How Were You Raised?

Dabney_SoulmanDabney_Soulman 890 Posts
edited May 2006 in Strut Central
after reading the umpteenth thread hating on people who were born rich (AKA trustafarians) I've got to wonder about those that were doing the writing.Did all you who criticize these people grow up financially tough? Why is there hate focused on them, does it have anything more to do with them beyond the money?inquiring minds want to know the backgrounds of these critics of critics backgrouds
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  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,632 Posts
    Anyone that would really pass judgement on someone based on their financial situation is just bitter and jealous.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Upper blue collar.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    after reading the umpteenth thread hating on people who were born rich (AKA trustafarians) I've got to wonder about those that were doing the writing.

    examples please - which threads?

    trustafarian may = born rich

    but

    born rich does not necessarily = trustafarian

    are folks pissed at born rich or how born rich uses riches?

  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    I think my parents were/are rich, but they didn't back me with much money. i had to work in order to buy records or afford a vacation trip.
    it didn't help much though. i'm a layy guy, spending all of my money on records. i don't know how to deal with money. i'm broke all the time.

    plus, growing up in a German suburb (next to the Porsche factory and Mercedes) kinda wore me down. i hated it. i realized that some of my childhood freinds were totally spoiled and snobby...


  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
    Upper blue collar.


    Around Jr. High we bacame more lower middle class.



    Class isn't always about money, though. My mother has never had much money. I can't remember a time when she wasn't struggling at least a little. But she has a very middle class attitude.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    I think my parents were/are rich

    I think Germans must use this word differently than Americans; in this country, everybody--including people who might more accurately be described as "rich" or "poor"--prefers to think of themselves as middle class. Very few people would come out and say "my parents are rich".

  • there are 2 types of wealthy individuals:
    those who are grateful for their fortune, and those who are unappreciative and oblivious of it. rich is only a relative term, but many like to judge those better off financially and lump them into the latter category. therefore you're all rich and you're all poor in certain ways.

  • oh yeah, i'm reeeeeeiiiiiiich beeeeyyoootttcchhhhhhh.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Upper blue collar.


    Around Jr. High we bacame more lower middle class.



    Class isn't always about money, though. My mother has never had much money. I can't remember a time when she wasn't struggling at least a little. But she has a very middle class attitude.

    My mom was in a sorority in college and despite my dad working on ships his entire career, she tries her damnedest to make everyone believe that they are much more high-brow than they actually are. The families of her 2 brothers really keep her on the run with this, because compared to me and my sisters who all graduated with at least bachelors degrees, my not-so-little cousins are absolute hellions who have dropped out of high school, got themselves involved with teen pregnancy, been arrested multiple times, overdosed on drugs, etc.

    Personally, while I'm sad at much of the folly and even tragedy that my cousins have already perpetrated, I'm comfortable knowing that I come from common stock.

    Then again, jealousy or not, fuck a trustafarian until the cows come home.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    But she has a very middle class attitude.

    Plaese to explain??

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts

    My mom was in a sorority in college

    She must have been very proud when you pledged.

  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts

  • wholewheatwholewheat 437 Posts

  • I think my parents were/are rich

    I think Germans must use this word differently than Americans; in this country, everybody--including people who might more accurately be described as "rich" or "poor"--prefers to think of themselves as middle class. Very few people would come out and say "my parents are rich".

    Germans may use this word differently but the idea of everyone being middle class isn't right either. I think there is a shame and I know there is a stigma with being born into money.

    Hip-hop seems to exemplify this, no one brags about coming from dollars but they sure as hell brag about hustling to get theirs, matter-of-fact I've seen hip-hoppers use being born wealthy as an insult to others



    perhaps this is where the hattery of "trustafairian" writers comes from?

  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
    But she has a very middle class attitude.

    Plaese to explain??


    My mother doesn't necessarily put on airs to impress others, but she prefers more middle class pursuits, i.e. going to the opera, vacations in Italy, fine art appreciation, etc., even when it severely stresses her budget.

    I think there are many things that qualify as "middle class," not because people of lesser means are excluding from enjoying or participating in them, but because they are generally targeted at a specific demographic.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    I don't think the phrase "How were you raised" has anything to do with money.

    Being a parent goes far beyond what you are able to provide economically regardless if it the bare necessities or extreme luxuries.

    Spending time, sharing love, respect and knowledge and setting a good example are what "raises" a child.

    That being said there are good Wealthy and Poor parents and there are crappy Wealthy and Poor parents and everything in between.

    Judging someone strictly by their wealth is shallow and usually driven by jealousy or greed.

    But I also believe one's wealth is like their religion and sexual preference...there is no good reason to flaunt it.

    I was raised extremely well by a Construction Worker Dad and a stay at home Mom.

    They taught me about accountability, ambition and the value of hard work.

    That far exceeds any amount of money they could have given me.

    I hope when it's all said and done I do as well with my kids.

  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts


    Then again, jealousy or not, fuck a trustafarian until the cows come home.



    I've had varying experiences with trustafarians. I've met a couple who were very nice, down-to-earth people who didn't like to flaunt, or even talk about, their wealth or privilege.

