Why do you care so much about seen as upper class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? If you love your family, enjoy your job, get to take vacations now and then?

Why are people so obsessed with whether their body type seems upper class or if they have the right engagement ring etc?

Explain it to me please.

Because everyone is terrified of sliding out out of the middle class, let alone staying in the upper class. In the US, poverty = shame and personal failing. It's fucked up, but there ya go.

Why is that fucked up? My parents paid for me to have an excellent college education. If I were somehow to become impoverished, I would be ashamed and would have failed (?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know whether the original topic is still really something we are striving to comment on. I would say for those that are LA or even Dallas bashing: to each their own.

LA certainly has plenty of people that love it. Plenty of very smart, accomplished, and cultured people live there. It seems snobby to feel DC is superior. Same for Dallas.

And vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Class is much more complex than income. You are still middle class.

I know that. I'm upper middle class based on my educational level as well.

You are born UMC. Are your parents UMC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? If you love your family, enjoy your job, get to take vacations now and then?

Why are people so obsessed with whether their body type seems upper class or if they have the right engagement ring etc?

Explain it to me please.

Because everyone is terrified of sliding out out of the middle class, let alone staying in the upper class. In the US, poverty = shame and personal failing. It's fucked up, but there ya go.

So people should feel content about being in poverty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Yea, brought up middle class, now upper middle class as well. I think there is something wrong when you stop aspiring to better yourself, worse still if you manufacture an excuse for your present situation to being superior on moral basis.

Surprise! You're both still middle-class. Class is more than just HHI. It's generational.

Not surprised at all, I know I am middle class, just upper middle class, but still middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the big deal? If you love your family, enjoy your job, get to take vacations now and then?

Why are people so obsessed with whether their body type seems upper class or if they have the right engagement ring etc?

Explain it to me please.

Because everyone is terrified of sliding out out of the middle class, let alone staying in the upper class. In the US, poverty = shame and personal failing. It's fucked up, but there ya go.

So people should feel content about being in poverty?

I'll add to that - in what country is poverty not looked down upon? Poverty is not something anyone aspires too - why is that considered to be fucked up? I would think it were more fucked up to if it were.

[Anonymous]

Because everyone is terrified of sliding out out of the middle class, let alone staying in the upper class. In the US, poverty = shame and personal failing. It's fucked up, but there ya go.

Why is that fucked up? My parents paid for me to have an excellent college education. If I were somehow to become impoverished, I would be ashamed and would have failed (?)

I was born into an upper middle class family: doctors, lawyers, scientists for generations. Then family moved to America in a family emergency and left behind everything that our family had earned: land and a great home, valuable things. I refused to study hard like my parents insisted, so today I am broke. My sister has always studied and worked hard, and I know she will succeed and remain a cosmopolitan lady e though she Wont have an inheritance from our parents.

I have a lot of respect for folks who studied hard, work hard.and I able to open many doors for their kids. I hope your guys kids appreciate what you do for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, no one in Los Angeles gives Washington, DC a moment's thought in terms of comparisons.

However, the many intellectual, interesting, interested, informed, artistic, caring, concerned, involved people who live in L.A. do pay attention to international and national affairs and politics, and they are not impressed by what Washington and its overinflated egos have been up to.

I have a good friend in LA, and when I visit I'm stunned at how completely out of touch her circle is when it comes to current events and politics. They know exactly who was nominated for best documentary short subject -- and they have a strong opinion about who should win -- but they couldn't name their own member of Congress or discuss anything that happened on the larger world stage last week.

This is the way the entire country is. Maybe you know your congressman or can name one senator. Only in DC are politicians celebrities, or of any importance at all. Politics is theater in DC but only in DC. The rest of the country doesn't care. Pretty refreshing actually

The rest of the US cares about shallow, superficial, materialistic crap.

DC's business is politics. LA's business is entertainment. If you're living in LA, being up to speed on what's going on in the film industry is probably a lot more useful personally and professionally than talking about their member of Congress. You might think this is vapid, but keep in mind that many of the intrigues and political gameplaying here are also pretty vapid. You need look no further than the Republican presidential race to recognize that.

But entertainment is fluff. Politics, for better or worse, is real.

Sorry, no. The american film industry creates tangible products (motion pictures) and generates around 500-700 billion dollars per year. I would not call that "fluff".

NP here.

[Anonymous]

We are on this Earth for a blink of time. No one should care about class status. It means nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are on this Earth for a blink of time. No one should care about class status. It means nothing.

WTF are you talking about?

Current life expectancy is over 78 years. 78 years is a loooooooong time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Yea, brought up middle class, now upper middle class as well. I think there is something wrong when you stop aspiring to better yourself, worse still if you manufacture an excuse for your present situation to being superior on moral basis.

Surprise! You're both still middle-class. Class is more than just HHI. It's generational.

Very interesting. I think you can attain upper middle class status without being born into it. Is this why people making $300k a year argue that they're just "middle class"? I don't think that's true. Compared to the vast majority of the country they're on a different level. It may not be "upper class" but it's definitely not "middle class."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Class is much more complex than income. You are still middle class.

I know that. I'm upper middle class based on my educational level as well.

You are born UMC. Are your parents UMC?

Education level does not distinguish between middle, upper middle or upper class. It amazes me that educated people don't understand the basics of class. I guess my superior understanding/education in this area by your definition makes me upper class! Hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Yea, brought up middle class, now upper middle class as well. I think there is something wrong when you stop aspiring to better yourself, worse still if you manufacture an excuse for your present situation to being superior on moral basis.

Surprise! You're both still middle-class. Class is more than just HHI. It's generational.

Very interesting. I think you can attain upper middle class status without being born into it. Is this why people making $300k a year argue that they're just "middle class"? I don't think that's true. Compared to the vast majority of the country they're on a different level. It may not be "upper class" but it's definitely not "middle class."

"The Middle Class

The next rung on the ladder is the middle class, which includes about 34 percent of the population. The members of the middle class earn their money by working at what could be called professional jobs. They probably have college educations, or at least have attended college. These people are managers, doctors, lawyers, professors, and teachers. They rarely wear uniforms, although some might wear distinctive clothing, such as a physician’s white coat. They are often referred to as the white-collar class, referring to the tendency of many middle-class men to wear suits with a white shirt to work."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see upper class as something to aspire t. Rather as something to avoid.

There are plenty of negative characteristics associated with upper class.

Plebe attitude.

I was born middle class, am now upper middle class, but not threatened by the upper class as you seem to be. How do you avoid being upper class? just earn less?

Class is much more complex than income. You are still middle class.

I know that. I'm upper middle class based on my educational level as well.

You are born UMC. Are your parents UMC?

Education level does not distinguish between middle, upper middle or upper class. It amazes me that educated people don't understand the basics of class. I guess my superior understanding/education in this area by your definition makes me upper class! Hilarious.

PP here who asked if PP's parents are UMC, and I get you. One can be in the 1% and still be middle-class. But in the U.S., in the vernacular, we use class = income. We don't use it like it's used in the U.K., so people are easily confused. Hell, our politicians campaign on that entire premise.