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New York, 10:19 PM
Mon Dec 21
55 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Tart of Darkness Tart of Darkness
    11/22/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    And if she's that much in debt she isn't as rich as she claims to be anyway. If she were rich she wouldn't be incurring debt, she would be earning money on all of her stocks, bonds and securities and living off of the interest and not having time to spend it all. That's what I consider rich.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness was starred Tart of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11)
    11/22/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    People like me make people like Liz Jones feel rich. People like Liz Jones make me feel not so desperately poor.

    I ride the bus, and anything "designer" I own is from the H&M designer or Target Go collections, but I sure as hell don't have $300k in debt, or an "interest-only" home mortgage. I'm getting some nasty debt from law school, but at least I'll have a law degree, and not a bat sanctuary from it. And I've yet to pawn any jewelry given to me by family members or close friends. She didn't last a week before trying to pawn jewelry her dad gave her! Unreal! I do feel bad for her, I cannot imagine having such insanely mixed-up priorities.
     Reply
    GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was starred GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11) was unstarred
    Image of willwriteforfood willwriteforfood
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    I'm guessing now she knows the pearls aren't real, she won't be wearing them ever again. Clearly, she wasn't wearing them because her dad gave them to her, she was wearing them only because she thought they were expensive.

    There are ways for people of means to live like a poor person for the sake of journalism. Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days did it very well. Barbara Ehrenreich did it in Nickel and Dimed. Liz Jones did not. She comes across like Marie Antoinette, pretending to live the simple life not because she really wanted to explore the reasons why poverty persists in our society, but because she was bored and just wanted to try it because she thought it would make her look virtuous and deep.
     Reply
    willwriteforfood was starred willwriteforfood was unstarred
    Image of Tart of Darkness Tart of Darkness
    11/22/09

    @willwriteforfood: I always think of Ehrenreich's stint at Wal-Mart when she points out that she can't afford to buy a blouse on clearance on what she makes working there.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness was starred Tart of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of voteforme voteforme
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Sometimes I can't fathom how stupid and/or out-of-touch some people are. It's the easiest thing in the world to, say, brew your own coffee, and right away you've saved about $30 a week by quitting Starbucks.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness promoted this comment voteforme was starred voteforme was unstarred
    Image of Tart of Darkness Tart of Darkness
    11/22/09

    @voteforme: Well of course if everyone did that then all of the people who work at Starbucks would be out of work.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness was starred Tart of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of lobsterswithmittens lobsterswithmittens
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Liz Jones, you don't know to rub pearls against your teeth? Really?
     Reply
    Le Kangourou de Kataroo promoted this comment lobsterswithmittens was starred lobsterswithmittens was unstarred
    Image of Cat45 Cat45
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Dear Liz,

    Get a life. A real one. The kind that matters. Where you'd rather get a second job than hawk the pearls your Dad gave you. While the sentiment behind the gift should mean more than the gift, one day those fake pearls might be all that you have of your father (besides your memories of him--you do retain memories, don't you?).
    Here are some suggestions for that second "career option". Fast food places offer flexible shifts and prefer to hire women because they work harder and will put up with more shit from people for longer because we need the money.
    The bonus of working there is that nothing has you not spending money faster than working in a McDonald's or Tim Horton's (that's Canada's Dunkin Donuts). It's also very slimming too because after the first week with the scent of grease sticking to your skin and watching people eat a burger in two bites while drinking coffee at the same time you'll never look at food of any kind the same again. Trust me on this.
    The harassment dished out to the little people masses is a real eye opener as well. People just don't care about you, or your problems, when you're working behind that counter. They just want their food and five seconds ago. Bitch! Oh, and another helpful hint, don't eat anything when you know it's your turn to clean the washrooms.
    Glad we had this chat, Liz. Good luck. You're going to need it.
     Reply
    cirocco promoted this comment Cat45 was starred Cat45 was unstarred
    Image of SheelaNaGig SheelaNaGig
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Does anyone remember the series with Morgan Spurlock from a few years back where he and his girlfriend lived on minimum wage for a month in the poorest major city in America (Detroit I think)? They strictly kept to budget, found jobs, an apartment, furniture- built a life from the ground up. His girlfriend had a minor illness and had to go the ER with no insurance and no money to speak of. They took the bus, got food stamps, did day labor. It was extremely well done and incredibly thought provoking. Well worth checking out if anyone is interested .
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness promoted this comment SheelaNaGig was starred SheelaNaGig was unstarred
    Image of Tart of Darkness Tart of Darkness
    11/22/09

    @SheelaNaGig: He also injured himself at his day job and had to work in spite of the injury. It was an excellent episode.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness was starred Tart of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of cirocco cirocco
    11/22/09