    On the other hand, I once watched a group of friends fall under the spell of the biggest trust fund prick I've ever seen. The slimeball constantly bragged about money, never carried less than a grand on his person and basically bought all of his friends through gifts, drugs and sometimes straight cash. I spotted the guy as a phony from the start, but it took two years for some of my friends to catch on. And even then, it was only when his trust fund dried up.

  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
    I don't think the phrase "How were you raised" has anything to do with money.

    Being a parent goes far beyond what you are able to provide economically regardless if it the bare necessities or extreme luxuries.

    Spending time, sharing love, respect and knowledge and setting a good example are what "raises" a child.

    That being said there are good Wealthy and Poor parents and there are crappy Wealthy and Poor parents and everything in between.

    Judging someone strictly by their wealth is shallow and usually driven by jealousy or greed.

    But I also believe one's wealth is like their religion and sexual preference...there is no good reason to flaunt it.

    I was raised extremely well by a Construction Worker Dad and a stay at home Mom.

    They taught me about accountability, ambition and the value of hard work.

    That far exceeds any amount of money they could have given me.

    I hope when it's all said and done I do as well with my kids.



    See, when we're not talking politics, I am often in complete and total agreement with you.

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Can we have a definition of middle class?

  • montymonty 420 Posts
    some of my best friends are/were trustafarians

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Can we have a definition of middle class?

    Me?? I didn't use the term.

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Can we have a definition of middle class?

    Me?? I didn't use the term.

    No, that was for TwoPly.

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    i was raised on bread and bologna

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Naw, I agree--those are not exactly middle class signifiers in my book either.

    The signifiers of middle class identity tend to overlap with those of suburbia: minivans, little league, lawns, those college stickers people put on the rear window of their car, etc.

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    i was raised on bread and bologna balonaaay

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Naw, I agree--those are not exactly middle class signifiers in my book either.

    The signifiers of middle class identity tend to overlap with those of suburbia: minivans, little league, lawns, those college stickers people put on the rear window of their car, etc.

    I disagree......

    Living in Suburbia is a lifestyle, not a class.

    My understanding of Lower, Middle and Upper class are that they are strictly economic terms and how you spend said money and the lifestyle you choose is not an indication of what class you fall into by definition.

  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Can we have a definition of middle class?


    Although it seemingly goes against soulstrut policy, let's not overdefine "middle class." Obviously it's going to vary from region to region, family to family. In Portland, Oregon, it is not strictly upper middle class to attend the Opera. Here, the opera and they symphony often have cheaper events or concerts geared towards students or the budget-concious. We also have First Thursday, when galleries throughout the Pearl District provide free food, drink and entertainment while showcasing a highly diverse selection of art.

    You may have a point with the vacationing in exotic locales, but that seems to be what credit cards are for (both of my parents have racked up massive credit card debt through vacationing).

  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Naw, I agree--those are not exactly middle class signifiers in my book either.

    The signifiers of middle class identity tend to overlap with those of suburbia: minivans, little league, lawns, those college stickers people put on the rear window of their car, etc.


    While that's accurate of many middle class families, it's still a narrow viewpoint. I'm curious where you see yourself, faux. I don't know exactly what you do for a living, but I'm guessing you're not blue collar. It's hard to tell how serious you are when discussing thread counts and the like, so I don't want to jump to conclusions.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Naw, I agree--those are not exactly middle class signifiers in my book either.

    The signifiers of middle class identity tend to overlap with those of suburbia: minivans, little league, lawns, those college stickers people put on the rear window of their car, etc.

    I disagree......

    Living in Suburbia is a lifestyle, not a class.

    My understanding of Lower, Middle and Upper class are that they are strictly economic terms and how you spend said money and the lifestyle you choose is not an indication of what class you fall into by definition.

    Uh, no.

    "Class" is an identity, not a number--that's why it's so contentious.

    Is a janitor that wins the lottery immeditiately transported to the upper class?

    Is the scion of a wealthy family who obtains multiple degrees but opts to spend his life in public service and spurns his parents' handouts no longer upper class?

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Maybe it's just me, but fine art appreciation and vactioning in Italy don't scream "true" middle class. Maybe upper middle class...

    Naw, I agree--those are not exactly middle class signifiers in my book either.

    The signifiers of middle class identity tend to overlap with those of suburbia: minivans, little league, lawns, those college stickers people put on the rear window of their car, etc.

    I disagree......

    Living in Suburbia is a lifestyle, not a class.

    My understanding of Lower, Middle and Upper class are that they are strictly economic terms and how you spend said money and the lifestyle you choose is not an indication of what class you fall into by definition.

    Uh, no.

    "Class" is an identity, not a number--that's why it's so contentious.

    Is a janitor that wins the lottery immeditiately transported to the upper class?

    Is the scion of a wealthy family who obtains multiple degrees but opts to spend his life in public service and spurns his parents' handouts no longer upper class?

    Every single definition of "Middle Class" I can find is a "socioeconomic" one.

    Show me something to the contrary.
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