Do you think Irish people are too greedy?

ronaldoshaky · 28-02-2010 09:40PM #1

I reckon as a society, all we are about is money.

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 28-02-2010 09:42PM

As a society, perhaps

On an indiviual basis it varies

alwaysadub · 28-02-2010 09:42PM

Money? What money? I don't know anyone with money these days..

Biggins · 28-02-2010 09:43PM

Greedy? Debatable.
Some too quick to award foundation-less illusions of grandeur - definitely.

Abi · 28-02-2010 09:47PM

Not really no. I don't really care about material things.

PirateShampoo · 28-02-2010 09:49PM

Yeah, Imagen wanting to have a comfortable life for your self and family.

The shame of it.

Hank_Jones · 28-02-2010 09:56PM

Personally material things aren't really that important to me.

As long as I have my fancy laptop, wide screen tv, brand new car, designer clothes and brand name aftershave I'll be fine.

super_furry · 28-02-2010 09:57PM

I reckon as a society all we're about is potatoes.

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 28-02-2010 09:58PM

super_furry wrote: »

I reckon as a society all we're about is potatoes.

Or still angry about the lack of

magma69 · 28-02-2010 10:03PM

Generally they are. Obviously there are people who are far from greedy but the majority are extremely materialistic. We have become almost as bad as Americans for our individual competitive need to have more shit we don't need than our neighbours.

brummytom · 28-02-2010 10:04PM

ronaldoshaky wrote: »

I reckon as a society, all we are about is money.

You could say the same about almost any capitalist country, to be honest.

That_Guy · 28-02-2010 10:05PM

I don't think we're greedy at all. Sure aren't loads of people donating their money and their blood to worthwile causes?

Pete M. · 28-02-2010 10:12PM

Bryce Noisy Sawmill wrote: »

Or still angry about the lack of

And appreciating, far too much and easily, that we could have a plate of chips, croquettes, boiled, mashed, jacket, baked, roast, crisps, different chips etc. if we wanted one.

But yes, definitely, greedy, in general, some more than others obviously, but we live in a capitalist society which rewards greed and avarice, hardly surprising, thought it was just taken for granted at this stage, greedy as fcuk, like pigs at the trough.
oink

Pittens · 28-02-2010 10:14PM

I reckon as a society, all we are about is money.

The rich more than the poor, or the middle income groups, to be fair.

We have become almost as bad as Americans for our individual competitive need to have more **** we don't need than our neighbours.

I dont care what my neighbour earns, but I like doing better each year, rather than worse every year. Call me Gordon Gecko. Still as long as bankers earn 100 times more than me for doing less than I do and with less chance of being held account for failure, I will hold in my guilty feelings about saving up for the iPad, like the corporate sheep that I supposedly am.

Spanish Eyes · 28-02-2010 10:14PM

If you can afford all the material things you want, good luck to you, at least you are helping the economy.

What happened though when times were good, was a frenzy to have the latest gizmo, change the car every year, get a bigger car, buy three apartments by re mortgaging the family home (what!!!).

I don't think it mattered what the neighbours had really. All this frenzied consumerism was fuelled by advertising, the banks were throwing away money, house values rocketed so folk could borrow on the strength of that. Very few were sensible and failed to squirrell away a few bob for days like now.

I think really, that a lot of the profligate spending and acquistion of assets, gadgets, cars, apartments, etc. were the result of A. cheap credit, and B lack of self esteem, or to put it another way, a lack of appreciation for what we actually had. Sometimes getting stuff made people feel better - for a while- when that wore off, more had to be sourced, a vicious circle.

I am now going to sound sooooo feckin smug, but despite being able to borrow any amount I wanted, I didn't. I was happy with my lot, and just did a couple of long haul trips for my treats during the boom. I paid down my mortgage, and cleared all my debts.

Now the job is not paying as good due to short time working and paycuts. But I don't mind. I have a fallback.

I do have sympathy for those caught up in the boom. I wish them well.

What I do NOT want to happen is that those who didn't go off the rails and saved and cleared debts might now have to pay for the greed and frenzy of those who did during the boom. That I would not be happy about.

Pittens · 28-02-2010 10:16PM

Still though, the OP probably lives in a cave without access to the internet. a house.

Pittens · 28-02-2010 10:19PM

I am now going to sound sooooo feckin smug, but despite being able to borrow any amount I wanted, I didn't. I was happy with my lot, and just did a couple of long haul trips for my treats during the boom. I paid down my mortgage, and cleared all my debts.

Well, me too. I rejected buying a house - which is a ridiculous status symbol anyway ( a fecking two up two down as a status symbol?) - and even to this day I pay less for rent than I need to, by sharing with people.

But I spend the rest on good clothes, and I like to travel. Also, will buy an iPad.

It that upsets puritans masqeurading as anti-materialists feck im.

MaybeLogic · 28-02-2010 10:25PM

Pittens wrote: »

Also, will buy an iPad.

Are Apple now branching out into sanitary towels?
Funky!

RachPie · 28-02-2010 10:28PM

Ah, the joys of capitalism.

mikom · 28-02-2010 10:28PM

ronaldoshaky wrote: »

I reckon as a society, all we are about is money.

I reckon as a society, all we are about is white mans guilt.
No need for it of course.

Spanish Eyes · 28-02-2010 10:30PM

MaybeLogic wrote: »

Are Apple now branching out into sanitary towels?
Funky!

LMAO!!!
http://www.apple.com/ipad/

partyatmygaff · 28-02-2010 10:32PM

Pittens wrote: »

Well, me too. I rejected buying a house - which is a ridiculous status symbol anyway ( a fecking two up two down as a status symbol?) - and even to this day I pay less for rent than I need to, by sharing with people.

But I spend the rest on good clothes, and I like to travel. Also, will buy an iPad.

It that upsets puritans masqeurading as anti-materialists feck im.

Enjoy the oversized iPod touch. Much better than having your own house.

Sea Sharp · 28-02-2010 10:34PM

I do not think that the country on a whole is greedy.
I do think that a lot of people working in the property sector during the boom became greedy but this has nothing to do with being 'Irish'.
It has been pointed out earlier that we give an impressive amount of money charity. So, if anything, Irish people could be considered less greedy than other nationalities.

Pittens · 28-02-2010 10:42PM

Enjoy the oversized iPod touch. Much better than having your own house.

Quite, and leaving me about 200K better off, than had I bought a house.

minus about 400 euro for the actual iPad.

It may even make me richer if my plans come true....

Bwhhahhahaahaha!

Mike 1972 · 28-02-2010 11:43PM

Do you think Irish people are too greedy?

I think Irish people make too many ridiculous over-generalisations about themselves :pac:

bonerm · 01-03-2010 12:10AM

MaybeLogic wrote: »

Are Apple now branching out into sanitary towels?
Funky!

That's nothing! They're also branching out into sex toys. May I present the iDildo (SFW).

caseyann · 01-03-2010 12:19AM

Question is for you to have asked that question and question if Irish people are greedy,do you feel greedy? There fore you want to know if you are only Greedy Irish person lol

Do you think Irish people are too greedy?

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