    @SheelaNaGig: It's on Hulu:

    30 Days: Minimum Wage
     Reply
    cirocco was starred cirocco was unstarred
    Image of Vulcan Has No Moon Vulcan Has No Moon
    11/22/09

    @Tart of Darkness: "Living Like The Poors" type programs never wow me. Rich people get to leave after 30 days or a week or a few days. People who really live on minimum wage don't get that option. Real poor people seldom get to escape. If anything they'll slide further down and out. How much could a faux-poor possibly learn when they really, really don't have to live off Top Raman and ketchup soup? It's like Marie Antoinette dressing up in shepherdess costumes and hosting rustic parties at her playhouse cottage.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness promoted this comment Edited by Vulcan Has No Moon at 11/22/09 8:37 PM Vulcan Has No Moon was starred Vulcan Has No Moon was unstarred
    Image of Tart of Darkness Tart of Darkness
    11/22/09

    @Vulcan Has No Moon: What I liked about Spurlock's piece was that it very clearly illustrated what "minimum wage" really buys you. Yes, he and his girlfriend went back to their real lives, but during that month they gave a clear look at how people live on what we consider adequate to pay them.

    Not everyone has a clue as to what "poor" really means or what a gap there is between "minimum wage" and a "living wage".

    Maybe a viewer or two was educated.
     Reply
    Tart of Darkness was starred Tart of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of la.donna.pietra la.donna.pietra
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Dear Liz,

    When my grandpa was coming back from the Korean War, he stopped off in Okinawa and bought my grandma a double-strand pearl necklace. About twenty years ago, the pearls at the top of the strand started to flake. Turns out half of them are fake, to my grandpa's extreme dismay. My grandma didn't care.

    My grandma gave it to me right before she passed away. I don't care that half of them are fake and my grandpa was ripped off--well, I do a little, because it really bothers him. If I was running out of a burning house, the first thing I'd grab beyond pets and important papers is that necklace.

    Sincerely,

    la.donna.pietra
     Reply
    la.donna.pietra was starred la.donna.pietra was unstarred
    Image of sirsnarksalot sirsnarksalot
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    The worst part of the damn recession in my opinion is the "rich posing as poor" phenomenon like this...and they honestly believe they now know what its like to really struggle to get by. Nauseating.
     Reply
    cirocco promoted this comment Edited by sirsnarksalot at 11/21/09 5:47 PM sirsnarksalot was starred sirsnarksalot was unstarred
    Image of cirocco cirocco
    11/22/09

    @sirsnarksalot: I'd like to sentence all of them to a solid hour of listening to "Common People" on repeat. (Not the Pulp version, either. The Shatner cover.)
     Reply
    cirocco was starred cirocco was unstarred
    Image of tammygarrison tammygarrison
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    OBVIOUSLY the pearls, a gift from her father, didn't mean ENOUGH to her if she was trying to pawn them. For more THINGS. *grr* That really gets my goat. I have some things that are, for the most part, absolutely WORTHLESS that I will never get rid of because of how they were given to me. I'm not being a hoarder. I'm honoring the spirit in which those things were given, and the wonderful time we were having on those occasions. It sounds like the author learned a lesson--but the WRONG one.
     Reply
    tammygarrison was starred tammygarrison was unstarred
    Image of konstantinbothari konstantinbothari
    11/21/09

    @tammygarrison: You know, that part didn't dawn on me during the first read-through.

    Of course she'll pawn the pearls... she won't need them next week when she's not doing her little social experiment. But that £1000 handbag... psh, it's only for a week. Let's not get crazy.

    She really is repulsive.
     Reply
    boxspelunker promoted this comment konstantinbothari was starred konstantinbothari was unstarred
    Image of tammygarrison tammygarrison
    11/22/09

    @konstantinbothari: I'd say "she just cant be real!" but there're psychos in every walk of life who're just completely out of phase with reality.

    #calendar
     Reply
    tammygarrison was starred tammygarrison was unstarred
    Image of TeachItLikeYouPreachItLizLemon TeachItLikeYouPreachItLizLemon
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    "Oh. Gold shoes. My nephew just joined the Marines to try to pay for college. But that’s fun." - Elisa, 30 Rock
     Reply
    Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith promoted this comment hortense approved this comment TeachItLikeYouPreachItLizLemon was starred TeachItLikeYouPreachItLizLemon was unstarred
    Image of Bitingpika Bitingpika
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    This article makes me very uncomfortable. It's not just that Liz Jones is a first-rate asshole, but I'm afraid that the next story will be "Will Liz Jones Imitate Belle du Jour?"
     Reply
    la.donna.pietra promoted this comment Bitingpika was starred Bitingpika was unstarred
    Image of vulcanized vulcanized
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    This is what I don't understand: She's incredibly wealthy and owns a plethora of designer goods, yet she chooses to pawn a string of pearls given to her by her dad on a sentimental occasion? What the hell? She says the handbag she's carrying cost £1000. Why not pawn that? Or one of the other pieces of jewelry she undoubtedly owns? My parents gave me a string of pearls on my 21st birthday and they would be one of the last things I would pawn in a dire situation, not the first.

