Actually it is not just about much a person earns, but also his expenses. A person with high expenses due to whatever reasons (maybe medical, family or alimony obligation) could still be poor even if he is netting >$100k pa.

Also knowing how much the others are earning is a good gauge to see where you stand. So even though one can be earning a lot, but if everyone else is earning more, you could still be poor. See here as example:The Middle Class Blues | Pew Social & Demographic Trends. And Singapore is not exactly a cheap place to live in.

The poster who said he earned $50k pa did not say how old he was, so I did a general comparison using this:Compare Your Annual Income 2013 | Salary.sg - Your Salary in Singapore

His $50k pa is below 53% of workers (all age groups, male and female) here. It would be much worse if he was in the 45-55 age male group.

Finally I just do not know whether to laugh or feel sorry whenever I read responses like this "Don't mind the resident buffoons - they're full of hot air." Sometimes ignorance is not bliss.