SPAM random annoying things

[Bodhi]

Look at attitudes to things like ownership of expensive cars etc. particularly in Denmark. Tall poppy syndrome is definitely a thing.

Talking to my brother in law who's originally from Oslo about it, he says it's the main reason he and my sister still live over here. He obviously still loves the place as he goes back once a month (at least), but he says no way he could live there again.

 

[Moriath]

Just had a look at cashing in my final salary pension....holy fucknuts, what a minefield of consequences, it is practically a game of chess between you and the government/pension fund.
So then I checked on my state pension elligibility...then things started getting silly, even the frickin government don't know what you will get...its a chaotic mix of age/breaks/employer optouts/gender and the price of prunes in Thailand.
And they say they have simplified it.

Why would you think otherwise. A shit load can and will happen in the next twenty years or so. They cant predict that and if they give you figures and dont meet them and they leave you in a worse place they open themselves up to being sued.

 

[Raven]

Yodel again.

Ordered some posh glass tumblers for the boardroom at work.

Delivered today, saw it was Yodel, jokingly said to the warehouse guy, they will be fucked then.

Yup, all broken. I do hope they go out of business soon.

 

[Scouse]

Tall poppy syndrome is definitely a thing.

Wouldn't call it tall poppy. Tall poppy is when the achievement is down down to exceptional merit - the key word being exceptional.

Experience shows us that high material wealth is rarely down to exceptional merit so if the scandis take flashy people down a peg then fair enough. It's up to the rich to decide if rubbing other's noses in it is worth the social ribbing - wealth doesn't have to be overtly displayed...

 

[Job]

Coming from someoe who's in the top 5% richest on the planet...you are just dealing with1st world envy there scouse.

 

[Scouse]

Coming from someoe who's in the top 5% richest on the planet...you are just dealing with1st world envy there scouse.

That would have some sort of bearing on the conversation if it was on-topic. However the discussion is on relative wealth within scandi national borders, not global inequality.

 

[Job]

Well you had allready strayed off to have a little dig, so I just threw in some context.

 

[TdC]

is context your new word?

 

[Yoni]

It's not that you can't receive a salary that is relevant to responsibility... Minimum wage is higher iirc c. 23500 per month... Tax breaks naturally affect you more if you earn more which is as it should be:

• 0% from 0 kr to 18,800 kr
• Circa 31% (ca. 7% county and 24% municipality tax): from 18,800 kr to 433,900 kr
• 31% + 20%: from 433,900 kr to 615,700 kr
• 31% + 25%: above 615,700 kr

So at current ex rates you pay c. 61% tax on earnings over c. 55.5k gbp...

Yes you may think that is a lot BUT other things are not that expensive ie my travel is 68 quid pcm, medical care is ridiculously cheap eg I had some moles removed and tested by a specialist and it cost 17 quid... If you are parents life is even cheaper as parents you are entitled to 480 days paid leave and 90 are reserved for fathers... Pre school is really cheap (2000 kr per month)... The list goes on.... It's all about quality of life and I have a better quality of life here than the UK by a very long way and I buy what I want when I want it ... I just don't (and never have) feel the need to rub my neighbours nose in it...

 

[DaGaffer]

Wouldn't call it tall poppy. Tall poppy is when the achievement is down down to exceptional merit - the key word being exceptional.

Experience shows us that high material wealth is rarely down to exceptional merit so if the scandis take flashy people down a peg then fair enough. It's up to the rich to decide if rubbing other's noses in it is worth the social ribbing - wealth doesn't have to be overtly displayed...

Wealth doesn't have to be overtly displayed, but some cultures frown on it, and take collective action to make it socially unacceptable, and other cultures, either with more of an individualistic stance or elitist mindset (or combination of both) don't, and indeed encourage it.

You can certainly make and argument about whether lots of people who display wealth deserve their wealth, but in Scandinavia it doesn't really matter if you're mr. self-made billionaire or inherited the lot, you'll still get shit for driving a fancy car (and the bar for "fancy" is quite low).

Don't get me wrong, there's an awful lot to recommend in the Scandinavian way of doing things, and for society as a whole its a model that objectively works, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't find it a bit stultifying, even though I would probably have a better quality of life, and given how much I have to spend on childcare and health etc. I'd also probably be materially better off doing the same job. Sometimes its not about the rational things; ask 17m Brits.

 

[Gwadien]

It's not that you can't receive a salary that is relevant to responsibility... Minimum wage is higher iirc c. 23500 per month... Tax breaks naturally affect you more if you earn more which is as it should be:

• 0% from 0 kr to 18,800 kr
• Circa 31% (ca. 7% county and 24% municipality tax): from 18,800 kr to 433,900 kr
• 31% + 20%: from 433,900 kr to 615,700 kr
• 31% + 25%: above 615,700 kr

So at current ex rates you pay c. 61% tax on earnings over c. 55.5k gbp...

Yes you may think that is a lot BUT other things are not that expensive ie my travel is 68 quid pcm, medical care is ridiculously cheap eg I had some moles removed and tested by a specialist and it cost 17 quid... If you are parents life is even cheaper as parents you are entitled to 480 days paid leave and 90 are reserved for fathers... Pre school is really cheap (2000 kr per month)... The list goes on.... It's all about quality of life and I have a better quality of life here than the UK by a very long way and I buy what I want when I want it ... I just don't (and never have) feel the need to rub my neighbours nose in it...

