What have you learned from those with less education, travel, and sophistication than you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Manners! In almost every job I've had, my day has been made so much nicer by the friendly greeting of the concierge, doorman, secretary, or janitor. There's nothing like a sweet cashier at the grocery store either. I learned that being friendly and polite is so important to keeping everyone's day running well.

I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say you've never worked in a law firm in DC.

Is that position the DC equivalent of the MRS degree back in the day?

[Anonymous]

This is one of the most patronizing threads I have read on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Manners! In almost every job I've had, my day has been made so much nicer by the friendly greeting of the concierge, doorman, secretary, or janitor. There's nothing like a sweet cashier at the grocery store either. I learned that being friendly and polite is so important to keeping everyone's day running well.

How do you know that any of the people are less traveled, less educated, or less sophisticated than you?

This whole thread is pretty patronizing. Oh, we can learn so much from the hoi polloi. We're so corrupted from our "fancy book larnin' ." They're so much happier and simpler than us.

Gimme a break.

[Anonymous]

Something is rubbing me the wrong way about this thread. It's like you are trying to be nice, but it's coming off wrong.

It's like a bunch of pretentious jerks sitting around trying to prove they aren't pretentious jerks because they can give compliments to people who they feel are inferior to them.

Who the hell are you to say if someone is "less sophisticated and less traveled" than you? How do the hell do you know the educational background of every janitor, cashier, or waitress you meet?

Get over yourselves...seriously. I am sick of all this masturbating to how highly educated and sophisticated DC area people are. That's very nice. Do you want a cookie? You may have several degrees, but many of you are still idiots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something is rubbing me the wrong way about this thread. It's like you are trying to be nice, but it's coming off wrong.

It's like a bunch of pretentious jerks sitting around trying to prove they aren't pretentious jerks because they can give compliments to people who they feel are inferior to them.

Who the hell are you to say if someone is "less sophisticated and less traveled" than you? How do the hell do you know the educational background of every janitor, cashier, or waitress you meet?

Get over yourselves...seriously. I am sick of all this masturbating to how highly educated and sophisticated DC area people are. That's very nice. Do you want a cookie? You may have several degrees, but many of you are still idiots.

This thread kinda sounds like white guilt and the over zealous need to defend and associate with minorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most patronizing threads I have read on DCUM.

Thank you. The whole premise of this thread is so offensive. As if the poor and/or folks who didn't go to college are these noble savages, and I can pat myself on the back at how open-minded I am that I can see their humanity. And of course the flip side is anyone who is wealthy, or lives in Ward 3, apparently, is a shallow, morally bankrupt asshole.

I feel like I'm reading some bad Hollywood screenplay.

[Anonymous]

Loyalty. To work hard regardless of reward. Doing whatever needs to be done for your family, whenever. How to grill and repair houses. Never to stand downhill from a flaming potato gun. To not give two flying fucks what smug bastards think of you, your family, where you come from, what you earn, what you own, or anything else about your life because when it comes down to it there are always some stairs you can push them down if need be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loyalty. To work hard regardless of reward. Doing whatever needs to be done for your family, whenever. How to grill and repair houses. Never to stand downhill from a flaming potato gun. To not give two flying fucks what smug bastards think of you, your family, where you come from, what you earn, what you own, or anything else about your life because when it comes down to it there are always some stairs you can push them down if need be.

And the "they" I learned all these things from? My family. I hope to teach the same to DC, who's going to need some of these lessons growing up in this area.

While the tone may be a little too "noble savage" for some, I absolutely think it's important to remember that there are class differences in values and people do learn different ways of going about their lives that are not all about managing poverty or not. The upper middle class takes a very transactional approach to relationships whereas working and lower middle class people have a more "what goes around comes around" approach to relationships, not expecting every favor to be repaid by the recipient but assuming that someone will be on hand to give back when help is needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most patronizing threads I have read on DCUM.

Thank you. The whole premise of this thread is so offensive. As if the poor and/or folks who didn't go to college are these noble savages, and I can pat myself on the back at how open-minded I am that I can see their humanity. And of course the flip side is anyone who is wealthy, or lives in Ward 3, apparently, is a shallow, morally bankrupt asshole.

