51–60 of 355 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't Any examples spring to mind?
Spending $10,000 on a flatscreen TV: low class. Spending $10,000 on a pair of speakers: high class.
I spent a summer in NYC a few years ago. While living in NYC I did get a flavor of higher class living with some roommates of mine. It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't. However, this is one issue that's hard to put solely on the foot of the rich or a broader system. Passing in many avenues, not just by class, is really deciding you want to be the…
> It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't Any examples spring to mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmGemNT7urY
The only thing this scene from the wire fails to capture is that once you learn the mannerisms, how you should look, how you should act to not feel out of place - you then need to learn how and what to speak about. It's hard to hold a conversation about Mr. Smith's recent trip to the maldives, his new non-profit business venture, and roger federer's latest australian open win if you're working a 9-5 and vacationing once a year in california. So in many cases you can look and act the part, but really you can't speak the part.
Then at the end of the meal, you're relying on them to pay for that $150 bottle of wine they ordered.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't Any examples spring to mind?
How you dress is very important. Knowing enough about current events and having your own, thoughtful opinion about them. Knowing a number of books and using them in conversation. Rules on when to be blunt are different. Never order a burger at a restaurant. I could go on but it's a hard thing to summarize. (source: was middle/lower class, now have many 1% friends)
I spent a summer in NYC a few years ago. While living in NYC I did get a flavor of higher class living with some roommates of mine. It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't. However, this is one issue that's hard to put solely on the foot of the rich or a broader system. Passing in many avenues, not just by class, is really deciding you want to be the…
> It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't Any examples spring to mind?
- Talking specifically about money (how much high-ticket items specifically cost, how much anyone specifically makes) is gauche.
- Depending on the group and the location, there are functionally dress codes - you show up to brunch in sweats and sneakers and everyone else is in polos and boat shoes, you "dress up" in a shirt and khakis, everyone else is wearing a blazer and slacks, you put on a Macy's suit for a formal event and everyone else is wearing Tom Ford or Armani.
- What you do for leisure can be a fraught discussion - we eventually started traveling more, but I've met people who talked casually about summering in Ibiza or the Hamptons (and who used "summer" as a verb), or who have seasonal homes. "I stayed home and played X-Box" as an explanation for what you did on vacation earns a side-eye.
- What and how you eat, although that one has relaxed a little bit over the last few years as street food has been gentrified and made trendier.
I spent a summer in NYC a few years ago. While living in NYC I did get a flavor of higher class living with some roommates of mine. It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't. However, this is one issue that's hard to put solely on the foot of the rich or a broader system. Passing in many avenues, not just by class, is really deciding you want to be the…
> It really is true that there are unspoken codes and mores to follow, and it was uncomfortable when I didn't Any examples spring to mind?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Spending $10,000 on a flatscreen TV: low class. Spending $10,000 on a pair of speakers: high class.
I thought about this comment for awhile because I have unassailably high class friends who have spent $10k+ on TVs and sneakers. I think the key is they just do it with confidence. I jokingly made fun of my friend's sneaker collection but he just laughed it off without any hint of concern. Once you understand all the different social queues then you can start to act however you want as long as you have bulletproof se…
> In the UK, class consciousness is woven into the national identity. In America, however, people often like to pretend that a class system doesn’t really exist. But, of course, it does. This is the most insidious part. The media in the US has historically been 100% controlled by rich people, and all major media still is. The evil rich people figured out that if you start a gender and race war among the 99%, you can…
Would you say that it's more likely that the rich are using the Illuminati OR the Greek Fraternity to collectively conspiring against the common man?
My Mom was a immigrant who came from the Philippines. My dad was a polish person. I raised my income and made more than them by a few ways. 1. Figuring out how to get a degree in Computer Science. (I chose a state school UIC) 2. Getting a Job in CS (I worked at the school I had classes from and then transitioned to a real job locally). The way I did it was taking my resume and applying to jobs I believe I was qualifi…
It’s still a great accomplishment but I think it’s easier for your next generation to jump a class. I think the harder idea is to personally jump a class after being in one. But then again, it might just be that when someone has a child, they set them up to move up instead of themselves. They sacrifice their chance for their children. Otherwise they would have the capital to do it themselves. Obviously I’m just think…
Sometimes they couldn't pay for heat to get fixed. Or all the times I ate Ramen.
Or the fact that I wanted to be a MCS major but really had to have a CS degree.
But, I know many people that I went to school with who were unable to do so and had the same opportunities that I did. Or had more money than me and couldn't get a job after they graduated. Even the people that I had the same high school weren't able to do that. They had more money than me. They were smarter than me. The only thing I can see that I had more than them was grit and determination. My intelligence wasn't even in their league.
I chose CS because I knew that an average person in CS could get a average job and the demand would be there when I graduated. My life is a constant hedge against the future.