Cultural Question: Why is Perceived Status (appearing wealthy) So Important in South Florida? (Miami: leases, credit)

[pmichaeljones]

Originally Posted by Edu983

The OP has never been in California.

Right you are, kind of. I've been from northern california down to san fran but no further south. A friend of mine lived in southern wine country, I think Sonoma (?), and he said it was just like how I described Miiami, cars, cash and flash.

I've heard LA is more vain than Miami actually, but I've never been there to see for myself, and I honestly have no motivation to ever live there.

I'd say it boils down to old money vs new money vs people trying to look like they have money (who tend to imitate new money people and their style)

[polo89]

Originally Posted by TAM88

Not saying Miami is different from a lot of other cities, but isn't the gap between the rich and poor very wide in South Florida?

That's what I always hear. But I think it's exaggerated. This motif get's beaten to no end. Rick Ross-Hustlin: "Welcome to my Miami, the REAL Miami" Ok we get it, Miami has a dark-side with poverty and crime. Ok we get it, not everyone's rich. Ok we get it, not all of Miami looks like Miami Beach. Ok we get it, Miami isn't paradise. I don't even think crime and poverty are Miami's "dark secret" anymore. It's always being called a 3rd world city.

[pmichaeljones]

Originally Posted by polo89

I don't even think crime and poverty are Miami's "dark secret" anymore.

I will admit that I was still a little shocked when I moved to Miami and saw just how bad a lot of the neighborhoods of Miami proper were. I knew there were going to be bad neighborhoods, because every big city has them, but I was expecting rough spots. In my opinion (and it isn't much, since I've only lived here for 1.5 years), you're hard pressed to find too many good spots west of Miami Ave, in Miami Proper at least.

[unkindravens]

Originally Posted by pmichaeljones

I will admit that I was still a little shocked when I moved to Miami and saw just how bad a lot of the neighborhoods of Miami proper were. I knew there were going to be bad neighborhoods, because every big city has them, but I was expecting rough spots. In my opinion (and it isn't much, since I've only lived here for 1.5 years), you're hard pressed to find too many good spots west of Miami Ave, in Miami Proper at least.

Seriously? O.o

Am i the only person who somehow missed out on the lap of luxury here and grew up in a modest upbringing??? It seems to me that all the people on CD are too rich for most of Miami because i hear up and down all these negative comments about the city and then i think to myself, what are they talking about!?!?! Whats so bad about the areas in west little havana, or those homes around coral way huh? I drive by sometimes and....well they seem to have nice homes, nothing spectacular but at least a well tended home, with an oak tree in front or a flamboyant, a nice little yard and one or two cars parked in front. Instead, people depict these very same areas as "violent", "dangerous", "ugly" (not saying you pmj but you say "how bad they are") and im shocked!!!

These aren't bad neighborhoods. You want the hood? Ok, go to any areas that are north of downtown: opa locka, miami gardens, lib city, carol city, little haiti. THATS HOOD. Those are areas i wouldn't feel safe walking through, even to go to a wendys or something whether i was black, latino, white even asian. Because again those are very rough areas. Hialeah....no. I went to the pupusa factory off of...i think 122 by the palmetto and guess what? Hialeah is the same as other heavily latino parts of dade. I wasn't attacked, car wasn't vandalized immediately, i walked over to the petsmart right next door and OMG SHOCKER everyone was nice. And wait for it best part ------>

PEOPLE SPOKE ENGLISH.

Dude, sorry but - perhaps your conception of rough doesn't match that of other people, certainly not mine. Modest homes, with well kept landscape and one or two cars are not "bad or rough areas" and the vast majority of the country - Miami Lakes through hialeah, Tamiami to kendall, Sweetwater, westchester, west miami, everything - all the way down to pinecrest and even homestead are decent homes, filled with decent people.

They just happen to speak spanish, and aren't from this country.

^^^ thats the real crux of the problem for miami. It can never really be "nice" so long as those people are in those homes. For it seems to me that when those homes were filled with white people back in the day, those areas were "nice". Now even though they're filled with the same hard working, fun living people, it just so happens that they've switched ethnicities, and so there is a de facto downgrade of those neighborhoods automatically.