    I question either a) the truth of this story or b) Liz Jones's morals and values (or lack thereof).
     Reply
    vulcanized was starred vulcanized was unstarred
    Image of KelseyElle KelseyElle
    11/21/09

    @vulcanized: my thoughts as well! She was most likely doing it for the dramatic effect or just flat out lying. My greatgrandmother gave me a topaz and diamond necklace before she died. It's not that fancy but I would never let go of it for anything.
     Reply
    tammygarrison promoted this comment KelseyElle was starred KelseyElle was unstarred
    Image of tammygarrison tammygarrison
    11/21/09

    @KelseyElle: I have a ring from my great grandmother that I was actually shocked to find out was real :) One of the stones chipped, and I went into a jewelry store to beg them to fix the ring, even though I know no place will fix costume jewelry and they told me the appraisal price and the cost to fix it... not only did I insure it, but I also DIDN'T replace the stone.
     Reply
    tammygarrison was starred tammygarrison was unstarred
    Image of ladyfalcon is skin deep ladyfalcon is skin deep
    11/21/09

    @vulcanized: Frankly, my parents could give me a goddamn candy necklace, YOU DON'T PAWN GIFTS (from people you like). Not to buy something else. Possibly to replace a kidney or keep from being evicted. Not to make a point in your little experiment with poverty. Sorry, but the fact that you were willing to give up the pearls to buy something else makes the tears a bit crocodile when you find out they won't be enough to buy you a pair of heels or whatever.

    Also, on a purely OTHER more nitpicky note, I think it's outside of the spirit of the "challenge" she set herself of living within a set amount to get rid of things she doesn't want so that she can get more things that she does.
     Reply
    la.donna.pietra promoted this comment ladyfalcon is skin deep was starred ladyfalcon is skin deep was unstarred
    Image of babyruthless babyruthless
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    Also, one more crazy thing. Her goal was to spend, what? £65 a week...instead she spent £265...that's roughly $440. And she didn't count the train ride she took to London. And, like someone else, I agree that there is almost no way that this counts housing.

    So her week of poverty cost her $440. And that didn't count her housing. Or at least some of her transportation. But it did include several £9.50 glasses of champagne.

    Why, oh, why wouldn't you tell your friend that you were doing a stupid social experiment and could she come over and you would make pasta or something. Why even bother if you're going to blow 15% of your weekly "budget" on one drink. No one in their right mind would do that. Oh, wait...
     Reply
    babyruthless was starred babyruthless was unstarred
    Image of Turbopixie Turbopixie
    11/21/09

    @babyruthless: She was trying to live off the single person's Jobseeker Allowance, which is unemployment benefit here in the UK. It is supposed to cover basic living expenses while you're looking for a job. The cost of housing is paid out as housing benefit, which is a separate allowance that you can apply for regardless of whether you rent or are paying off a mortgage.

    What housing benefit wouldn't pay for would be household bills (gas, heating, water, etc.)
     Reply
    la.donna.pietra promoted this comment Turbopixie was starred Turbopixie was unstarred
    Image of babyruthless babyruthless
    11/21/09

    In reply to Liz Jones Turns In Her "Recession Woes" Piece, But Will It Change Anything?
    "I reluctantly cancelled all my appointments for the week: hair colour at Jo Hansford in Mayfair, leg and Brazilian wax at Paul Edmonds in Knightsbridge, visit to Space NK to stock up on products, a visit to my oral hygienist on Harley Street. This is my grooming routine, month in, month out, and I have only just added up the cost: £800 every four weeks."

    Wait. She goes to the oral hygenist every month? That's crazy! I mean, ok, lots of people get their hair colored monthly, and if you're going to wax, it's about on that schedule, but seriously? The dentist? Every month? Buy a damn electric toothbrush.
     Reply
    samethingwedoeverynightpinky promoted this comment babyruthless was starred babyruthless was unstarred
    Image of Her Grace: SNOWED IN Her Grace: SNOWED IN
    11/21/09

    @babyruthless: But it's so much better when someone unimportant brushes her teeth for her with their fancy electric toothbrush.
     Reply
    Her Grace: SNOWED IN was starred Her Grace: SNOWED IN was unstarred
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