On Affluence and the perception of poverty

These days, people are unhappy because they feel poor. Feeling poor means not having all the goods that we aspire to have or so surveys seem to tell us. Recently I read about young couples lamenting the fact that they couldn't afford a house in their preferred suburb which just happened to be an inner city suburb that is much sought after by yuppies and the upwardly mobile. The rest of us, the working class are banished to the distant outer suburbs and new property developments that were farms only or paddocks only a few years ago.

Personally, I'm not one to complain. I'm one of the millions who borrow against the equity of our family home (Brave New World indeed) and live in relative luxury. That is luxury as compared to what my parents encountered when they first emigrated to Australia in the 1950's from Egypt. It was a time of nationalism and the rise of Nasser in Egypt, where what was once a thriving international/multicultural community was cast out as undesirable "foreigners". Maybe this is why I'm so suspect of the idea of multi-culturalism but that's another story.

Looking back to 1953, my parents rented a house in Elternwick, an inner city suburb that is now one of those highly desirable and ultra expensive real estate areas like other working class suburbs that have now become ultra chic and desirable areas of residence.

In the first place of residence, a small house, lived three extended families, all refugees from Egypt. One outdoor toilet shared by these three families and no bathroom. Baths were taken at the public baths in central Melbourne. These days, any modern house will have at least two or three toilets and as many bathrooms, possibly a spa bath. What a contrast!

I live in a suburb where every second house has a swimming pool in the backyard. Indoor swimming pools are what the rich people have. An outdoor spa is often a desirable accessory.
Gardens used to be where the shed stood, these days a garden is a miniature designed landscape to rival the palace at Versailles. Yes we have fountains and sculptures and exotic flora to please the eye as we stand by the barbeque and cook our sausages and chops.

Barbeques themselves have become complex and huge units moulded in stainless steel that end up costing as much as an indoor kitchen. That is unless you have a kitchen that rivals those of a professional restaurant.

Cars are another essential asset that was in the 1950's a luxury. In those day public transport was the usually way of getting around.
These days it's nothing unusual for a four car family with a five car garage, that is unless you live in the inner suburbs that were built for horse and carriage and the streets are extremely narrow. There you will see a profusion of German and French cars parked in ever decreasing spaces on the side of the narrow streets making a statement for their owners of good taste and style.

Consumers today exhibit a schizophrenia when it comes to consumption trends. We all want the cheapest goods that we can get and also we want the most expensive goods we can afford. What is the middle road? A Prada/Gucci/Versace handbag made in China for a fraction of the price of the genuine article.
Of course we all desire the genuine article but we just can't afford it.