Comments on: Sharp eye on Gaydar will keep our Tiger economy in the pink http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2006/10/18/sharp-eye-on-gaydar-will-keep-our-tiger-economy-in-the-pink?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sharp-eye-on-gaydar-will-keep-our-tiger-economy-in-the-pink The website of economist, author and broadcaster, David McWilliams Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:17:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: laura http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2006/10/18/sharp-eye-on-gaydar-will-keep-our-tiger-economy-in-the-pink/comment-page-1#comment-24116 laura Tue, 07 Nov 2006 15:47:52 +0000 http://921990922#comment-24116 I would strongly dispute this article, as much of the myth of gay wealth and the pink pound is that - a myth. While there is undoubtedly a high degree of individual wealth in the gay community a lot of it is inherited rather than earned, or nothing to do with the sexuality of the individual. Gay people are still heavily discriminated in many workplaces - especially those in traditionally male industries such as building and the trades (aside from hairdressing perhaps). Factories are an especially hostile environment, and gay people are disproportionately represented in traditionally low-paid industries such as call centres and retail. What appears to be wealth to outsiders, is even more likely to be an overdrawn bank account or heavily borrowed credit card, than the average striaght person. This doesn't even start to take account of the fact that a disproportionately large segement of the adult gay population don't work, compared to straight people. In something that isn't obvious to those outside the scene, loads of gay women are lone parents (some of them separated, though not all) and many are long term unemployment claimants or on disability (an awful lot of them down to mental health reasons). In my experience, dating on the Irish gay scene is also like playing Russian Roulette, even for somebody on an average income, as you play dodge the gold digger, sponger or even smalltime fraudster. Guys perceived to be wealthy in particular, are targeted by lazy pseudo-rentboys (and some girls) who declare their undying love, and then proceed to suck up half your life, as well as most of your income. The thing is, I know a vast lot of my gay friends appear at face value to look walthy, are well dressed (its a highly visually competitive culture - so appearance is everything), but very few of my gay friends own their own homes, and fewer still have any kind of savings. Worse still, some of those who do have money flitter it away on totally undeserving hanger-ons who are quick to home in on the gullible but generous, or on indulgences such as designer clothes, frequent holidays, vast amounts of alcohol and designer drugs. This doesn't even take into account folks like me who partied away during the formative years of career-building and ended up without savings, property and often bled dry financially from relationships with smart leeches like those mentioned above. I suppose this did in some sense come to a head for me personally when I saw at least one person who I used to socialise with on one of Eddie Hobbs programmes - I wonder how many more are hidden away behind the glamorous-looking lifestyle? I would strongly dispute this article, as much of the myth of gay wealth and the pink pound is that – a myth. While there is undoubtedly a high degree of individual wealth in the gay community a lot of it is inherited rather than earned, or nothing to do with the sexuality of the individual. Gay people are still heavily discriminated in many workplaces – especially those in traditionally male industries such as building and the trades (aside from hairdressing perhaps). Factories are an especially hostile environment, and gay people are disproportionately represented in traditionally low-paid industries such as call centres and retail. What appears to be wealth to outsiders, is even more likely to be an overdrawn bank account or heavily borrowed credit card, than the average striaght person.

This doesn’t even start to take account of the fact that a disproportionately large segement of the adult gay population don’t work, compared to straight people. In something that isn’t obvious to those outside the scene, loads of gay women are lone parents (some of them separated, though not all) and many are long term unemployment claimants or on disability (an awful lot of them down to mental health reasons).

In my experience, dating on the Irish gay scene is also like playing Russian Roulette, even for somebody on an average income, as you play dodge the gold digger, sponger or even smalltime fraudster. Guys perceived to be wealthy in particular, are targeted by lazy pseudo-rentboys (and some girls) who declare their undying love, and then proceed to suck up half your life, as well as most of your income.

The thing is, I know a vast lot of my gay friends appear at face value to look walthy, are well dressed (its a highly visually competitive culture – so appearance is everything), but very few of my gay friends own their own homes, and fewer still have any kind of savings. Worse still, some of those who do have money flitter it away on totally undeserving hanger-ons who are quick to home in on the gullible but generous, or on indulgences such as designer clothes, frequent holidays, vast amounts of alcohol and designer drugs. This doesn’t even take into account folks like me who partied away during the formative years of career-building and ended up without savings, property and often bled dry financially from relationships with smart leeches like those mentioned above.

I suppose this did in some sense come to a head for me personally when I saw at least one person who I used to socialise with on one of Eddie Hobbs programmes – I wonder how many more are hidden away behind the glamorous-looking lifestyle?

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