whose only sin seems to be that they have money?

        • [Deactivated] on 19/10/2018 - 23:42
          +2

          honestly you sound like a judgemental dick

      • jli789 on 20/10/2018 - 07:00

        To say he is a loser or failure is extreme, and sound jealous. I believe he has every right to enjoy his life and his money the way he wants to. But with 'professional success' you are talking about, that's another issue. Most of things, we can only say it's overrated once we experienced the grand version of it. Otherwise, it's hard to let that go.Even when money is never an issue. Once you had it, then that's it, it's in the past.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/10/2018 - 18:00

          i love it when people define 'not being a loser' by professional success. what kind of job title you have, salary etc.

          those that think this kind of lifestyle is the 'be all' of being successful, are usually pretty damn shallow.

          they usually get whats coming to them anyway. this kind of personality always has a way of unravelling itself.

          it's usually why the majority of academics (PhD) are complete narcissists. they seem to believe that their assistant professor/associate professor/professor with tenure makes them 'better' than the average joe. they often lack real world experience and look down on those who do. it's no wonder many of them struggle to keep interested students, or regularly fall out with them.

          oops that last rant was for another forum topic.

          • jli789 on 21/10/2018 - 04:46

            @[Deactivated]: yeah,you completely missed my point. i am just saying that no one can say certain things are overated if they havent experienced it, especially money wise, career wise.

            Believe me, i am speaking from experience it here. I have no financial pressure in my life, but feel less content without a thriving business venture.

            Like most things or obssessions, once you had it, you can finally let it go. otherwise, it's mind trick to yourself, by thinking you don't need it, or don't want it, or not curious enough to know, whatever IT is.

            • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2018 - 11:41
              +1

              @jli789: but why do i have to experience everything money wise/career wise? i think i can make fair judgement that money doesn't buy happiness and neither does poverty based on my own observations and rationale

              a LOT of hollywood celebs turn to drugs and alcohol because all the riches and fame causes major issues with the sense of self worth. this is kind of what you're saying. i think certain people have different goals in life and those that put a heavy emphasis on material things are likely to feel more empty once achieving them and realising that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

              congrats on your financial success and thanks for letting me know that you're speaking from experience. i however, am talking out of my ass because i'm not a billionaire and i don't really want to be. material possessions mean little in life and it's far more overhead than one can reasonably manage.

              moral of the story: don't set unrealistic goals and expectations and enjoy what you can reasonably achieve.

  • altomic on 18/10/2018 - 18:04
    +1

    that is not jealousy, that is envy.

    homer Simpson explains

    • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 18:26

      That's where I learnt that too :)

      • Kangal on 18/10/2018 - 21:19

        That's the classic definition, the real-world definition is actually "jealousy" and "envy" is merely a more fancy alternative.

        Remember language is an ever evolving toolkit, just see the definition of gay.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2018 - 23:36
          +1

          That's called butchering a language.

          It's not difficult to learn when more information presents itself. It's the creed of slothful minds that rather an entire language devolve to suit the lowest common denominator.

          • Kangal on 19/10/2018 - 00:37

            @[Deactivated]: Not really.
            I mean by all means, go ahead and tell fellow pedestrians to become gay…. meanwhile, the rest of us will stick to Contemporary English in our locale. There's a gradient between total language dominance and a fragmentation of a language. As it stands, I think English does a great job of having variety/fragmentation whilst keeping the whole thing very cohesive. Spanish has a similar deal, and you don't really hear them complaining.

            • [Deactivated] on 19/10/2018 - 08:37

              @Kangal: I agree that in common circumstances choice of words have minimal impact. We can even get by with hand gestures and facial expression. If we examine the progress of certain fields such as medicine, we find that certain languages lack specificity and hence progress is stunted where language becomes an internal barrier.

              Common misnomers - same/similar, hypo/hyper, affect/effect.

              It starts at the level of the layman but this venecular flexibility imparted to children eventually manifest in later age.

              Pet peeves - when doctors interchange an observation with a diagnosis or when they think every swelling is called inflammation.

        • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:50
          +1

          Your line of thinking is why we literally do not have a word that actually means "literally" anymore, because the dictionary definition of "literally" has been expanded to include "figuratively".

          Go on, tell us how this improves our ability to communicate.

          • AddNinja on 19/10/2018 - 13:02

            @HighAndDry: Well, you can still use “actually” if you want to communicate that old sense of “literally”: e.g. “She was actually breathing down my neck”. And in exchange we get a new word to mean “to an extreme degree” as in “she was literally fuming”. So we don’t lose meaning, but we gain new words for expressing drama - which are always in demand.

            • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 13:08
              +1

              @AddNinja: "Actually" has a range of meanings - bad for specificity and clarity. There are also a surfeit of words to express drama, which in itself doesn't convey any useful meaning to begin with. There was only one word which meant, specifically, "literally", that word being, funnily enough, "LITERALLY".

              No, we absolutely lose some capacity to convey the same meaning with the same specificity and clarity.

              E.g.: "He actually went ahead and bought the BMW!" is not the same as "He literally went ahead and bought the BMW!". In this case, "actually" is used for emphasis, and not to distinguish between a literal and a figurative statement.

