Re: 7 series V A8
 

No problem. If you believe that saying the poor choose to be that way is accurate then I guess we all know where you stand as well.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

It's arrogant bullshit. I come from East Manchester, a part of the UK where male life expectancy is almost 10 years below the average for the UK. There is one prime reason for that... poverty. In his view all those people only have themselves to blame. Are you saying you agree with that viewpoint?

Re: 7 series V A8
 

Bang on mate - and that's how I see it too. I deliberately tend to read people's input in the context of the thread and one of the beauties of the medium especially when people do get riled so easily. I find it hard to hold personal grudges and it also means I can disagree with someone on one thread then agree on another, seconds apart.

Naturally we alll get to know each other though.

And that doesn't mean I don't like Uranus, or think that his input is meaningless.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

Depends on how you want to analyse it to be honest. I'm not taking it that literally. Part of the problem is that you come from E Manchester and have a personal slant on this.

My favourite word on BE to explain us all is demographics. That's a nice way of saying that we're not all equal and that there are things out of our control. It's a nice way to state that we all get influenced by our peers, our education, our values get shaped by them. People don't choose to be poor but they can choose to be ignorant.

You don't need to hit the drugs, smokes or booze to take that 10 year cut. I KNOW that some kids don't get a chance. But in some ways they have chosen that life indirectly - rather it's their destiny.

Do you know mate, not a day goes by when some element of BE torments me and makes me feel guilty about inequality. BE has been a real eye opener for me. My life has been tough in that I have chosen to live my life in a certain way but it's also been a life of utter, utter privilege where luck has played a large part. Having said that, there's an element of Australian and British life I don't get nor do I need to get it. It's not my life. That said, that's why I never knock people who are desperate to leave the UK for a better life and can't understand why people would call them low-life. The people who piss me off are the ordinary people who are no better than the people they criticise in turn. That's any normal Tom, Dick or Harry who can't fathom why their lives are so hard here. They've come from being ordinary and they'll go back to being ordinary - the thing is that they couldn't let go of one particular comfort zone.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

I dont believe I put forward an opinion on that, I suggested the OP was lucky to not talk about jags.

On the other hand, you are happily throwing your particular chip from your shoulder all around the place and being fairly confrontational about it.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

But I don't think he said that. You remind me of a bloke I knew who could never read between lines or see subtleties at times.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

You said "Unfortunately you are coming across a little petty. But sheez, thats just an opinion".. nothing to do with bloody Jags. If you believe that it's being petty to take issue with people who say the poor choose that option, then I stick with my original post that it shows where you stand on the issue.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

Hmmm, this so called 'philosophy' is obviously way over my head! :confused:

Re: 7 series V A8
 

I think many people don't really care about GG's comment as much as you do!

Re: 7 series V A8
 

good grief.

Re: 7 series V A8
 

Damn right I have a personal slant on it. My mother spent her entire working life in a succession of shite jobs to put food on our table... but if she had worked that bit harder she could have been rich. :rolleyes:

Of half a dozen lads that used to hang around together in our teens, I know that two are already dead, one is missing but assumed to have been murdered, one in prison for life, one a geography teacher in the US !!, and me. I doubt there are too many others on here who could quote a similar background and the prime reason for all that grief is poverty.
Did those of us in that group who didn't make it out choose that option? Well according to GG they did.

... and East Manchester is WORSE now than it was when I was a teen there. What chance to kids being born there now have of 'making it' ?

Re: 7 series V A8
 

OK. Lets keep the question simple. Do YOU believe that the poor choose to be poor?

Re: 7 series V A8
 

I don't think we need to descend to being derogatory about other posters. Obviously no one has the right information for GG so

Thread closed.