Snob Factor?? (San Antonio, Austin, Plano: insurance, credit, to buy)

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by RayStokes

Nothing wrong with suburbs, but if Dallas appears more hostile towards its suburbs it's because they're some of the largest and most competitive suburbs in the country. Dallas is constantly having to fight to keep jobs and culture in the city rather than moving out to Plano, Frisco, Arlington, etc.

Suburbs getting jobs vs some other city is a plus for Dallas, they do not act like they under stand this simple truth.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Lol. "Apartment dweller"? You're right that is kind of like someone accused of racism saying, "nuh uh, I have a black friend".

What's with the stigma of people living in apartments? I grew up with this stigma too. Most people bury themselves in debt right away to get a home instead of just waiting a few years in an apt and saving.

In many ways, apartment life is better than being a homeowner, especially home ownership in a detached, single family house. Apartment dwellers do not have their free taken up fixing toilets, mowing lawns, cutting shrubs, etc. After working a full week's schedule, isn't there really a better way to spend one's free time?

[DFWDove]

Some people like all these chores and take pride in their homes. I'm not that type but I consider it a distribution of wealth.

I'd rather do what I like and good at then home maintenance chores. I like to support cleaning lady, pool guy, lawn guy, handy man, etc for their productive work more then handing ut an annual check to some charity that spends 99 cents on administrative expenses and 1 cent on needy people. It's a win win for me and them.

[CREW747]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

I didn't see any of this growing up there, nor have I experienced it while my son has been in tball there the past few months. Actually some of the oldest (money) and most wealthy people I've known in the area are some of the nicest people I've ever been involved with. I find most of the snobbery in the area comes from recent transplants.

One of the most popular kids in school was a 1st generation immigrant that lived in a 2 bedroom apartment by SMU (it was torn down to make room for the Bush library).

Agreed....Some of the wealthiest people I know have nothing to prove.Keeping up with Jones' Cadillac leasing,credit card maxing types can be found all over any cosmopolitan metro area....of course there are an abundance of these people in more suburbs/neighborhoods than others....Frisco lol.

[Soonhun]

Can someone explain the snob thing to me more in depth? Only thing mentioned much currently seem to be about having nice cars, dressing well, and children going to nice schools. I always thought that was normal, though maybe that is just normal for most Korean American communities. I lived in New England and the West Coast (Seattle, LA, and San Francisco), though currently in Texas like most my life, and the three qualities seemed like ones equally present in all of them.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by Parhe

Can someone explain the snob thing to me more in depth? Only thing mentioned much currently seem to be about having nice cars, dressing well, and children going to nice schools. I always thought that was normal, though maybe that is just normal for most Korean American communities. I lived in New England and the West Coast (Seattle, LA, and San Francisco), though currently in Texas like most my life, and the three qualities seemed like ones equally present in all of them.

Think more "keeping up appearances". I think an old-school Texas phrase would be "all hat, no cattle".

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

Think more "keeping up appearances". I think an old-school Texas phrase would be "all hat, no cattle".

Suburbs across the country are virtually the same but there's a quality to Texas burbs (really in most of the developing South) that it markedly way more concerned with appearances. There's a vapid ness in LAs burbs too but they're contrasted by a desire to be "creative" as in making your bread through creative or green ventures or real estate. They at least attempt to be worldly too. The same goes for burbs in other blue states. There's a veneer of worldly "liberalism" there I guess.

In Texas its purely about the stuff. Since the main industries are is oil/gas/energy, health, accounting, etc the job is purely a means to an end. The ends are the house, the truck, the ten acres of land, the turquoise jewelry, the fishing boat, the vacations to Hawaii or Colorado, etc. The life is SO practical in Texas that people often wonder why others would pursue grander things. People will ask you why go out of state for college when you can just go to A&M, get a degree, and work in the local economy. People will think your barren if you don't have kids by age 25. They'll think your poor if you don't have a house by the time your 30. They think living in the city is ghetto, just like the lady in the video posted earlier balked at a nice gentrified area as "the hood".

Like I said before, most suburbs across the country are the same but in Texas it's just cranked up to 11. My best guess is just due to the really practical lifestyle by the professionals in the burbs who just don't get why anyone else would choose a different lifestyle. When it just becomes about the stuff then it turns into a game for who lives that lifestyle even better.

[DFWDove]

It is a race. I see people commuting for 1-3 hrs per day and picking lower performing school districts, just so they can have latest McMansions.

I see people buying latest models of luxury cars on lease when they can buy decent ones on cash.

I see every other woman flaunting LV /Parada bags and Jimmy Choo while kids are being sent to community college to save money.

There are so many things that make no sense for us who don't get the thrill of running the rat race.

[happycrow]

Originally Posted by RayStokes

Nothing wrong with suburbs, but if Dallas appears more hostile towards its suburbs it's because they're some of the largest and most competitive suburbs in the country. Dallas is constantly having to fight to keep jobs and culture in the city rather than moving out to Plano, Frisco, Arlington, etc.

I make myself the least popular guy on the forum every time I say it, but the attitude is pretty mutual. "Dallas" is regularly spoken of out in the suburbs with every bit as much contempt as the burbs are spoken of downtown, especially when it tries to take credit for the gobs of economic growth it has jack to do with.

DFWDove, I've bumped into a lot of those, and quite a few of them are actually very nice people. They're just ignorant as as a pile of sticks, bless their hearts, and dependent on marketers and other people to tell them what's valuable and worthwhile. "Marketing Victim" and "snob" aren't entirely synonymous.

[radiolibre99]

I've heard Midland is worse. This is all due to the economic boom and relatively low cost of living. It's the same thing happening in China. People are moved into a new class and can't wait to show it off with their new toys and trinkets. It happened in California during the 80s and 90s. Let's just hope the economy doesn't bust.