              • AddNinja on 19/10/2018 - 13:21

                @HighAndDry: Yeah, perhaps. The thing is, ambiguity has always been a part of language, and it just doesn’t seem to hurt it for the most part because context helps you sort it out. I think people worry about this stuff to either signal their social class (educated) or perhaps interests. I’ve noticed that people who argue for clarity and specificity never use “yous” for example - which is clearer, more logical and more specific than using “you” to refer to more than one person. Do you use “yous”?

                I do completely disagree with you about there being enough words conveying drama in narrative. These words change quickly because part of their value is in their novelty. If people are using them, it is sign that they are needed, and that they do something.

                • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 17:51
                  +1

                  @AddNinja:

                  I think people worry about this stuff to either signal their social class (educated)

                  I'm going to assume you're (moderately?) left-wing, because you're talking about social class, so mea culpa if I got that wrong, but I find it hilariously depressing and ironic that on the one hand, liberals castigate conservatives for "demonising science and knowledge", while at the same time - as you're doing here - casting being educated as being potentially a negative thing (especially re AAVE - which to me is just broken English).

                  Back on topic though, ambiguity has always been part of language - that doesn't make it a good part of language, nor something we should encourage. We have enough conflict from differing interests, we can at least cut out the portion of human conflict that comes from miscommunications and misunderstandings.

                  • AddNinja on 19/10/2018 - 18:26

                    @HighAndDry: I’d like to think I’m modestly left wing :) Nothing wrong with being educated - I think it is a good thing. But I think many language judgements people make are not about enhancing clarity - they are about signalling social class. Hence why you won’t use “yous”, even though we obviously need a word for it. I mean, why not fix that thing?

                    As for AAVE, it does sound like broken English to people that don’t speak it - that often happens with Creoles using English as a lexifier.

              • parisienne on 21/10/2018 - 11:12

                @HighAndDry: This is cracking me up HighAndDry.Why am i having flashbacks to Sheldon and Zack having a "moment" about the exact same thing ? I LITERALLY always laugh to myself whenever i hear that word used in a context that is LITERALLY impossible (or at least only to those who aren't Sheldon).HAHAHA

                Zack: Really? I haven’t been to a comic book store in literally a million years.

                Sheldon: Literally? Literally a million years?

  • Findo on 18/10/2018 - 18:31
    +3

    From undergoing a process of deep self-reflection, I’ve come to realise it’s not a crime to be privileged, but it is darn rude to not be aware of one’s privileged financial situation. I used to envy my parents and wondered constantly if I would even have half of what they had, but I am healthy, I have a roof over my head, I have excellent quality food on hand and I don’t worry about going hungry. I can fill up my car whenever I need to without financial stress and I know employment is available to me - it might not make me a millionaire, but I will have every opportunity to land a decent job that pays reasonably well (compared to the Australian average). For that I am grateful, a few extra zeroes at the end of my net worth won’t make me any more happier than I am now.

    • grammarstickler on 18/10/2018 - 19:01

      a few extra zeroes at the end of my net worth won’t make me any more happier than I am now.

      Actually, it likely would.

      • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:51
        +2

        Ah, people negging for inconvenient or uncomfortable truths. I wonder if "tendency to be in denial" and "being poor" have any correlation. Or if it's just a tangential correlation through the co-related factor of stupidity.

      • AddNinja on 19/10/2018 - 13:31

        Well, you can’t tell from the graph they show - they stop collecting data at an annual household income of under 128k (usd)

  • crentist on 18/10/2018 - 19:00
    +7

    There's a lot of comments about how this guy sucks because he isn't trying to achieve more things with his money. It just sounds petty, and trying to hide your own envy. Being rich and able to do whatever you want would be great. Those things don't have to be huge achievements, just whatever keeps you content with life.

    I've had good jobs and done pretty well at them. But if I didn't need money, I wouldn't be spending my days working. And unless I had some massive personal drive and goals that consumed my mind, I wouldn't spend all my days trying to do achieve a lot of things or running businesses to make even more money. Why tie myself down, or ruin my hobbies by turning them into jobs, if I could enjoy my days and only take on projects if and when I want to, and for no other reason than my own enjoyment?

    There's countless things to do in the world, you could spend every week doing something new and never run out. You would learn heaps and have nothing to show for it other than being crap and a wide range of things. But you'd have a great time, if that's what you enjoyed. Or try to watch all of Netflix, whatever

  • rompastompa on 18/10/2018 - 19:16

    superglues $1 on the pavement in front of OP's house

  • Changskies on 18/10/2018 - 19:18

    who cares tbh. life happens - pretty much its what you make of.

    • serpserpserp on 18/10/2018 - 21:29

      Except when what you want is millions of dollars to be gifted to you and it doesn't just happen with a phone call ;)

      • HighAndDry on 19/10/2018 - 10:52

        It's a gift. No one is entitled to it.

  • bargainjargon on 18/10/2018 - 20:06
    +8

    There's value in the struggle. Your life may not be as comfortable as his but you've lived experiences and felt things that he may never have. It's like a video game where one guy might've just bought all the unlockable characters but you went and played and earned them. Not better or worse, just different.

    My wife and I have to support her parents. Her brother who earns less than her doesn't have to. A lot of my friends don't have to support their parents. I don't envy them because I'm content with my life. They have other struggles that I don't. Their lives may not necessarily be better or worse than mine, just different.

    Figure out what would make you truly happy, hopefully something attainable, then work towards that.

  • Your Friend on 18/10/2018 - 20:07
    +1

    life's not fair

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