"$100k/year. So not great wage but not that bad." is the new version of a person talking about how they grew up poor and then describing living in a house with two working parents.
Most people here subscribe to the notion of not comparing yourself to others' incomes, but the corollary of that is that you also don't need to have your qualitative view of your own income determined by others' incomes. For someone with certain traits or who works full-time hours $100k may be qualitatively "not great and not that bad" and that's quite a valid view, too. For example a surgeon who went to school for 10 years and accrued $250k in debt would no doubt think that $100k is not a great income. It's all relative.
Also, you can have two working parents but still be considered a poor family in absolute terms, especially if both parents are not working full-time.
You're right about most of us not wanting to compare ourselves to others, and I think there's a good reason for it:
What you compare is what you see, those around you spend
conspicuously on things like what
@helloyou said -- going out, or: luxuries, fancy cars, big houses, etc.
That spending is visible.
Meanwhile, Mustachians spend on what is less visible: owning their future time. It's freedom for your future self.
Ultimately, what can steal satisfaction and happiness from folks who make $36K like
@Tass is negative comparison, and that applies to our MD who cut their earnings from $250K to $100, too. I wrote a bunch about this (and how
comparison is the thief of joy), but what it comes down to is controlling expectations by making healthy comparisons.
Marketing, ads, and social media showing you how you "should" live? Unhealthy.
Following a path revealed by someone ahead of you, their hardships included, to achieve your own goals? Healthy, positive comparison.
One day, we should seek to be that guide for those coming up behind us, too.