this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2024
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[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago (4 children)

The word yacht doesn’t mean wealth,

Yes, yes it does. It doesn't mean 'billionaire,' but these aren't subsistence fishermen we're talking about here.

It was a $128,000 yacht. If you don't think people who can afford such a yacht are rich, you are one privileged person.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

It was a $128,000 yacht. If you don’t think people who can afford such a yacht are rich, you are one privileged person.

You'd be surprised how many people own a $128,000 yacht INSTEAD of a more-than-$128,000 house.

(Of course, there are even more people who live aboard full-time on much-less-than-$128,000 yachts. For example, Sailing Uma probably have a bunch of money now 'cause they're relatively successful Youtubers, but they started out spending only about $10k total (purchase + initial refit costs) for their 50-year-old, 36-foot boat. There's an entire subculture of people doing basically nautical #vanlife, and they aren't any richer than the homeless-by-conventional-standards people doing it on land.)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

It's a dream I considered many times. It can be cheaper* than land life.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I’ve met them, they fucked up someone else’s boat in the marina I was at, they didn’t offer to fix or help pay, they just bailed. They definitely fit into the asshole category, in my opinion.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

TBH might have been a bunch of middle class retirees who sold the family home up in England for like 800k, bought something smaller for two to live in in Spain, and a small sailing boat. I don't think about those people as "rich".

[–] [email protected] -5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

i consider statistics to be a good tool in general - but of course only if used correctly (as with any tool, like using a hammer when you have to drill a hole might create a hole but more repair work would be needed and the hole would likely neither be of correct shape nor stability then)

so use the median to determine the middle, not the average. (because when A robs B everything he has, the average of what both have does not change a single quantum but poverty was increased, and that happens since invention of colonisation and other crimes a f***ing LOT and it did not stop yet)

so determine the middle class by median of what ppl earn/have over the whole world. if you limit to anything smaller than the world, you're manipulating by maybe favoring robbers, betrayers, murderers and enslavers, so use the whole world median or you end up with lies only.

as i noted colonisation and slavery, the wealth that had build upon such, is in fact just part of (historic) debt.

well lets see, where i am when i guess the worldwide wealth median.

I do not live paycheck-to-paycheck any more for more than a decade, i own a 22year old economic car ( that does not look shiny but the mrchsnic says its secure), but i own no property and pay rent for a 60m2 flat where i live solo. thus i am rich. i neither feel safe financially nor feel rich, nor would i really know how to buy a house or a yacht, but compared to the majority of people on the world, i think i am to be considered rich. I can decide to buy smaller things from my monthly (40h/week) income without the need of thinking, that maybe most of worlds population (the median) would have to save money for in advance or would buy on debt. This alone more than often already is a luxury of the rich: "just buy it (if it does not ruin you)". However, all of my "luxury" would not exist if i wouldn't try to save money or be near to 'nothing' if i had any children to take care for. a generation ago it was possible to build a house, have a car, pay children, pay a bit extra for your non-working wife so she can go shopping AND go to holiday once a year in the expensive season together with the kids by only ONE person doing the same working hours per week as i do today. I do not see this even partly possible today and i do not feel rich enough to be able to finance a child. am i as poor as i am rich just because of how bad the world had beend changed since? maybe. i guess because of the "wealth transfer" to the rich (where i already "profit" a bit from, but also are ripped off by it) all humans on average(!) are more poor than one or two generations ago, while only a very small fraction of the world actually really profits from that transfer.

The more wealth the rich accumulate, the more quickly they spread more poverty day by day, and the more instability in general is created too. This is what i genuinely believe. But where exactly do i stand in this scenario, comparing myself with the median that i only can imagine what it probably is while all measurements for how rich or poor i am i come up with seem really unusable today.

The by far more easy way is to say "i am NOT rich", point with the finger at someone else who is driving in his roaring and shiny luxury car to his private jet that will bring him to wherever his captain has maneuvered his billionaires yacht to just to jump into the water there. thats an easy view: the others are rich, but not me. this would be an easy view, but could it also be true? i guess not.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You’re literally attacking middle class people for having a small yacht.

Your concept of wealthy is really skewed.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

"Middle class" and "small yacht." Most middle class people can't even afford a house. This is something that costs more than a luxury car.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yea no one in the middle class can afford a house, a couple of cars and a small yacht.

It’s impossible without having billions in the bank!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Sorry, you think anyone under a billionaire is middle class?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think there’s enough room in middle class for someone to own a small yacht.

You seem to think middle class means poverty and near homelessness.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think there's not enough room in "middle class" to buy a home and a yacht that costs more than a luxury car.

There's a reason they're called luxury cars. They're for the rich.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Luxury cars are defined solely for taxation purposes.

Having a couple of million in assets is still middle class. A union worker can build that sort of wealth over a lifetime.

You probably aren’t middle class given your limited views on some rather modest assets.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Having a couple of million in assets is still middle class.

That is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

Millionaires are not middle class.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You think a skilled working couple can’t accrue a couple million in assets over their working life?

Well that explains a lot. You’re bad with money.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think "millionaire" has literally meant "rich person" for a very long time and I'm not sure why you keep making this personal.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Your concept of middle class, wealth and finances are in question because you have repeatedly claimed that owning a $140k yacht makes you wealthy and excludes you from the middle class.

$140k is a lot of money for most people but for someone that is middle class, ie their disposable income is 30% of their income, it is potentially affordable.

Someone making $150k/year is potentially middle class, depending on their housing and living costs. If that person can put 30% of their post tax income towards an interest like yachting they could easily afford a $140k yacht.

Like I said, your understanding of wealth is lacking.