Preppy/"Old" Money DC - tell me everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is gross. But for those wondering what a cave dweller is it’s basically the very wealthy non political (meaning not in government as a president, VP or cabinet member - mostly business men) in Washington DC in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And the exact people that those professing to be “old money” today on DCUM would call “new money” and social climbers.

Thanks for the education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TLDR most of this. I'm most of what OP describes. White, rich (by any normal standards), Catholic (so not WASP), live in NW DC, and kids were at top privates in DC. And I have a Barbour jacket filled at all times wit dog poop bags.

And, I worked my ass off to be able to do what I do, professionally and personally. Am neurotic, and have been ultra high achieving through school (public high school ivy college and law school). I'm blessed to be unusually gifted intellectually, and have put that gift to very good results. If you were to see me in the neighborhood, you'd have no idea my background, and might assume multigenerational wealth. This is similar to several friends in my neighborhood. All to say it would be incorrect to assume certain clothing or other external attributes indicates a person's background, talents or work ethic.

What's up with all the rich Catholics in NW DC? Seems way more prevalent than the rich WASPs these days.

-West coast interloper married to a MoCo Jew, both of whom need to work for their supper until retirement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TLDR most of this. I'm most of what OP describes. White, rich (by any normal standards), Catholic (so not WASP), live in NW DC, and kids were at top privates in DC. And I have a Barbour jacket filled at all times wit dog poop bags.

And, I worked my ass off to be able to do what I do, professionally and personally. Am neurotic, and have been ultra high achieving through school (public high school ivy college and law school). I'm blessed to be unusually gifted intellectually, and have put that gift to very good results. If you were to see me in the neighborhood, you'd have no idea my background, and might assume multigenerational wealth. This is similar to several friends in my neighborhood. All to say it would be incorrect to assume certain clothing or other external attributes indicates a person's background, talents or work ethic.

What's up with all the rich Catholics in NW DC? Seems way more prevalent than the rich WASPs these days.

-West coast interloper married to a MoCo Jew, both of whom need to work for their supper until retirement

Yeah,I live in Chevy Chase, which people think is Waspy but almost everyone I know I Catholic or Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TLDR most of this. I'm most of what OP describes. White, rich (by any normal standards), Catholic (so not WASP), live in NW DC, and kids were at top privates in DC. And I have a Barbour jacket filled at all times wit dog poop bags.

And, I worked my ass off to be able to do what I do, professionally and personally. Am neurotic, and have been ultra high achieving through school (public high school ivy college and law school). I'm blessed to be unusually gifted intellectually, and have put that gift to very good results. If you were to see me in the neighborhood, you'd have no idea my background, and might assume multigenerational wealth. This is similar to several friends in my neighborhood. All to say it would be incorrect to assume certain clothing or other external attributes indicates a person's background, talents or work ethic.

Meh.

I am all of the above and started life so far behind the norm it’s ridiculous. Not even sure I am smart. Certainly not credentialed. But I learned early. So many of you school killers have zero common sense and less street smarts.i have run circles around you in my Barbour jacket (which I actually
use to hunt) that it makes me laugh. Notwithstanding my lack of pedigree I have financially outperformed and am at all the clubs and old school stuff. 330 off the tee, know great wine and make mid seven figures and things can happen for you too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is gross. But for those wondering what a cave dweller is it’s basically the very wealthy non political (meaning not in government as a president, VP or cabinet member - mostly business men) in Washington DC in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And the exact people that those professing to be “old money” today on DCUM would call “new money” and social climbers.

Thanks for the education.

The “educator” is a tool. Those cavedwellers had nothing relative to the wealthy in other cities. Financially, DC arrived about 30 years ago. Before that even lowly Baltimore had way more money. In fact, the wealthiest dc residents back when were those who had landing spots here but didn’t live here full time. The Cavedwellers could only look to other cities with envy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TLDR most of this. I'm most of what OP describes. White, rich (by any normal standards), Catholic (so not WASP), live in NW DC, and kids were at top privates in DC. And I have a Barbour jacket filled at all times wit dog poop bags.

And, I worked my ass off to be able to do what I do, professionally and personally. Am neurotic, and have been ultra high achieving through school (public high school ivy college and law school). I'm blessed to be unusually gifted intellectually, and have put that gift to very good results. If you were to see me in the neighborhood, you'd have no idea my background, and might assume multigenerational wealth. This is similar to several friends in my neighborhood. All to say it would be incorrect to assume certain clothing or other external attributes indicates a person's background, talents or work ethic.