[Cocoricoco]

unkind

I am old como timbales and I don't remember Americans in Coral Way. There were Greeks, Lebanese and a bunch of retired Jews. I lived just in front of a German restaurant, Zum der alte Fritz, Coral Way had a 50's look that was nice. I remember Steak & Eggs, a place extracted from American Graffity.

Now Coral Ways is far more expensive and congested than before, no crime. I love the area.

[valicky]

Yes, I agree with unkindravens. Cocoricoco, I grew up between Coral Way and Bird Rd. around 82nd Ave and there were definitely Americans in the 70's. Off the top of my head I remember 4 families on my block alone, 2 of which were Mormon so they count as 4 families since they each had more than half a dozen kids. Maybe you meant way east Coral Way?

[pmichaeljones]

Originally Posted by pmichaeljones

I will admit that I was still a little shocked when I moved to Miami and saw just how bad a lot of the neighborhoods of Miami proper were.

I would like to reiterate that I really went was west of Miami Ave, but north of Flagler. Neighborhoods like Allapattah, Brownsville, Liberty City, the real Wynwood (not the flashy neo-cool strip of NW 2nd), la Veinte Veinte, etc. Most of the buildings and neighborhood along NW 17th from Flagler on north are pretty sketchy.

The Gables, Westchester, Sweetwater, and those areas were not what I had in mind when I posted my statement.

[MoItaly]

This is a BS post. How can someone generalize like this is beyond my comprehension. I live in WPB and go to Miami all the time; I have friends from WPB to Miami and guess what: I know one guy with a (second hand) Mercedes, noone with rolexes...please!
if you say you see more flashy stuff in Miami than some other cities, it's one thing, that doesn't mean everybody in SoFla is trying to be flashy or doesn't eat in order to pay for his car (Toyota Camry 2001 here, still running perfect after 125,000 miles).

There are a lot of people with money in SoFla and most of them come from other areas. If you go in the nice community in Boca, FT lauderdale and Miami you'll hear a lot of NY, Boston accents.

Some foreigners tend by nature to be a little flashy: cubans sometimes, jamaicans more often tend to "show what they have" and southern americans in general might like a jewelry or nice watch. But that doesn't mean they are trying to be flashy, they actually like it and save money for it. In Italy it's a little bit the same, men one in a life might buy the $ 700.00 watch they always wanted, but that's money they saved and have, it's not "I am going to ask for a loan just to look good".

If you would walk the streets of downtown Milano, Italy in any given day, you would think Italians are flashy, all dressing up trying to show off...but they are not. They like dressing, they like fashion, they buy what they can afford.
People from different places spend money in different way. Think about it: any regular American could buy a $ 800.00 watch or a $ 1,000 golden necklace if you like it. You work, save some money, and when you can you buy. Americans typically might prefer to spend tons of money in take-out food and eating out. Add that and you can see how quickly it makes up for a nice watch or a nice suit.

[roadtrip75]

The Nile:

[FireDog40]

Originally Posted by allenk893

You apparently haven't either. Because Los Angeles nor San Francisco is like Miami at all. You wouldn't be able to tell who is a millionaire or who is a bum in California. Because they don't flash it there. I mean okay, Beverly Hills and Orange County if anything. But most of them dress down and totally casual. That's part of the laid-back attitude and atmosphere of So.Cal. They don't have to stunt anything like broke people in Miami do.

The thing about California is that there are very distinct sections (i.e. Beverly Hills) where people are flashy and show off, but once you leave those areas, you do lose most of that showing off.

In Miami, there are no distinct show off areas (aside from SoBe). Everywhere you go in Miami, everywhere, there are people trying to impress you with their "worth." I spent 2 years at FIU and it was always amusing to see people dressed up like they were going to the fanciest clubs walking around, only for them to wind up driving home (to their parents house of course) in a 1992 Toyota Tercell.

Most of the younger generation I associated with (if not all) before I left focused more on trying to be noticed than trying to improve themselves and their situation. I cannot count any one person I know in Miami under the age of 30 who lives outside of their parents home. Few have valid reasons, but most just can't afford to because they would rather spend their money on clothes, cars and clubs.

Being an ex-Miami resident for 25 years, I agree with the OP.