emma_in_dream (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
emma_in_dream) wrote2011-05-31 01:20 pm
emma_in_dream) wrote2011-05-31 01:20 pm
Entry tags:
Faux pas about the nature of the middle class
So, whoops, I managed to put my foot in my mouth the other day.
I went to an upmarket park near us, very nice but always full of women who irritate me enormously. Last time I went I overheard a woman bitching that her husband had cut back on her annual two week holiday on her own. Instead of going to New York she was just going to Bali. And, OK, Bali is a big step down from North America but, seriously, an annual holiday *by herself*?
Anyway, this time I overheard a woman complaining about missing out on the baby bonus which 'ridiculously' is not available for those earning over $150,000 a year.
So the next day I met up with the women in my mothers group and one of them was complaining about how hard it is to make ends meet. Oh, how I am down with that.
To cheer them up I told them about the out-of-touch women who considered $150,000 to be struggling. And, of course, you can guess what happened next. She had to confess, shame-facedly, that she didn't get the baby bonus for her latest child because they earn over the cut off. Cue embarrassment all round.
Since then, I randomly happened on a blog article on what middle class income is: http://mattcowgill.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/what-is-the-typical-australians-income/
Have a guess.
$44 222 a year.
I went to an upmarket park near us, very nice but always full of women who irritate me enormously. Last time I went I overheard a woman bitching that her husband had cut back on her annual two week holiday on her own. Instead of going to New York she was just going to Bali. And, OK, Bali is a big step down from North America but, seriously, an annual holiday *by herself*?
Anyway, this time I overheard a woman complaining about missing out on the baby bonus which 'ridiculously' is not available for those earning over $150,000 a year.
So the next day I met up with the women in my mothers group and one of them was complaining about how hard it is to make ends meet. Oh, how I am down with that.
To cheer them up I told them about the out-of-touch women who considered $150,000 to be struggling. And, of course, you can guess what happened next. She had to confess, shame-facedly, that she didn't get the baby bonus for her latest child because they earn over the cut off. Cue embarrassment all round.
Since then, I randomly happened on a blog article on what middle class income is: http://mattcowgill.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/what-is-the-typical-australians-income/
Have a guess.
$44 222 a year.