avatarFrank T Bird

Summary

The article criticizes the moral implications of owning multiple properties in a society where some individuals lack basic shelter.

Abstract

The author expresses deep frustration with the societal norm of discussing real estate portfolios as a status symbol, particularly in the context of Melbourne where such discussions are commonplace. The piece argues that while people struggle with homelessness and poverty, the ownership of several houses by individuals is not only insensitive but also indicative of a flawed societal value system that prioritizes personal wealth over communal well-being. The author refutes the notion that hard work justifies excessive property ownership, likening it to withholding necessary aid from those in dire need. The article emphasizes that shelter is a fundamental human right and challenges the perception of real estate as an investment opportunity, advocating instead for housing as an essential service. It also draws attention to the global failure to address hunger and poverty effectively, despite the resources available, and calls for a reevaluation of societal priorities, suggesting that everyone should have access to housing before individuals pursue multiple property investments.

Opinions

  • The author believes that discussing real estate portfolios is insensitive and indicative of overprivilege, especially when juxtaposed with the plight of the homeless.
  • Owning multiple houses while others are without shelter is seen as a morally questionable practice, likened to hoarding inhalers in front of someone with asthma.
  • The article suggests that the concept of 'earning' one's wealth is a delusion that humanity has bought into, and it does not justify the accumulation of multiple properties at the expense of the less fortunate.
  • It criticizes the portrayal of the property market as an investment opportunity rather than as an essential service that should be accessible to all.
  • The author points out the absurdity of society's acceptance of high costs to combat a virus while neglecting to solve hunger and poverty, which claim more lives annually.
  • The government's prioritization of the construction industry over addressing homelessness is highlighted as a systemic failure.
  • The piece condemns the glorification of real estate investment on television and in popular culture, which contributes to the societal obsession with property as an investment.
  • The author advocates for providing a home to every individual as a fundamental right, dismissing the argument that people must 'earn' housing.
  • It is proposed that luxury and investment should only be pursued after ensuring that no one in society lacks basic necessities, particularly children.
  • The article calls for a shift in societal values from prioritizing wealth accumulation to ensuring the well-being of every member of society, especially the most vulnerable.

The Endless Fuckwittery of Humans

I Can’t Fucking Stand It When People Talk About Their Real Estate Portfolios

While people freeze on the street you have no right to own multiple houses.

Wikicommons

When you live in a place like Melbourne, you get used to listening to real estate drivel.

It makes me want to carry a sign that says,

‘Shut the fuck up, you boring overprivileged ballbags’,

so I can stick it in people’s faces without engaging in their bullshit.

As humans, we have potential.

Yet somehow, we have ended up in a place where it’s considered normal for a small family to have a portfolio of several investment properties.

And yes, I hear you piping up about how hard you worked to get those properties and all that. You poor bastard.

That may be true. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be able to own several properties in general. I’m saying that while people are dying on the street, it’s a real prick of a thing to own several houses.

It’s like waving three Ventolin inhalers in the face of someone dying from an asthma attack.

‘Yes, but I have earned….blah blah blah.’

I know you have. And I get why you would think that means something. We believe that ‘earning’ matters in the universe. It is one of the key delusions of human beings. We have drunk the ‘earning’ Kool-Aid.

Aren’t we a bunch of well-trained puppy dogs?

But you can’t blame a young family for trying to get ahead, right?

And after all, the property market is presented to us as an investment opportunity.

Yes, it is. But the property market isn’t an investment opportunity. It is a motherfucking essential service.

Everybody needs shelter, yet in our human society, at the supposed pinnacle of universal intelligence, we believe that some people deserve it and some don’t.

If you are wondering, think of whether you could live without it, and if the answer is no, then it is essential.

It’s not a complex subject, although many will lead you to think it is.

Yes, but is there a bidet? I can’t live without a bidet. (Kindel Media)

It’s no surprise given our track record as humans

Another well known essential service is this phenomenon we call food.

We know it’s essential and yet nine million people a year die from hunger and hunger-related diseases.

You know we’re truly a bunch of dumb motherfuckers when we accept a cost of $24 trillion to combat a virus that has killed five million in total, and yet we can’t accept a $300 billion cost to solve a problem that kills 9 million people every year.

But you are not a statistics person, right?

If ya want anecdotal evidence, walk out of ya front door and check out the poor fucker who might freeze to death tonight because they are considered undeserving of shelter by our so-called intelligent society.

Evolved society, my anus

Sure we have some knowledge, but that isn’t intelligence.

From a universal perspective, we are dumb as fuck as a species. We think we are smart because our idea of the scale of universal intelligence is only based on what we know.

Conveniently, we don’t know any species more intelligent than us, so we assume our tremendous universal intelligence based on that.

If we were intelligent, we would understand the interdependence of phenomena.

We would realise that the homeless person suffering on the street matters. But right now, we are too blind to understand.

Meanwhile, the cost of a house has accelerated out of control, and we go,

Ooh, would you look at the housing market? It’s out of control

as if it’s a natural phenomenon that dictates its own movement.

‘Well, obviously, you don’t know about economics, Frank.’

Really? The economics card? Could you be any more of a sucker?

How most of the world lives (Wikicommons)

The government doesn’t give a fuck about the poor bastard who is drinking metho to stay alive in the bitter cold.

But they do care deeply about the construction industry.

During the 297 day lockdown in Melbourne, the construction industry continued with their hammers and saws as if nothing was happening.

When schoolteachers were forced to stay at home, the government felt it was essential to keep putting up apartments. And sure, that would be great if we needed them. But it’s an absurd decision when you consider the skyrocketing homeless situation and average house price.

So who exactly is the construction industry essential to? Overseas investors?

Still, the government is not entirely to blame.

Every time you turn on the TV there is some fucking moron showing a desperate couple around an average property and watching them wet their knickers because it is within their 2000 x paycheck budget.

Nowadays, we all piss our pants at the concepts of flipping, renovation and investment portfolios.

It makes me fucking gag — not because it is inherently wrong but because real human beings including children are living in hell on the streets while you lay awake stressing about the shade of green in the splashback.

So what is the solution?

Give everyone a home. Give every single person a fucking house.

But they haven’t earned it.

So fucking what? Life is not an investment. ROI is not a real thing.

If someone is suffering because they don’t have a particular thing, we should give them that thing. And if you think that is a bad idea, go look in the mirror you fuckwit.

When everyone has been lifted out of poverty, sure, have yer fucking twelve investment properties. Eat yer fucking chicken liver moose with yuzu puree. Drink your 1973 Dom Perignon and laugh like a fucking hyena with your friends in their velvet suits.

But while there is extreme poverty and children that can’t eat or sleep in a warm bed, you have no god damn right to own several houses, regardless of what you have been trained to believe.

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More from Frank T Bird:

Culture
Homeless
Humor
The Bad Influence
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