Haves posing as have nots is a distasteful phenomenon that papers over how unequal British society really is
In a typical British September, social media is littered with posts about people guiltily putting on their central heating. Now, well into October, people are talking about how much longer they can leave it off before it gets too cold for comfort.
You might think that this is one more sign of how hard the cost of living crisis is biting. Many of these posts are from anxious people who are genuinely struggling. But the very same expressions of restraint and concern are also coming from those with plenty of money to spend. You see them splashing the cash in restaurants, bars, theatres, cinemas and upmarket shops. Many haven’t seen their energy bills rise yet, and when they do it will be by about £3.50 a day; far less than the price of a pint of beer in most pubs. They can afford to put the heating on if they need to. So why are they pretending otherwise?
Julian Baggini is a writer and philosopher; his latest book is How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy
