Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Has this happened, or does it happen to you?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 42860" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Whether it's Section 8, Housing Commission or whatever, some people act like they have a huge chip on their shoulder and make life a misery for those around them. We have no Housing Commission in our immediate area, but we have neighbours who are like the ones you describe. Our small neck of the woods is mostly middle class, but we also have some Haves (very much so) and the Down-and-outs. Of this last group, there are several categories - the ones with the chip, and the rough diamonds. One family of rough diamonds - the kids have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, especially the girls, but I get on with them all right. I suspect it was one of them who ripped the licence plates off difficult child 1's girlfriend's car (probably thinking it was easy child 2/difficult child 2, who these girls dislike intensely). All I did after was to warn the mother to warn her daughter that someone in our area was vandalising cars because a visitor to our house had had plates ripped off. I knew the daughter would get the message, as well as get the message that I hadn't told her mother what really happened.</p><p></p><p>The chip on the shoulder types - they're either embarrassingly subservient (while stealing anything they can from us) or belligerent.</p><p>In Sydney in general, we're developing ghettoes. We've had riots in some areas, almost entirely due to overloaded chips on shoulders. And again, it's the kids, not the parents. Sometimes they blame race (or culture) and sometimes they blame poverty, or racism. They ALL claim the police are victimising them. One particular Housing Commission area, Macquarie Fields, is well known to me and husband. We used to work with these people and got on with them really well. We went to school with a lot of them. We had no problems at all, but we did hear what they said about their own neighbours. It was not a place I would have wanted to raise my kids - gang violence was beginning to creep in.</p><p></p><p>There is no injustice there, there is no victimisation, any racism is going back over past hurts and imagining current slights until they magnify out of perspective. But the perception of these things causes a lot of aggro in how these angry people respond to neighbours. "I'll get everybody else, before they get me," seems to be the attitude.</p><p></p><p>I also grew up poor, although my parents made us live with the same self-respect as if we had everything. Other kids used to think I was a rich snob, from the posh way I talked and the meticulously hand-made clothes. But it was all my mother, instilling us with as much "standards" as she could (and supervising me making my own clothes). At home I played barefoot or wore gumboots to do farm chores, played with whoever as long as they were well-behaved kids. We had no government handouts in those days, we would have definitely qualified if we had. When educational handouts began I did qualify for a "Bursary" which back then was a scholarship for poor kids - AND it got written up on the school noticeboard (probably still there). Hey, why not tell the whole world we're poor? But it really didn't matter to most of the other kids. Even my boyfriend at the time - I think it bothered his wealthy parents a bit though.</p><p></p><p>We have "Section 8" type neighbours from all income ranges. There are the rich kids who know their parents can afford good lawyers. And there are the poor kids who are resentful. Then there are the decent people from all income levels who you can always rely on to be there when you need them, to be a listening ear and to do what they can to help. When I've been collecting for charity, it was the poorer areas which gave the biggest donations.</p><p></p><p>Pride can really get in the way so easily, socially. And yes, if you're poor some people can look down on you. I've learnt to ignore people like that. When I was involved in charity work there were people who intensely disliked my involvement, because I came from the wrong side of Sydney Harbour (which really doesn't matter, to 99.9% of Aussies) and who were, I think, terrified that I wouldn't know which fork to use at the Government Luncheon.</p><p>It's ironic - to be thought a snob when a kid and to be thought low-class as an adult - funny.</p><p></p><p>We're rich in many other ways, but we also know that some people are to be avoided, since they can't be cured or endured. And I would call the cops on whoever hurt my kids, regardless of their income level.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 42860, member: 1991"] Whether it's Section 8, Housing Commission or whatever, some people act like they have a huge chip on their shoulder and make life a misery for those around them. We have no Housing Commission in our immediate area, but we have neighbours who are like the ones you describe. Our small neck of the woods is mostly middle class, but we also have some Haves (very much so) and the Down-and-outs. Of this last group, there are several categories - the ones with the chip, and the rough diamonds. One family of rough diamonds - the kids have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, especially the girls, but I get on with them all right. I suspect it was one of them who ripped the licence plates off difficult child 1's girlfriend's car (probably thinking it was easy child 2/difficult child 2, who these girls dislike intensely). All I did after was to warn the mother to warn her daughter that someone in our area was vandalising cars because a visitor to our house had had plates ripped off. I knew the daughter would get the message, as well as get the message that I hadn't told her mother what really happened. The chip on the shoulder types - they're either embarrassingly subservient (while stealing anything they can from us) or belligerent. In Sydney in general, we're developing ghettoes. We've had riots in some areas, almost entirely due to overloaded chips on shoulders. And again, it's the kids, not the parents. Sometimes they blame race (or culture) and sometimes they blame poverty, or racism. They ALL claim the police are victimising them. One particular Housing Commission area, Macquarie Fields, is well known to me and husband. We used to work with these people and got on with them really well. We went to school with a lot of them. We had no problems at all, but we did hear what they said about their own neighbours. It was not a place I would have wanted to raise my kids - gang violence was beginning to creep in. There is no injustice there, there is no victimisation, any racism is going back over past hurts and imagining current slights until they magnify out of perspective. But the perception of these things causes a lot of aggro in how these angry people respond to neighbours. "I'll get everybody else, before they get me," seems to be the attitude. I also grew up poor, although my parents made us live with the same self-respect as if we had everything. Other kids used to think I was a rich snob, from the posh way I talked and the meticulously hand-made clothes. But it was all my mother, instilling us with as much "standards" as she could (and supervising me making my own clothes). At home I played barefoot or wore gumboots to do farm chores, played with whoever as long as they were well-behaved kids. We had no government handouts in those days, we would have definitely qualified if we had. When educational handouts began I did qualify for a "Bursary" which back then was a scholarship for poor kids - AND it got written up on the school noticeboard (probably still there). Hey, why not tell the whole world we're poor? But it really didn't matter to most of the other kids. Even my boyfriend at the time - I think it bothered his wealthy parents a bit though. We have "Section 8" type neighbours from all income ranges. There are the rich kids who know their parents can afford good lawyers. And there are the poor kids who are resentful. Then there are the decent people from all income levels who you can always rely on to be there when you need them, to be a listening ear and to do what they can to help. When I've been collecting for charity, it was the poorer areas which gave the biggest donations. Pride can really get in the way so easily, socially. And yes, if you're poor some people can look down on you. I've learnt to ignore people like that. When I was involved in charity work there were people who intensely disliked my involvement, because I came from the wrong side of Sydney Harbour (which really doesn't matter, to 99.9% of Aussies) and who were, I think, terrified that I wouldn't know which fork to use at the Government Luncheon. It's ironic - to be thought a snob when a kid and to be thought low-class as an adult - funny. We're rich in many other ways, but we also know that some people are to be avoided, since they can't be cured or endured. And I would call the cops on whoever hurt my kids, regardless of their income level. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Has this happened, or does it happen to you?
Top