[bkeevin]

(Original post by The_Great_One)
My point is theirs no point complaining about it because theirs nothing you can do about it. Some people will never see that amount of money it's just one of those things.

There are many things that can be done to reduce the inequality. Only as late as the early 80s the gap between the pay of the bosses and the average employees was way less. It would be very easy to make companies pay no more than say 10 or 20times at a maximum their directors to what they pay lowest paid employees. An entrepreneur can pay themselves as much as they want since they risked their own money but they would have to pay all the relevant taxes.

[No Man]

(Original post by zaliack)
Income equality is judged by how much the top % have more than the bottom %, population and economic size has nothing to do with it.

And what influences the gap between the top % and bottom %?

(Original post by 0000fw)
Britain is unequal, those born into relative poverty in Britain have less opportunities and tend to live harder lives. People hate the rich because the rich run our country and many born with a silver spoon in their mouth do not understand and do not try to understand the lives of ordinary people. This is problematic as the government policies seem alien and irrelevant to someone of a lower class therefore these people feel that they are not involved in society and do not matter in the world. The media is run by rich people and celebrates other rich people which further frustrates people this frustration sometimes translates into hatred.

Britain compared to the rest of the world is not unequal.

[0000fw]

(Original post by No Man)
And what influences the gap between the top % and bottom %?


Britain compared to the rest of the world is not unequal.

Yes but I'm not comparing it to the world. Britain is unequal just not as unequal as other countries.

[_Shmiley]

What does rich even mean? Having money to spare after bills and necessities? Or being able to live comfortably? I wouldn't class myself as rich, but we live comfortably and if we want something we can usually get it. We go on holiday to Jamaica every other year, but we travel in economy and it's not many frills to it, but we do it and we can do it comfortably knowing that we can pay the bills and so forth, but after we've been on holiday were not stupid and go and get a new car or something, we just control the spending. If you want to have more money, control. Obviously a single mum with 4 kids who works all hours of the day is not going to be as well off as a couple with no kids and a good income, but both of them will usually have someone to put away for rainy days, and compared to some people, yes they will be rich.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Fynch101]

(Original post by ShredMaster)
I don't hate rich people. I hate rich people who look down on me

So you just hate people who look down on you? whether or not they are rich should be irrelevant.

[Mishmashmoo]

I don't see why people can't accept the beauty of possibility when they see other people with more than them. That could be you if you want it enough. I'm only 18 years old and I personally have very little money, but I have no problem with others being rich. I think it's probably jealousy like others have already stated.

[desdemonata]

(Original post by Mishmashmoo)
I don't see why people can't accept the beauty of possibility when they see other people with more than them. That could be you if you want it enough. I'm only 18 years old and I personally have very little money, but I have no problem with others being rich. I think it's probably jealousy like others have already stated.

Not true. Not everybody can be an investment banker. The world needs people who fix cars and clean and work behind tills and at desks. Not everybody can be rich and not all skill-sets are rewarded with high paying jobs.

[No Man]

(Original post by 0000fw)
Yes but I'm not comparing it to the world. Britain is unequal just not as unequal as other countries.

And it can't and won't change, unless Britain becomes a country like North Korea.

[0000fw]

(Original post by No Man)
And it can't and won't change, unless Britain becomes a country like North Korea.

Perhaps, but I think it could get a little more equal.

[theonefrombrum]

It's because they once dunked their rich tea biscuits in their brew and it went about as soggy as the tears of a consumer who doesn't have the means to consume.

[anarchism101]

Love all the righties saying 'jealousy' as if that's not a perfectly good reason. Poor people in Saudi Arabia are jealous of the Saudi nobility's wealth, is that wrong?

[im so academic]

(Original post by 0000fw)
Perhaps, but I think it could get a little more equal.

"A little more equal", but then there's *always* going to be someone complaining that it's still not "equal enough".

[im so academic]

(Original post by anarchism101)
Love all the righties saying 'jealousy' as if that's not a perfectly good reason. Poor people in Saudi Arabia are jealous of the Saudi nobility's wealth, is that wrong?

This is Britain, not Saudi Arabia. Don't use irrelevant examples like that.

[anarchism101]

(Original post by im so academic)
This is Britain, not Saudi Arabia. Don't use irrelevant examples like that.

Everyone's prepared to admit that the rich in Saudi Arabia don't deserve their wealth, but no-one will even question it with regard to Britain. It's simply assumed that you must deserve it.

[Rhonut]

Some people are just born rich and they will sail through life because of it with minimal effort, they're born into high paying jobs. Others can work their asses off 24/7 and never earn more than is needed to barely scrape by, because the good jobs require 'contacts' and 'status' which only the rich are born with. I'm not saying it's impossible to move up the ladder, but it rarely happens. The country is designed to keep the rich rich and the poor poor, and this system is kept in place because the rich and stupid have the power over the politics and are supported by many more hard working people who earn next to nothing.

I don't hate the rich, but I don't like the system that creates such a rift and keeps so many people in the pit because the few rich people with most control are afraid of losing their money, control and status to people who work harder than them.

[0000fw]

(Original post by im so academic)
"A little more equal", but then there's *always* going to be someone complaining that it's still not "equal enough".

Well it will never be equal enough until it is equal and until then people have a right and a duty to complain to try and change things. Some people in this country can't afford to eat everyday so they have a right to complain when they see others living in the lap of luxury.

[im so academic]

(Original post by 0000fw)
Well it will never be equal enough until it is equal and until then people have a right and a duty to complain to try and change things. Some people in this country can't afford to eat everyday so they have a right to complain when they see others living in the lap of luxury.

So you believe everyone should earn the same amount, e.g. a doctor earns the same amount as a cashier? How horrible.

What kind of food do you eat? What kind of clothes do you wear? What electrical goods do you have?

[0000fw]

(Original post by im so academic)
So you believe everyone should earn the same amount, e.g. a doctor earns the same amount as a cashier? How horrible.

What kind of food do you eat? What kind of clothes do you wear? What electrical goods do you have?

Why is that horrible? I do not advocate complete communism- this is obviously a flawed system but I also don't think it's fair that some people live in mansions and others in massive tower blocks.

I am lucky with material possessions now although when I was younger we couldn't afford to eat every day and thanks to the free school meals system I manged to get by. What about you?

[TurboCretin]

No. No, no.

It's not about how rich they are. It's about how much richer they are than everyone else.

Forget doctors or lawyers. We're talking here about the kinds of people who patronise offshore wealth funds like the ones recently uncovered harbouring upwards of $21tn. It is at least that. That is almost three times the GDP of China. It is just a stupid amount of wealth, and about half it is owned by 0.001% of the world's population.

Money begets money, money buys influence, influence serves its own interests, including entrenching inequality. That is why people hate rich people.

[im so academic]

(Original post by 0000fw)
Why is that horrible? I do not advocate complete communism- this is obviously a flawed system but I also don't think it's fair that some people live in mansions and others in massive tower blocks.

I am lucky with material possessions now although when I was younger we couldn't afford to eat every day and thanks to the free school meals system I manged to get by. What about you?

When then it is not equal unless everyone has the same thing. Right?

Don't you think it's fair that those who worked hard enough get to earn enough money to spend it on mansions? Don't you think it's fair that those who didn't rightfully get their place in tower blocks?

May I ask did you have material possessions when you were younger? If so, then there was no excuse for "not being able to afford to eat everyday".

Under your logic we wouldn't have the internet, nice clothes, variety of food, medicine etc.

It may not be fair, but so be it. Just because can't afford a mansion it doesn't mean no one can.