I'm a hick from the sticks and...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know old money very well, and there is very little if any around here.

Harumph-umph-umph.

I think I've seen you post before about how people here don't know old money. Snobbery about old money is better than beurgeois snobbery because...?

How's this: don't be snooty about your wealth, your brains, your looks, your education (which is likely closely related to your family circumstances), or your kids' talents. Don't be worried about other people's snobbery. I assume most of us can agree on those points.

[Anonymous]

I'm a hick from the sticks, and haven't done as well as you but I do make six figures and have a great reputation at work. My parents were CRAP however, and I often feel like I succeeded in spite of them. Most people I went to school with are grandparents right now and I'm 36 years old. I'm just happy I made it out of there and that I'm here now. Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to live in small town again (not mine), however, just b/c I get tired of how competitive every single thing seems to be here sometimes.

[Anonymous]

15:25 - AMEN!

[Anonymous]

Another hick from the sticks. I haven't made it as quite successful as you have, but still not bad. Many of my classmates, however, have done very well for themselves. Top colleges and grad schools, excellent careers.

I remind myself of them when I get worried about the schools down here for my kids.

[Anonymous]

The worst possible offense to a snob is to prove that there is no point to the things that make them feel superior.

Well done, OP.

[Anonymous]

the "sticks" are the best places in America. unfortunately it is hard to earn a good living in those places, so the best and brightest tend to move away. let's hope we can move back later in life.

[Anonymous]

I'm also a hick from the sticks who came to DC after going to a horrific public high school and a great state university. I got a full ride to grad school here, got a great job, and never left. Married a city-boy DH who loves it here, so I will probably be here for the long haul.

I agree with OP that what constantly surprises me is how competitive and pretentious some people are, while at the same time being poorly informed and ignorant (in almost perfect direct correlation!). A good education is not necessarily one for which you've paid dearly, and simply paying for a quality education does not mean you are a quality human being. I'm saddened by the lack of compassion, humility, and common sense some people in the DC region show. But sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised by others, too.

[Anonymous]

Most of the statements in this thread remind me of the South's obsession with the Civil War. Northerners never think about it. Similarly, I don't know anyone who gives a shit whether someone came from a rural area.

I think it's nothing but your own anxiety and feelings of inferiority that lead you to "defend" your background and pat yourselves on the back for being more successful than the supposed snobs.

[Anonymous]

I'm from "the sticks". But I don't guess I'm really a hick. I come from old Southern money. And I went to very good schools.

I've lived all over this country and overseas. We've spent plenty (too much) time in the D.C. area.

Given a choice, I'll take "the sticks" every time. My home town has no crime to speak of. No traffic. People don't live to make money. Your job is just that...a job. And people are valued by the strength of their character as opposed to their income and occupation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from "the sticks". But I don't guess I'm really a hick. I come from old Southern money. And I went to very good schools.

I've lived all over this country and overseas. We've spent plenty (too much) time in the D.C. area.

Given a choice, I'll take "the sticks" every time. My home town has no crime to speak of. No traffic. People don't live to make money. Your job is just that...a job. And people are valued by the strength of their character as opposed to their income and occupation.

LIKE!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the statements in this thread remind me of the South's obsession with the Civil War. Northerners never think about it. Similarly, I don't know anyone who gives a shit whether someone came from a rural area.

I think it's nothing but your own anxiety and feelings of inferiority that lead you to "defend" your background and pat yourselves on the back for being more successful than the supposed snobs.

Sadly, the scores of posts on DCUM demonstrate that many posters look down upon people from rural areas. You may not personally know anyone, but it is not in OP's head and this site is proof enough.

And it is interesting that you misinterpret her post to say she is "more successful". She didn't say she was more successful, she said that she is successful. Snobs like you are the ones that have to compare everyone. The point of her post is that things can turn out fine without getting your kid into a feeder preschool and an elite K-12.

[Anonymous]

I'm no hick, but I'm certainly from the sticks. I have worked for the highest government official in our land and many other high level officials. I went to public schools for elementary through high school and then landed at a private liberal arts college.

It was there that I took a part-time job shuttling a young girl after school to her tennis and violin lessons. This one singular experience showed me how underwhelming my rural public education had been. She went to a private school and was in the eighth grade. I had to help her with her pre-Calc and Shakespeare. This was not the curriculum that I had in the eighth grade. Her older sister also went to Harvard. She was the first person that I knew that went to an Ivy league. I saw for the very first time how elite schooling begets privilege and professionally rewarding networking.

Later on, I also had the pleasure of being one of the few non-Ivy League grads at on of the top agencies in town as a political appointee. Again, the Ivy grads take care of their own and for good reason.

I have succeeded because of the fire in my belly, and I do have a good head on my shoulders. I may in fact be smarter and better abled than many Ivy League grads, but the Ivy grad will always have the Ivy degree. And it is that degree and pedigree that will usually tip the balance in their favor when choices have to be made on who to hire and or when choosing which child to admit to one of the top tier private elementary schools in town.

It's a bit David and Goliath. And that's okay for me because relish the fight. It gets my blood going, but the vast majority of people where I'm from aren't like me. They might be as smart as me but there children are going to those same awful schools that I went to as a child. I can't help but feel pity for them because I know that despite their upbringing, they are missing a whole world of knowledge that their privately schooled peers are discussing with their friends while on spring break in Paris, Geneva, Deer Valley, etc.

Until our nation has an equitable public education system, the dream will be denied to far too many deserving individuals. That's why this non-hick, from the sticks sends her kids to private schools.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I'm dreading the spelling errors! Ack! So much for watching "The Hurt Locker" and typing at the same time!
Oy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the "sticks" are the best places in America. unfortunately it is hard to earn a good living in those places, so the best and brightest tend to move away. let's hope we can move back later in life.

What is your objective measure of "best places in America"? I can't think of any possible assessment that is not entirely subjective. Perhaps you weren't taught there is a difference between the two?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the statements in this thread remind me of the South's obsession with the Civil War. Northerners never think about it. Similarly, I don't know anyone who gives a shit whether someone came from a rural area.

I think it's nothing but your own anxiety and feelings of inferiority that lead you to "defend" your background and pat yourselves on the back for being more successful than the supposed snobs.

What a weirdly ignorant remark. I've grown up and spent most of my life in the South and I don't know anyone who's obsessed with the Civil War. I don't even know anyone who's interested in it.

You sound like one of those people who've watched a few movies and think you can generalize what all Southerners are like. If you tried that same generalization shit with black folks you'd be called out for your prejudice.

Just stupid.