Reply to The Social Class Ladders—Labor, Gentry, and Elite

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Reply to "The Social Class Ladders—Labor, Gentry, and Elite"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's interesting to me all the posters who are saying class mobility does not exist. My H and I both grew up LMC. We're first generation college graduates. Now I have a PhD and he is in finance. Senior manager at his firm, very likely to advance. He makes &gt;750k. I adjunct right now for the flexibility with our kids (I'm basically a SAHM for all intents and purposes - I only teach one or two courses a year to keep my toe in. It's basically a hobby job).

Anyway, my point is, we've still been invited to join the fancy country club, our kids go to an expensive private school, we vacation several times a year in the same spots as all the other parents (Caribbean, skiing, Europe, beach trip every year). I've never once felt slighted or looked down upon. Maybe our background is not obvious to others? We're mid thirties and went to good schools on scholarship/loans which we've since long paid off.

I don't get the people who are saying this ^ is not an example of class mobility.[/quote]

It is, but if you think that your experience is not an anomaly, you're fooling yourself.  Making $750K+ is pretty unusual in the population overall, as is having the opportunity to go to a school that the elite consider "good" from an L background.  Most L and even low-G kids are raised on the idea that getting into the flagship state school is an achievement.  It wasn't until I got to start hanging out with the Es in DC that I learned that I'd have been better off going to some SLAC that no one I went to high school had ever heard of than a large, public university that's well-regarded pretty much everywhere else but DC.[/quote]

Hmm. We'll I hear you on the state school thing. My parents brought me up to only consider going to our flagship state school - it wasn't until I was a sophomore in high school that I even realized anything else was possible. I met my H at the U of Chicago, which we both only learned about through fliers they sent in the mail (we both scored over 1500 on the old SATs). So not "ivy" but still considered pretty good. We got through school on a combo of scholarships/loans/work study.

To be honest, I don't think we are that unique. Most of our friends are people who grew up with similar backgrounds (middle classs at best). Some even went to state schools or no name privates and now regularly make over seven figures - that's finance for you though. It's really not that unusual. Maybe at a place like Goldman Sachs or similar but there are money managers all over the country that don't care about brands and where you can do pretty well financially, at least compared to the general population (500k + easily).[/quote]

People who grew up G or E can sniff your common roots out dear, it's not difficult. You're obviously new money and will never truly fit in with gentry types. I bet you bought a tear down and built a McMansion on a tiny plot in Arlington or Bethesda. You seem the type.[/quote]

Like I care. Lady, I am too busy enjoying my life and our accomplishments to care whether you think I should have bought a used Volvo instead of a brand new Cayenne. We didn't buy a tear down either, not that it matters. I'd own my choice if we did. Unlike you, I have a very nice life which gives me enough happiness that I don't have to troll strangers on the Internet to vent my bitterness on others  :roll: [/quote]

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