Subtle signs of class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No tattoos, proper grammar, no smoking, well fitted and tasteful clothes, shoes not down at the heels, well spoken and thoughtful, not reactionary or too loud in appearance or demeanor, everyone in family has at least a Bachelor's, ability to discuss politics or world dynamics without getting personal or overly hysterical, limited and tasteful FB/special media posts

Lots of upper class folks in worn shoes, especially among the waspy horsy types.

This. Travel the wealthier town in New England. The older the clothes, the richer the person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Small kitchen, lots of guest rooms, old American cars with some dirt on them. Persian rugs obtained by an older relative whist traveling in Iraq or Yemen in the early 1900s. Vacations include things like helicopter trips to hunt moose or elk, or expeditions on camel with Bedouins. Art includes antiquities, framed handwritten poems signed by Maya Angelou, and mounted heads of animals killed while hunting.

this is wasp culture from the 60s-90s

it's since died out

Yeah I think the people hanging on to it are an older generation, for sure.

My In Laws fit this description to a T. Think dirty beat up Suburban (but carrying five digits worth of purebred champion show dogs along with the dirty LL Bean boat bags) and old colonial antiques and rare things brought back by the grandfather who was an ambassador.

exactly. They're not rich but they're trying to make the money from the last generation last. Most people on DCUM would probably consider them broke.

That doesn't equal class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice (i.e. 70k +) cars, updated house finishes, tons of books and unique art, high quality but smallish wardrobe, spends most of their extra money on travel and experiences rather than things

Both parents have graduate degrees

Nice house with *very* short commute (think Kalorama)

Private schooling and private sports/language/music/etc. lessons for kids. Get their kids involved with expensive sports (tennis, skiing, golf, horseback riding, sailing if you live in Maryland, etc.) from a young age.

You can tell a lot by the way a person eats and works out. Boutique exercise classes, slender physique, eats mainly "clean" locally sourced organic foods.

true, rich people are obsessed with how they eat.

The exercise classes and organic/exotic foods are a sign of the yuppie, upwardly-mobile folks. The old WASPs don't do that stuff. They eat bland Britishy foods and get their fitness from riding horses, showing dogs, being on the crew team, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice (i.e. 70k +) cars, updated house finishes, tons of books and unique art, high quality but smallish wardrobe, spends most of their extra money on travel and experiences rather than things

Both parents have graduate degrees

Nice house with *very* short commute (think Kalorama)

Private schooling and private sports/language/music/etc. lessons for kids. Get their kids involved with expensive sports (tennis, skiing, golf, horseback riding, sailing if you live in Maryland, etc.) from a young age.

You can tell a lot by the way a person eats and works out. Boutique exercise classes, slender physique, eats mainly "clean" locally sourced organic foods.

Flashy cars make true WASPs cringe. Try old Volvos or generic Priuses or Toyota Camrys.

I don't know how true this is. I know a lot of WASPs that drive old Mercedes or BMWs. So they like nice things too, they just don't buy new for some reason.

The rest of it is spot on though.

[Anonymous]

Sylvia Bloom is the definition of "subtle sign of class", not many in this town and on here talking about it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/06/nyregion/secretary-fortune-donates.html

[Anonymous]

People: the question wasn't "What are subtle signs of WASP culture."

WASP /= high class

There are other forms of class in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice (i.e. 70k +) cars, updated house finishes, tons of books and unique art, high quality but smallish wardrobe, spends most of their extra money on travel and experiences rather than things

Both parents have graduate degrees

Nice house with *very* short commute (think Kalorama)

Private schooling and private sports/language/music/etc. lessons for kids. Get their kids involved with expensive sports (tennis, skiing, golf, horseback riding, sailing if you live in Maryland, etc.) from a young age.

You can tell a lot by the way a person eats and works out. Boutique exercise classes, slender physique, eats mainly "clean" locally sourced organic foods.

Lol no. This is what new money thinks gives them class.

give me a break. you think rich people don't like to have nice things?

DCUM has a very warped perception of how rich people live.

You're thinking about broke WASPs. They try to make things last because: they're broke. The generational money they were relying on ran out in the last generation and they're too lazy to make some more on their own.

+1

There's a lot of conflating broke WASP culture with class in this thread. They're not the same thing.

Perhaps, but the flashy outward displays of wealth you see around here definitely DO NOT equal class, quite the opposite. Only new money feels the need to prove to everyone how much money they have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Small kitchen, lots of guest rooms, old American cars with some dirt on them. Persian rugs obtained by an older relative whist traveling in Iraq or Yemen in the early 1900s. Vacations include things like helicopter trips to hunt moose or elk, or expeditions on camel with Bedouins. Art includes antiquities, framed handwritten poems signed by Maya Angelou, and mounted heads of animals killed while hunting.

this is wasp culture from the 60s-90s

it's since died out

Yeah I think the people hanging on to it are an older generation, for sure.

My In Laws fit this description to a T. Think dirty beat up Suburban (but carrying five digits worth of purebred champion show dogs along with the dirty LL Bean boat bags) and old colonial antiques and rare things brought back by the grandfather who was an ambassador.

exactly. They're not rich but they're trying to make the money from the last generation last. Most people on DCUM would probably consider them broke.

That doesn't equal class.

I'm the poster who posted about my in laws. Actually both my DH and I have a grandfather who was an ambassador and I went to Princeton. But we're probably considered really boring and poor by DCUM standards because we drive boring cars (a chevy and a Toyota) and not teslas. And our dog is not a doodle.

[Anonymous]

Rich Corinthian leather.

And embarrassing middle names for your children (that you didn’t pick out from a book).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rich Corinthian leather.

And embarrassing middle names for your children (that you didn’t pick out from a book).

Ah yes, this is very true. First names are the first name of an older relative and middle names are the list name of an older relative. 2nd boy is named after his maternal grandfather.

[Anonymous]

They don’t talk about money.

Kids have surnames for names.

They never seem ruffled. Any problem is solvable and they have a family safety net.

Not overly concerned with organic food, toys, clothes, etc.

Will offer you an alcoholic beverage any time of day you pop by.

[Anonymous]

There is no social class in America. The closest we came to one was when the Wasps dominated the establishment. But even then it was nothing like the old British class system.

If you're claiming that Wasp =/= class then you're just admitting there is no social class in the US. There are only socio-economic cultural groups that people identify with and gravitate to. There is no superiority of one over the other.

[Anonymous]

You all are nuts. And weirdly obsessed with some fake kind of high class that just doesn’t exist here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get people who have the big tvs anymore. Why not just use your tablet?

We watch movies as a family.

I don't want to hold the tablet.

Shows look better on televisions.

I can't believe this is a question.

This is why you put a tv in your den or basement.

If you live in an apartment that doesn't have a family room but you do have kids, you're not rich and have no business weighing in on this thread.

PP didn't mention a den or basement at all. She didn't understand why people have big tvs, period.

[Anonymous]

Rich =//= class