Describe stuck-up, materialistic and snobbish... (Dallas, Plano: apartment complex, to buy, college)

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by aceplace

That is called "common courtesy", even if applied to strangers ib public places.

I don't think that superficial people know the meaning of common courtesy. If I'm not being real, I won't speak at all. That's just my opinion of one who is getting up in years.

There are many friendly people around, but by golly, there are many who are so snooty, it makes me a bit ill, and I quickly get out of their way as they seem quite strange to say the least.

[Lakewooder]

Well, there is a big difference between household income and net worth. For instance how many people along the 'golden' or 'platinum' corridor going north along Preston to Lake Texoma are mortgage-free?

In my area and inside LBJ generally, there is a large percentage. The truly well-off don't have the insecurities which drive them to feel the need to showboat and outdo others.

And usually, they are pretty nice.

[lh_newbie]

I've heard it put this way:

- It doesn't matter how much you make, it matters how much you have left once the bills are paid.

[artsyguy]

Well if you are not on their wavelength/level then they will cut you down and reject you. That is how it works. In other words think of high school cliques. Goal: Find people at your level/wavelength. LOL...I know it stinks but even I have to do this since I moved to Austin. The culture/attitude are practically the same as in Dallas...
High school behavior just generalizes out into the workforce and into the larger social scene.:rol leyes:

[artsyguy]

Dallas is all about appearances LOL that is true. Dallas people are super friendly in a superficial way. But if you look great or have more cash than they do some people might be envious of what you have and treat you like dirty. So either way....

Originally Posted by CallMeLaura

My boyfriend and I just had this conversation, as we're moving to McKinney next month. I've also had a similar conversation with a girl friend, who moved to Dallas from WI and then moved back.

Dallas is all about appearances. Even if you're not snobby, it's about appearances. People are friendly, but in a superficial way, to strangers and acquaintances that you just don't see outside of the South. I think how you view that depends on the type of interaction you're most comfortable with. I grew up with it, so it seems 'polite' to me and places to the north are unbearably rude. For people who grew up in the north, Dallas is shallow and fake and in places like Chicago they 'just tell the truth'.

I'm not a clothes horse, but I don't leave the house without my hair and makeup being done. I've been told I'm snobby in that respect, but from my perspective, looking put together just means that I care enough to look presentable. It's not about showing anyone up, but looking the best I can. I mean, who wants to look at dirty, ugly things?

But wanting to be surrounded by nice things doesn't mean outdoing anyone, either. I drove a 12 year old Honda Civic until this year. It was well kept and I spent a lot of time detailing it. Every mechanic who worked on it commented about how clean it was.

So, I think 'outsiders' may feel uncomfortable with the social customs. There are plenty of nice and genuine people in Dallas, just as there are in other places.

[artsyguy]

Reality check snobbishness and cliques WILL never be limited to high school they are everywhere in universities, workforce, social clubs, every place you can think of is a clique...evne church.

I actually come from a well off family, have great clothes, fashionable hair, bleach my teeth white, color contacts, etc...and people are still rude and snobby to me. I've been treated snobbishly by people who live in a house HALF the size of my house and who dress worse than me.....and are more overweight than me...it just makes ZERO sense except they have some sort of issues. I have a great degree in psychology and everywhere I go I see problems...fake people, liars, arrogant losers, etc....it all stems from having a bad childhood...so I just laugh at off and say to myself that snobbish fool probably had a miserable childhood therefore feels he has to be an unfriendly ingrate and that is his huge loss...and now I also thank God for the warning signs when people are standoffish and snobbish it lets me know their character isn't worth pursueing or worth the time of day. Find something else to do besides tyring to make friends with fake snobs in Dallas. Enjoy the shopping, dance clubs, sports bars, arenas, concerts, swimming , museums, zoos, etc...dallas/fortworth has a lot to offer even if you must make limited contact with snobs.

Originally Posted by jenlion

Panks asked about being treated poorly if you have cat hair on your clothes. While it does depend on the city/area, the answer can definitely be YES.

