Anonymous wrote:They want to be accepted by the people around them and the truth about how much money they have is alienating.

I also think compassionate people feel a sense of shame for hoarding wealth when others are suffering. There's really no way to justify it.

However that is true of everything when you think about it. How can I justify a steak or a nice new car or a vacation when others are suffering?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They want the benefits of being rich without the downsides. That’s it. They know people often resent or are suspicious of rich people, so they lie to avoid that.

I mean, we all want the benefits of things without the downsides. Avoiding downsides is a pretty basic survival mechanism. Also, how often are you in a position to lie about your wealth? Is lying to buy a Honda when you could afford an Audi? Or to shop at Walmart instead of Whole Foods? Or to buy a $500k house when you can afford a $4m one? Nobody is obligated to spend more just because they can, or to spend it on things you can see.

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you know your friends have a net worth of $8M+ suggests that either you are nosy or they are oversharing.

Anonymous wrote:Tbh I’m not sure I would call that rich. Wealth inequality is so bad that they are far closer to poverty than they are to The royal family wealth, who in turn are far, far closer to poverty than she is to Bezos wealth. We need a new term for the true wealth hoarders.

But yeah these people do this because they want to seem chill. It’s hilarious hearing somebody with that big of a net worth trying to sound relatable by being outraged about a 1M engagement ring and then buying one that was clearly well over the average salary for somebody in the United States. Own it or don’t talk about it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Safety for myself and my family.

What exactly do you need to be protected from? Everyone knows we have money--we don't talk about it, but we don't downplay it. We save extensively, but I am not interested in living like austerely if I don't have to, so our things and lifestyle give us away. And our generosity. I do not worry about my safety.

New to the world?

Anonymous wrote:Huh? Way more poor/middle class people pretend to be rich than the other way around.

From TV’s “real housewives” to The Wolf of Wall Street, our popular culture portrays the wealthy as materialistic and entitled. But what do we really know about those who live on “easy street”? In this penetrating book, Rachel Sherman draws on rare in-depth interviews that she conducted with fifty affluent New Yorkers—from hedge fund financiers and artists to stay-at-home mothers—to examine their lifestyle choices and understanding of privilege. Sherman upends images of wealthy people as invested only in accruing social advantages for themselves and their children. Instead, these liberal elites, who believe in diversity and meritocracy, feel conflicted about their position in a highly unequal society. As the distance between rich and poor widens, Uneasy Street not only explores the lives of those at the top but also sheds light on how extreme inequality comes to seem ordinary and acceptable to the rest of us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WASP culture. It takes all the joy out of being rich.

You're joking, right? I think WASP culture make it all the more intriguing. One has to look for the clues not the ostentatious! I'm half WASP half Latina and there is a huge difference in the culture of money! I'm definitely more wasp myself, but I cannot resist an invitation to a Latin party!