That's a huge tax bracket isn't it? 18k to 433k?

In real money its £1619 - £39ishk

 

[Bodhi]

Being on a conference call with Germans who use the phrase "Final Solution".

No. No. No.

 

[DaGaffer]

That's a huge tax bracket isn't it? 18k to 433k?

In real money its £1619 - £39ishk

Tax rates kick in at lower levels than I would have expected; I guess the unknown here is what the benefits culture is like if you don't work at all.

 

[Gwadien]

Tax rates kick in at lower levels than I would have expected; I guess the unknown here is what the benefits culture is like if you don't work at all.

It's not very socialist, is it?

I always thought the Scandinavian countries had 70%+ tax rates for the super rich and in return barely taxed the peasants.

 

[Bodhi]

It's not very socialist, is it?

I always thought the Scandinavian countries had 70%+ tax rates for the super rich and in return barely taxed the peasants.

I'm not entirely sure if Scandinavia are, strictly speaking anyway, socialist. More Social Democracies, which are slightly different.

 

[Job]

Scandinavia is looked up to by Brits as a sort of cleaner, more sensible and efficient version of us, but in reality I think everyone's bored of trees, lakes and expensive beer.

 

[Gwadien]

Some bastard kids have smashed up my Grandad's (who died a few years ago) greenhouse, my Grandma was absolutely distraught.

It wasn't that that pissed me off though, kids will be kids, it was the response from the Police, they caught them a few days later, got them to write out an apology to my Grandma, and that's it.

Leave us to clear up a smashed up greenhouse, I mean, I'm not an 1960s behaviour management advocate, but they should have to clean up for their stupidity.

 

[Lethul]

Scandinavia is looked up to by Brits as a sort of cleaner, more sensible and efficient version of us, but in reality I think everyone's bored of trees, lakes and expensive beer.

We are cleaner, more sensible and efficient then you. Not to mention better looking.

 

[Moriath]

Some bastard kids have smashed up my Grandad's (who died a few years ago) greenhouse, my Grandma was absolutely distraught.

It wasn't that that pissed me off though, kids will be kids, it was the response from the Police, they caught them a few days later, got them to write out an apology to my Grandma, and that's it.

Leave us to clear up a smashed up greenhouse, I mean, I'm not an 1960s behaviour management advocate, but they should have to clean up for their stupidity.

What else would you have them do? How old were they?

 

[Job]

The apology means a lot tbh, but what would have been better if they had let her smash their phones with a hammer, but they were dummy ones swapped out...that'd learn em.

 

[Gwadien]

What else would you have them do? How old were they?

I'd have them clean it up too, but health and safety and all that jazz.

An apology is worthless if the police force you to make it.

 

[Moriath]

I'd have them clean it up too, but health and safety and all that jazz.

An apology is worthless if the police force you to make it.

Yeah but unlikely to get anything more

 

[Raven]

Being the wife's taxi service on a Friday night.

 

[Yoni]

It's not very socialist, is it?

I always thought the Scandinavian countries had 70%+ tax rates for the super rich and in return barely taxed the peasants.

Minimum wage for our blue collar workers is c.24k per year which is ok... However iirc minimum wage is not national but according to your specific Union Agreement...

 

[Raven]

Realising I don't actually own a tie and need one next week.

 

[Shagrat]

I've run out of BEER!!!!!!!

 

[Shagrat]

2 glasses of absinthe on top and fuck me the worlds a better place.

every house should have an emergency bottle of absinthe. GET IN!

 

[Lethul]

Realising I don't actually own a tie and need one next week.

What are you, 15?

 

[Ormorof]

Wealth doesn't have to be overtly displayed, but some cultures frown on it, and take collective action to make it socially unacceptable, and other cultures, either with more of an individualistic stance or elitist mindset (or combination of both) don't, and indeed encourage it.

You can certainly make and argument about whether lots of people who display wealth deserve their wealth, but in Scandinavia it doesn't really matter if you're mr. self-made billionaire or inherited the lot, you'll still get shit for driving a fancy car (and the bar for "fancy" is quite low).

Don't get me wrong, there's an awful lot to recommend in the Scandinavian way of doing things, and for society as a whole its a model that objectively works, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't find it a bit stultifying, even though I would probably have a better quality of life, and given how much I have to spend on childcare and health etc. I'd also probably be materially better off doing the same job. Sometimes its not about the rational things; ask 17m Brits.

Get shit from who exactly?

In Denmark if you drive a car its expensive (100% tax on top plus extra for inefficient fuel use), but ive never seen anyone abused by strangers for driving a nice car

In Finland if you drove a fancy car you likely live in am area where everyone drives a famcy car so no one cares

The Law of Jante might apply to small backwater villages run by old ladies but in 21st century Scandinavia no one gives a shit

 

[Shagrat]

I've run out of BEER!!!!!!!

hmmm I don't even remember being on Freddys last night.....that's not a good sign is it....