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Possibly, I should begin further explanation, by clarifying just how OLD truly old "Upper Crust" American families tend to be. The magic lies not in their traditions, nor in their enculturation, nor even in their wealth. It's truly in their very GENES. Intelligence is hardly the only heritable mental trait. Some traits move people forward. Some traits hold people back. And then there are the physical traits, which frequently put a person in a position to deploy his/her winning mental traits. Old families benefit from THOUSANDS of years of de facto selective breeding. They've got just the right blend and intensity of 'traits'.
The ascendancy of these people goes back past Colonial times, past the Sephardic Diaspora, past even the Norman Conquest/Almanach de Gotha/Domesday Book. Plenty of these people can (or could) trace their ancestry to the kings of Ancient Judea and the Senators of Pre-Imperial Rome. Italy's noble Emo family (Villa Emo Capodilista - The History: a story that has lasted for over a 1000 years - Ville in Italia Blog - English) were hardly the only ancient clan to have escaped the devolving Middle East and the wreckage of Ancient Egypt, to reestablish themselves in Europe.
In that way, threads of what was good about the Ancient World's genome melded (again and again, over the course of millennia) with what was good about the miraculous people coming down out of Scandinavia. The result was the miracle that is European Civilization. And the creme of Europe is related to the creme of America. Many of America's finest families have genetic lines going back to the very dawn of civilization. Their genetic traits allow them to rebound from oblivion. Whether their wealth flows in streams unbroken for centuries, or their wealth is lost and regained, they are who they are. And those of us who are NOT among their number will never "earn" our place among them. Either you are, or you aren't.
Personally, I rather enjoy my standing within the demimonde, and have no problem acknowledging the superiority of the 'Real People'. I've even done my part in helping some of them retain their ascendancy. It's the Fake Old Families who make me itch all over - and not in a good way.
But I should make it clearer that I consider there to be two extremes among 'New People'/'New Money'. There's the clueless White Trash (and other flavors of trash), whom ersatz theologian Betty Bowers refers to as "The Inexplicably Rich" (the buyers of the McStupid McMansions). And then, there are the smart cookies, the Fake Old Familes who DO have a clue. Sometimes, they have ALL the clues. "Colonial" mansions may make me want to crack open my skull, so that I can scratch my itching brain - truly, they are visual Poison Ivy, to many of us. But such homes do reflect smart strategy, for a certain stratum of society. Those houses DO, in a dinky, repressed way, confer enough legitimacy upon their owners, to facilitate movement within the world of power-brokering conformist Go-Getters.
One example (not a great example, since it is hardly typical) of a definite outsider, but a smart cookie, who married another outsider (a really, REALLY, REALLY smart cookie) - who went on to build a big, giant, Phoney Coloney manor house - is the poignant tale of Pat Kluge: Forbes Welcome
Here's T&C's take on the situation (remember, they also, in the past, have fawned over Imelda Marcos, Nabila Kashoggi, and the Pahlavi Dynasty) Patricia Kluge Interview - Patricia Kluge Quotes and PhotosI particularly like this quote: "There is a lot of colonial blue blood in Virginia, and they are constitutionally unimpressed with anyone from outside the commonwealth."
Here's the House: http://www.washingtonian.com/article..._land-2000.jpg But I've gotta admit: even though they picked a repressed style, and the thing is a gargantuan MESS, at least they pushed the 'Georgian' envelope as far as they could, in the direction of decadence.
I like that John Kluge, who made the money, was a Presbyterian, until he met 'HER', and that the estate has been snapped-up, at pennies-on-the-Dollar, by another Presbyterian (Donald).
Thank you. This is very interesting.
One question, are the "nobles" considered of this class? The reason I ask is that there was a lot of "inbreeding" in the nobility and sometimes low IQ etc... that resulted from it. Somebody could be descended from that inferior inbred mix of DNA but still claim royal lineage.
New money knows how to have a lot more fun than old money. A lot of old money is about self preservation, titles, stuff like that. They become constrained by the status quo and have trouble thinking outside of the box. So you see the generational wealth decline generation after generation.
Also, a lot of those McMansions aren't architectural masterpieces but they sure are more comfortable than those stuffy Victorians with uncomfortable chairs, coffee tables that are too low, breakable things everywhere, couches that don't recline, bathrooms with no shower, and a museum like appearance. At least the McMansions have giant screen TVs with home movie theaters, elaborate pools with water features, and master bath showers you can fit a harem in.
Yep, if I wanted to party, I'll be at the new money music star not the old stuffy men with outdated suits and women with vintage 1940's dresses sipping mint julep on their porches and talking about Confederate re-enactments...
It's why Houston has been beating New Orleans for so many years, even though New Orleans has a far superior culture.
Also, a lot of those McMansions aren't architectural masterpieces but they sure are more comfortable than those stuffy Victorians with uncomfortable chairs, coffee tables that are too low, breakable things everywhere, couches that don't recline, bathrooms with no shower, and a museum like appearance. At least the McMansions have giant screen TVs with home movie theaters, elaborate pools with water features, and master bath showers you can fit a harem in.
Most old homes are retrofitted with more comfortable furniture and showers. Sitting in an 100+ home but it's just an old rental.
We don't have that many McMansions up here.
The rest of your old money vs new money sound more like stereotypes, and I suspect there's a large overlap between the two.
The rest of your old money vs new money sound more like stereotypes, and I suspect there's a large overlap between the two.
I think so, I saw a home that had all the original antiques and such but the bathroom and kitchen had been totally remodeled. It actually looked out of place to tell you the truth.
I've also stayed at places where the only bathing option was "clawed" tubs and while good to look at, they don't retain heat as I'd like them to.
A lot of times you must sacrifice style for comfort or vice versa.
Who do you mean by Yankees? Northerners in general? New Englanders with colonial roots / mainly English heritage [so similar to Boston Brahmins but New England in general and not necessarily wealthy]?
as someone else from New England, this has amused me to no end. To us it's a baseball team known also as the Evil Empire. Hah.
In the South, like Gloria says, there is a class that is new money that pretends to be old money. You don't have that in the North. You can't fake it up there. They know who belongs and who doesn't.
At least in the NYC area*, much of the rich only has ancestry in the US maybe two generations. There's also no reason to fake it as "old money", why would they even want to?
*What was with the nasty NYC sterotypes from GrandviewGloria? Southerners here often complain about negative stereotypes on the forum from northerners
The above house is Sean Payton (coach of the NO Saints) ex-wife's home. He is not "upper middle class" but wealthy.
It's obviously a "custom build" and worth millions of dollars, not what an "upper middle class" person can afford.
McMansion usually refers to "stock homes" that are around 3000-5000 sq ft. but in this case we are talking about custom built homes that can be up to 20,000 sq ft but aren't "historical". They are usually eyesores in the sense that they don't have classical design elements, but they sure are comfortable to live in, with all the amenities.
The above house is Sean Payton (coach of the NO Saints) ex-wife's home. He is not "upper middle class" but wealthy.
It's obviously a "custom build" and worth millions of dollars, not what an "upper middle class" person can afford.
McMansion usually refers to "stock homes" that are around 3000-5000 sq ft. but in this case we are talking about custom built homes that can be up to 20,000 sq ft but aren't "historical". They are usually eyesores in the sense that they don't have classical design elements, but they sure are comfortable to live in, with all the amenities.
Make sense now?
A 20,000 sq ft home is called a mansion, whether historical or not.
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