Why Irish people secretly like this recession

It's because they don't have to keep up with the Joneses anymore.

Of those people who have not lost their jobs or who are not in immediate danger of doing so, most I know are more at peace with their economic circumstances now than they were two years ago.

The reason is that they feel relatively well off again. When the Celtic Tiger was in flow, they felt like underachievers: they all knew someone who was making loads of money from the economy. And they felt like losers.

Now, they see those rich people having to sell holiday homes to survive. They see some people they know in danger of losing their jobs. And they feel good about themselves again. Because they have a job. And there's no pressure to make loads of money anymore.

It is a proven scientific fact that while money of itself usually does not bring happiness, being better off than one's neighbour often does bring happiness.

That's why this recession has made a lot of people breathe a lot easier.

Comments

[Jason O'Mahony]

Like the old saying: An Irishman would rather his neighbour had no donkey rather than he have two himself.

It's also an opportunity for that age old Irish community, the professional victim, to rerassert themselves now. Nothing makes an Irishman happier than the belief that their problems are not a result of their own failures but some "click" that's gotten the better of them. It used to be the Brits, now it's the banks.

Sufferin': Sure it's as Irish as begrudgery.

[The Doodle]

If in fact as you say -

- It is a proven scientific fact that while money of itself usually does not bring happiness, being better off than one's neighbour often does bring happiness.

---Then
I guess people like myself have either evolved beyond that ethos or haven't yet caught up.

I have friends and neighbors who make much more than I do - I have friends and neighbors who make less than I do.I have friendsand neighbors who make about the same as I do. Heck I have a brother who is 5 years younger than I am who makes over $400K a year.

I have been unemployed for about a year now, and to tell the truth I look at others who have more than me and say good for them, I look at people who have less than me and I root for them to do better, however as it relates to me and what brings me happiness in good times or bad times the status of myself as it compares to others has never, ever been a consideration for me.

What other have or have not -does not affect me.

That being said - people who steal or are immoral - or cause tragedy for others by lying and lining their own pockets should be shot - its just too bad people can not make a separation between those people and people they perceive to have more than them. Somewhere a logic professor did a poor job on teaching the tenets of mutual exclusivity- that or it easier to communicate to the masses -

RICH GUY - BAD.

[Adrian Weckler]

Wow, you are a really good person, Doodle. In fact, you couldn't have phrased your remarks better: those are EXACTLY the right things to say. Especially in a public forum.

What can I say, then? I guess that these human characteristics of envy and relativism don't apply to you. Fair play to you.

[The Doodle]

Come on those human "characteristics" apply to every one - no one looks at some of the lavishes of life and doesn't wonder what it would be like to have or afford them, no one doesn't think what would I do if I had a billion dollars.

However feeling better because you have more than others or others have less than you or others who had more than you now don't doesn't help anyone.

If you think it through - Its like hating or liking someone for their skin color - it doesn't make any sense - if you really got to know them you could hate or like them based on something that was actually relative.

[Adrian]

"However feeling better because you have more than others or others have less than you or others who had more than you now don't doesn't help anyone."

Of course it doesn't help anyone. But what's that got to do with actually feeling it?

eg Ask an Irish guy who earns a low salary (but still eats fine and has a fairly nice roof over his head) about his position and he'll say he's the working poor. He'll say the system isn't a very good one.

Ask someone from a poorer country who lives in the same conditions, but where no-one else is richer, and he'll say he's doing well.

Is this not a universal truth?

[The Doodle]

eg Ask an Irish guy who earns a low salary (but still eats fine and has a fairly nice roof over his head) about his position and he'll say he's the working poor. He'll say the system isn't a very good one.

So will he Secretly be disappointed if the recession ends?

[Adrian]

No, he definitely won't be disappointed: it's not a zero-sum game, I reckon.

But will he feel a little less like disadvantaged if everyone who is richer than him loses some of their wealth? I think so, yes.

[The Doodle]

Well hopefully he will get to that point sooner rather than later. HA!

I hope to make it to Ireland - sooner rather than later - will leave the Swine here - ideally to raise a few pints with 20 Major and a few other characters I have met online.

You were dead on right about Utah - I have some funny stories from several business trips I have taken there

[Kev]

Some will look look the Guy with the big house on the top of the hill and say...
"one day i'm going be like hat guy".

The Irish guy looks at the guy at in the big house at the top of the hill and says ...
"One day I'm gonna get that B@stard"

[The Doodle]

Perhaps the modern day equal to Neanderthal vs Homosapien

They will look back in 20,000 years and say - hey - look there were 2 groups of Homosapiens.

Those who wanted things to be better for themselves or future generations and those who figured they will never amount to anything so they will "Get that B@stard"