Why are people so hesitant to call themselves rich/wealthy when they are by any definition?
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Anonymous
| Both online & IRL? |
Anonymous
| Because they have built up their lifestyle to be expensive, so they don't feel flush. They expect to feel flush when rich. But if you buy a bigger house or more expensive cars or just more THINGS every time you can afford it, you will never feel like you have extra. |
Anonymous
| Because America likes to think of itself as middle class or classless. No one wants to be considered poor or rich, we're all middle class whether or not if we're bagging groceries or a partner at Kirkland. |
Anonymous
|
Because there is always a bigger fish. And most people will be looking up and comparing themselves to them.
We make $700K. I do not consider myself rich or wealthy because there are big law partners making $3M a year. To me, those guys are wealthy and we're just small fry. It's how it works. |
Anonymous
| Maybe because mentally healthy people don't define themselves by their income level? |
Anonymous
|
A big piece of it is because our society is so segregated by wealth. If you live in a wealthy area and your kids go to a school full of people with lots of money, and your coworkers are also wealthy, you feel average compared to everyone you socialize with.
Most of the top 5% of people never socialize with anyone in the lowest 25%. |
Anonymous
| 75% of Americans consider themselves middle class. |
Anonymous
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The "by any definition" comment is probably inaccurate.
We earn $250k, and then we have whatever earnings are generated by a $3.5M investment portfolio? Are we "rich/wealthy"? Maybe, but certainly not "by any definition." Probably not compared to PP who has earned income of $700k, who, likewise, does not consider themselves rich compared to law partners earning $3M. |
Anonymous
It seems entirely reasonable that at least 75% of Americans *are* middle class. The wealth spectrum is not linear. |
Anonymous
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Because speaking of it without some wood to knock on means the wealth will evaporate.
Also, don't like to advertise wealth even when its anonymous, as it' hard to admit without it coming across as braggy. |
Anonymous
| Because we like to pretend America is a classless society. |
Anonymous
How do you define "rich or wealthy"? What are the criteria in your mind that need to be met in order to be considered "rich"? |
Anonymous
Most law partners, for the record, ain't making $3M. There definitely are some, but it's the exception not the rule. |
Anonymous
| Because it's obnoxious! I'm rich and beautiful but can you imagine if I said that out loud?! How would I even work that into a conversation |
Anonymous
| Because we have been raised to think that “rich” people are bad, taking advantage of the middle class (and a lot of them are). |