I know my place

Memory lapse GG?

No AB. I honestly don't understand your post. That may be me or it may be the way it is written but it seems to have no bearing on who you are referring to when you say

Will someone who has excused this deeply offensive remark

I just asked who had done that - nothing to do with earnings on a 40 hour week which does seem to be a reference to another thread; something GNHQ are getting fairly heated about elsewhere. Why bring that up? It is just confusing. Simple question. Who has, as you call it, 'excused' what?

Presumably, by "deeply offensive remark" you actually mean this simple, well known and often used cliché used in what you consider to be a deeply offensive way. Who did that? The remark, in and of itself, is not offensive in the least. As I have said, it is commonly used when entering a new job and I would certainly be happy for anyone who chooses to, to use it there. I imagine most people would be. That is unless half a dozen people are going to complain about it's use within a job hierarchy.

A cliché is a cliché, useful in some circumstances. Any remark can be used unpleasantly. It is its use that you should then condemn not this useful although limited cliché. To me, this all seems be a fuss over nothing unless you can point us to the person using it unpleasantly. Then we can tell you what we think of that usage.

I was referring to 'the bottom of the ladder' of course which is what I picked up on previously. The bottom of society is also a useful handle on how our society is structured. I don't want to see anyone at a bottom to far from the top, and I seriously doubt you can had a society with no structure, sadly, but that still does not make the use of the phrase "deeply offensive". People do take offensive at many things however and, if anyone has been offended by the ephemeral person you indicated in the OP using this phrase I feel sorry for them.

offensive as offensive

Is that the 'Royal we' or a collective voice GG? Who are you speaking for when you say 'we can tell you what we think?

That is absolutely not a comment on the substance of my post Annie. I took the time to explain my view and I will reply to you when you have the good grace not to wrap yourself in whatifery.

What does 'wrap yourself in whatifery mean'? In fact, what on earth does 'whatifery' mean? Is it another MN import?

Yes Ana it is, and a close relative of gfery, both terms are now used with great gusto by a few posters.
Doesn't sound right though does it? Certain words should be left to the young.

I haven't asked what if, only asked if 'we' was a group of posters or the royal 'we'

I've only just learned them Ana. They some things up beautifully. I could say you produced a straw man argument but I have no doubt you would complain about that too, but they mean the same thing.

I shall leave you to cogitate as you are obviously unable to address yourself to my actual post.

grr. some sum

I addressed myself to your post but you haven't given a reply, jut posted waffle and now as so often your doing a runner

You asked about 'we' Annie. That was nothing to do with my post but a straw man argument or whatifery and you have achieved what you set out to do and wasted my time. Well done you; I'm sure it makes you feel you have achieved something. When you actually address the argument I put forward, then I will believe you have.

Annie I tried to answer your question at 00.14 this morning.

What argument?

You're right roses. They've only really caught on with a couple of posters and who knows whether they're being used accurately? Very odd...

roses
How true. I cringe when I see a certain few posters use these words.

Oh dear, you poor old things. Never mind, you'll catch up eventually.

Cringe away - I can't speak for others who use these words but as for me, I couldn't give a flying fig and secondly, I don't associate the words with the 'young' - what a very odd thing to say -

I know families that live in council houses and are quite happy.
One such friend owns a garage
The other friend has a house in Goa.
Both say they like their neighbours and have all the amenities close by .
They also state that the rooms and garden are much bigger than in new builds.
I don't think that either would consider themselves bottom of any pile.

My grandparents lived on a housing scheme.
It's where I have my fondest memories.
All the roads were called after trees

I would like annie be most upset if they had been considered bottom of any heap/pile.
They built The Queen Mary and The QE 2 and many of the other great ships.

We all have to live with other people's prejudice Cherrytree. The families you know seem (no joke intended) very grounded. As long as we are aware of our own worth and that of other people's why worry if some people are ignorant. We still don't know if this, possibly careless phrase, was even used in a derogatory manner - and I rather think we never will.

We do not have to live with people's predjudices, if everyone accepted predjuduce as you do GG, there would be no gay rights, no racial discrimination act, we would still have hotels with signs, no Irish, no blacks, no dogs, so much we would still have to accept if we took your attitude

Cherry,it was not used in a derogatory manner, but it was said during a discussion on the tower fire, so it was that persons views on the tenants , he saw them as the bottom of society , I don't care if he was being sympathetic, it should not have been said. Others disagree , fair enough, I do not agree with any group of people being being classed the bottom of society.

Perhaps this is off piste, if so, I apologise.

When we had the most horrendous financial problems a while back, we would have got more help/support if we had been renting, our mortgage wasn't taken into consideration when calculations were made.

The way that the amount of money deemed enough to live on is calculated is laughable.

It always has been Phoenix, for all those who life throws bad times at. I am surprised you didn't get your mortgage interest paid if you would, had you been renting, got that. It is all so complicated that I have no idea how people find their way through it all.