I feel like I'm reading some bad Hollywood screenplay.

Yes, this! At first I thought OP was poking fun until subsequent posts made me realize that this is indeed an absurdly patronizing thread that stinks of the kind of arrogance and conceit that only the uber privledged but simultaneously intellectually dense can muster. Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loyalty. To work hard regardless of reward. Doing whatever needs to be done for your family, whenever. How to grill and repair houses. Never to stand downhill from a flaming potato gun. To not give two flying fucks what smug bastards think of you, your family, where you come from, what you earn, what you own, or anything else about your life because when it comes down to it there are always some stairs you can push them down if need be.

And the "they" I learned all these things from? My family. I hope to teach the same to DC, who's going to need some of these lessons growing up in this area.

While the tone may be a little too "noble savage" for some, I absolutely think it's important to remember that there are class differences in values and people do learn different ways of going about their lives that are not all about managing poverty or not. The upper middle class takes a very transactional approach to relationships whereas working and lower middle class people have a more "what goes around comes around" approach to relationships, not expecting every favor to be repaid by the recipient but assuming that someone will be on hand to give back when help is needed.

Yeah, because that's not a huge generalization. WTF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loyalty. To work hard regardless of reward. Doing whatever needs to be done for your family, whenever. How to grill and repair houses. Never to stand downhill from a flaming potato gun. To not give two flying fucks what smug bastards think of you, your family, where you come from, what you earn, what you own, or anything else about your life because when it comes down to it there are always some stairs you can push them down if need be.

And the "they" I learned all these things from? My family. I hope to teach the same to DC, who's going to need some of these lessons growing up in this area.

While the tone may be a little too "noble savage" for some, I absolutely think it's important to remember that there are class differences in values and people do learn different ways of going about their lives that are not all about managing poverty or not. The upper middle class takes a very transactional approach to relationships whereas working and lower middle class people have a more "what goes around comes around" approach to relationships, not expecting every favor to be repaid by the recipient but assuming that someone will be on hand to give back when help is needed.

Yeah, because that's not a huge generalization. WTF.

Yes, it's a generalization based on social science research. Maybe you've heard of it?

[Anonymous]

I know it may come as a shock to some posters, but some of us "less educated, sophisticated, blah, blah, blah" folks are actually smarter than you. I chose my job because it gives me great joy and satisfaction.

Signed,

Top 2% IQ, earning less than $45K

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm educated and travel a lot. I consider myself financially better off than a lot of people, but I never thought of myself as more "worthy of being around". That may be because I'm originally from New Jersey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it may come as a shock to some posters, but some of us "less educated, sophisticated, blah, blah, blah" folks are actually smarter than you. I chose my job because it gives me great joy and satisfaction.

Signed,

Top 2% IQ, earning less than $45K

What do you do? And how do you know you are in the top 2% IQ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loyalty. To work hard regardless of reward. Doing whatever needs to be done for your family, whenever. How to grill and repair houses. Never to stand downhill from a flaming potato gun. To not give two flying fucks what smug bastards think of you, your family, where you come from, what you earn, what you own, or anything else about your life because when it comes down to it there are always some stairs you can push them down if need be.

And the "they" I learned all these things from? My family. I hope to teach the same to DC, who's going to need some of these lessons growing up in this area.

While the tone may be a little too "noble savage" for some, I absolutely think it's important to remember that there are class differences in values and people do learn different ways of going about their lives that are not all about managing poverty or not. The upper middle class takes a very transactional approach to relationships whereas working and lower middle class people have a more "what goes around comes around" approach to relationships, not expecting every favor to be repaid by the recipient but assuming that someone will be on hand to give back when help is needed.

Yeah, because that's not a huge generalization. WTF.

Yes, it's a generalization based on social science research. Maybe you've heard of it?

Are all social scientists as smug and patronizing as you? Or are you just an outlier? And is there research to back that up?

I find it quite hilarious how you talk about all the great values (which apparently includes pushing people down stairs) you're going to need to instill in your children because they grow up in "this area" but yet you epitomize all the things that folks in this thread think is so wrong with the "sophisticated" class. Classic, really.