What's up with all the rich Catholics in NW DC? Seems way more prevalent than the rich WASPs these days.

-West coast interloper married to a MoCo Jew, both of whom need to work for their supper until retirement

Yeah,I live in Chevy Chase, which people think is Waspy but almost everyone I know I Catholic or Jewish.

Maryland was founded as a safe haven for English Catholics in the 17th century. Georgetown, is a Catholic university with lots of successful alumni. I’m not surprised there are old money and well to do Catholics here.

[Anonymous]

This thread has been so interesting

I have two former classmates who would know my name still in the DC region, one is a US Senator and one is a state Senator. The 2nd one is from a family with Ivy buildings named for her family. There is actually still generational wealth there.

The one who is a US senator came from a regionally wealthy political family who has probably turned her fortune into who knows what. I kind of don't like to think about it because I have been kind of disappointed in her. "Kind of" is putting it lightly.

[Anonymous]

FWIW last time I checked, the Preppy Handbook has been out of print, but everyone had a copy of that in the early 1980s and if you used it as a primer, you were young. And the whole book was basically the analog version of "how to dress" without being able to order online and how to appear. I think.

[Anonymous]

There’s many families in the area who deliberately pose a certain way to appear old money wasps who are anything but.

[Anonymous]

Semi-off topic but I just learned that the National Debutante Ball here in DC every Black Friday is a cash bar????? Gross. That doesn't seem very waspy/old money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW last time I checked, the Preppy Handbook has been out of print, but everyone had a copy of that in the early 1980s and if you used it as a primer, you were young. And the whole book was basically the analog version of "how to dress" without being able to order online and how to appear. I think.

I got it as a birthday gift back then. Fun.
As a small town girl with dreams I used to read etiquette books cover to cover in grade school. I still know not to tip my hosts's staff, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW last time I checked, the Preppy Handbook has been out of print, but everyone had a copy of that in the early 1980s and if you used it as a primer, you were young. And the whole book was basically the analog version of "how to dress" without being able to order online and how to appear. I think.

It's a funny gag book but I think some people take it seriously and treat it as a how-to guide rather than a joke.

I have a friend who actually uses slang from the book (worth noting we were born the year it came out so this is not like, something we would've read in hs and turned into an inside joke, she actually went through the glossary and uses phrases from it) and it's bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TLDR most of this. I'm most of what OP describes. White, rich (by any normal standards), Catholic (so not WASP), live in NW DC, and kids were at top privates in DC. And I have a Barbour jacket filled at all times wit dog poop bags.

And, I worked my ass off to be able to do what I do, professionally and personally. Am neurotic, and have been ultra high achieving through school (public high school ivy college and law school). I'm blessed to be unusually gifted intellectually, and have put that gift to very good results. If you were to see me in the neighborhood, you'd have no idea my background, and might assume multigenerational wealth. This is similar to several friends in my neighborhood. All to say it would be incorrect to assume certain clothing or other external attributes indicates a person's background, talents or work ethic.

What's up with all the rich Catholics in NW DC? Seems way more prevalent than the rich WASPs these days.

-West coast interloper married to a MoCo Jew, both of whom need to work for their supper until retirement

Yeah,I live in Chevy Chase, which people think is Waspy but almost everyone I know I Catholic or Jewish.

I think the Brett Kavanaugh hearings corrected this fallacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Warshington"

That’s a Midwest accent so definitely not old money, preppy . Could be newish money trying to be old money/preppy.

My now-deceased grandmother, who grew up in Greenbelt, and all of her daughters, who grew up in Kensington, pronounce(d) it this way. Her branch of the family goes back many generations in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic area. They were not moneyed. But definitely not ever midwestern.

My MIL sometimes speaks this way. She's from VA's Northern Neck going back many generations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has been so interesting

I have two former classmates who would know my name still in the DC region, one is a US Senator and one is a state Senator. The 2nd one is from a family with Ivy buildings named for her family. There is actually still generational wealth there.

The one who is a US senator came from a regionally wealthy political family who has probably turned her fortune into who knows what. I kind of don't like to think about it because I have been kind of disappointed in her. "Kind of" is putting it lightly.

Heh, is this the senator from a local city who just announced her retirement?

A lot of young people are very upset she's retiring. They follow her trades with eagle eyes because it's darn amazing how well the trades go. They won't be able to trade her trades any longer in the future, since her votes will no longer move stocks.