"Poor" people, "normal" people, "affluent", "wealthy", "rich", etc.

[Anonymous]

Why do you care?

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can find a common definition. I make $65K. The guy at Starbucks thinks I'm loaded. On this board, I'm probably the poorest one here. In my eyes, I'm fine with what I have...3 cars, a 401K, a 4 bdr house in a nice neighborhood, and 3 well-dressed, well-fed, well-educated children, vacations 2-3 times a year. I've lived around DC for most of my life but don't really care how I "measure up" to everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP who asked "are you _ _ _ kidding" and I am going to ask it again! Are you kidding? Post like this make me sick! Why do you care to "rank" everyone based on income? You should be ashamed of yourself and find something better to do.

So we've had 2-3 threads on this in the past few days out of ... let's check ... 369 threads on private schools, and lots more on other school issues. That's about 1%.

Are you saying we shouldn't talk about this because it's "rude"? Yes, if you know me and I tell you my income, that's definitely rude. But we're all anonymous here.

Or are you saying we should just all put our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist? Even taking up as much as 1% of a forum shouldn't exist?

I think OP is genuinely trying to understand these issues, and the intention is for the rest of us to try to reach some understanding too. Why is that so wrong?

[Anonymous]

I think this type of topic tends to be of interest mostly to those who are new to the private school scene -- at least I am just guessing. This is my family's second year at private school, and I know that I spent a fair amount of energy last year feeling a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable with some of the snarky comments made by members of my own family who felt I was being pretentious or boorish by the simple choice of private versus public school. Uncomfortable with clearly being one of the very lowest income families at the school paying full tuition. Uncomfortable with not knowing if I was making the best choice for how to use family money.

One needs to feel comfortable and confident about one's own decisions and reasons for doing things ... then other people's choices, reasons, family finances, and so forth really don't matter a bit. At least, that's the goal!!

[Anonymous]

I know exactly what that poster on the other post meant by, 'normal'--I think. I think she/he wondered where a family of the area 'norm'--maybe two working parents (no SAHM), mid to upper middle income household (no McMansions in Potomac or McLean/Great Falls), who is also not pretentious. What school environment would they fit into? I get it.

[Anonymous]

Hey, you guys think this class thing is bad here. We lived in NYC for 15 years. You learn QUICKLY about class and where you belong up there. Also, you women would not survive in the private school world 'up there'. It's vicious, truthful, and in your face. You haven't seen affluence if you haven't been there.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, the NYC thing is true which is why I do not live there, talking about rough...horrible. Horrible.

[Anonymous]

People new to the private school scene want to know whether they will fit in, not just socially, but economically as well. It's not unreasonable. No one wants their kid to be the one who can't go on the ski trip, fancy spring break, etc.
Fitting in financially DOES matter, and it is naive to think otherwise. For those of you who think all this talk is stupid, leave the thread. Why do you even care? Just skip over it. geez.

[Anonymous]

Well, if you go by the people who post on this particular board (private/independent schools), normal is mean, judgmental, and accusatory.

I make about $200K a year (but I'm a single parent) and I am probably somewhere in the middle rungs of the income distribution. But not anywhere close to the top (maybe 30th percentile?).

[Anonymous]

From a thread on the Political Discussion forum:

10/12/2008 21:05 Subject: Who or What Do You Consider to be "Middle Class"?
Anonymous



Here's a total quant answer to feed the conversation...

2008 HUD Family Incomes for the DC Metro Area:

Bottom 10% 31,600
Bottom 20% 49,800
Bottom 30% 66,800
Bottom 40% 82,700
Median Inc. 99,000 *****
Top 40% 117,400
Top 30% 138,900
Top 20% 169,200
Top 10% 223,400

***** The median income is where half have more and half have less, and that number is $99,000 for the DC Metro Area. A decent range of incomes for "middle class" migh be the middle 40% of incomes. So lower middle class in the DC area would be from $66,800 to $99,000, and upper middle class would be from $99,000 to $138,900.