Someone mentioned that snobbishness/cliquishness is limited to high school. Problem is, many of those kids that grow up thinking Plano is normal stay here and don't ever learn better. I was stuck in traffic coming up 75 a couple of weeks ago. In the four lanes, the cars in front of me were a Lexus, a Mercedes, a BMW, and an Infiniti. Anything wrong with having a nice car? No, not intrinsically. But it's expected in most areas, I feel.

For example, my husband and I chose to spend less than $150k for a 13-year-old house in Sachse. Perfectly nice house. Nobody gets it, though. All of our coworkers want to know why we aren't in Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, etc -- where we could get a NEW house. They know we could afford it (since working together, assume similar salaries). We've had several say that they think Sachse is a "Mexican ghetto". WTF? That's insane. So yeah, I think that qualifies them as snobby and materialistic and all that. Why are our cars all of seven years old? Because they run fine. It even extends to the politics of childbirth, I found out this past year.

Hope it's not too much of a rant. I have finally met some nice people here out in my slum with no HOA (where it does seem that we have more income than everyone nearby... because everyone nearby was also buying at the top of their price range.. but that's another story). But after living here for 7 years, I'm tired of the shallowness that seems to be everywhere. I haven't done very well at finding like-minded people, unfortunately. It just starts to seem like everyone is the same... and that they WILL treat you crappy if you have cat hair on your clothes. Or, worse, you wear the colors from *last* season. It's not everywhere, but it's common enough. And it IS like high school sometimes. Want to tell people to grow up! There's elements of this everywhere, I know. But it seems quite exaggerated here.

[dfwyot]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

I've heard it put this way:

- It doesn't matter how much you make, it matters how much you have left once the bills are paid.

Who cares what someone has left, if they want alot of debt but can pay it, what does it matter to you? Most city folk (and I don't consider lake highlands or Lakewood) the city are very snobbish, they rip on suburbs and talk about things they like wheather you like that or not. Get over yourselves.
You can always find snobbiness in the city with there high school ART, Plays, Opera ect... To some people there art is an acre of land, a walmart, a golf course. Different things make different people happy. Quit being so envious of people who have more than you.

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by dfwyot

Who cares what someone has left, if they want alot of debt but can pay it, what does it matter to you? Most city folk (and I don't consider lake highlands or Lakewood) the city are very snobbish, they rip on suburbs and talk about things they like wheather you like that or not. Get over yourselves.
You can always find snobbiness in the city with there high school ART, Plays, Opera ect... To some people there art is an acre of land, a walmart, a golf course. Different things make different people happy. Quit being so envious of people who have more than you.

Wow... dude, my point was merely that if a person goes into massive debt, they will never be able to retire. Don't get caught up in keeping up with the Jones's.

You're awefully sensitive for a person that just joined and have (4) posts. I've never been chewed out for suggesting people save money. Wow!

[CallMeLaura]

Originally Posted by aceplace

That is called "common courtesy", even if applied to strangers ib public places.

Actually, it's not. People will slam the door in your face up here. Staring apparently isn't considered rude, either. And I don't think 'personal space' is allowed to cross the border. The customs are different, so people put different meanings on actions, based on what they grew up with. "Common courtesy" is very regional.

It's been a very interesting read, though. I hadn't ever considered facial expressions for the reason I get stared at all the time (it was so bad that people with me noticed it) but I do smile every time someone makes eye contact. It also explains why it feels so unfriendly up here - strangers don't smile at each other.

[bchris02]

I might be relocating to Dallas/Ft. Worth soon. I have heard a lot of people talk about how Dallas is all about appearances and materialism, but some say they are overblowing it.

This may be a problem for me because I drive an old, beat-up car that I'm embarassed to drive. Its been in several accidents and is perhaps one of the worst cars you'll see on the road. I plan on getting a new one as soon as I get settled with a job, but I can't afford it right now (I'm in college). Will I be heavily looked down on for driving this car at first?