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What's being attacked is the pretentiousness of the stereotype...to which, I should say, you're doing your part as a contributor with your screen name. Real, genuine, native-born Brooklynites would never refer to that particular neighborhood as "Billyburg." That's the mark of the yuppie, the hipster, or the wannabe.
BIllyBurgBK....Thanks for posting. You brought up some good points. From now on I need to use the terms status seekers and social climbers....versus YUPPIES. And you're right...people of every economic status and region can get caught up in name brands and showing off. I'll write more about money and experiences a little later. Thanks again for writing.
What's being attacked is the pretentiousness of the stereotype...to which, I should say, you're doing your part as a contributor with your screen name. Real, genuine, native-born Brooklynites would never refer to that particular neighborhood as "Billyburg." That's the mark of the yuppie, the hipster, or the wannabe.
Nowhere in my post (or ever) did I claim to be a native-born 'Brooklynite'. I also explicitly stated that I am a young urban professional, so your sleuthing skills need a bit of work.
Feel free to ascribe whatever base generalizations you want to me vis-a-vis my user name. I do not mind.
You touch on another interesting issue in certain cities. To you, I will never be a "real, genuine Brooklynite" because of my user name and the fact that I was not born there. I find the bitterness to transplants laughable and a clear sign of the insularity/provincialism that is rampant among denizens of certain cities.
I actually feel sorry for you if you have lived in the same area for all of your life. To me, that is a sign of stagnation. At 26, I have lived/traveled all over the world. I do not plan on stopping. When I am in my elder years, I want to be able to look back at my life and know I experienced the gamut of human experiences.
I would be extremely disappointed with myself if I willfully resigned from ever changing my surroundings. Then again, I am not a "real, genuine, native-born Brooklynite" like yourself.
BIllyBurgBK....Thanks for posting. You brought up some good points. From now on I need to use the terms status seekers and social climbers....versus YUPPIES. And you're right...people of every economic status and region can get caught up in name brands and showing off. I'll write more about money and experiences a little later. Thanks again for writing.
CArizona, thanks for the tempered response. I apologize for the brashness of my post. I just thought that the target of your argument was much wider than "yuppies".
What you touch on is endemic in our culture. This country runs on consumerism, and the values of our society are heavily influenced by it. It is one of the many reasons that I do not foresee myself living in America long-term.
Things can get touchy at times...Our choice of words and tags and labels can rub people the wrong way. I learned this lesson the hard way by using the term "yuppie" In this thread....It's also hard when newcomers step into our domain and re-name our cities and sections of town etc. For instance big waves of Californians relocated to Arizona during the housing bubble and some referred to themselves as "zonnies." This was their new coin phrase for being a resident of Arizona....As you might imagine the term "zonnies" rubbed some oldtimers in Arizona the wrong way. Things can definitely get touchy at times. There is no telling who we might upset when we use labels or new terms.
BillyBurgBK....Thanks for writing. I love to travel and sample other cultures....and experience brand new sights and sounds..... When I am at home I try to learn brand new things everyday too....just by taking off my blinders and pushing past my preconceived assumptions and judgements the best I can......I spent the first part of my life trying to run away. And now I am exploring what it feels like to have some roots for a change. Nothing is ever perfect ...... Beautiful gardens come complete with weeds and plants that start to wither. But so what? I don't want to throw the baby away with the dirty bath water and end up judging everything bad.....when this really isn't true.
Well, I'm not an expert about yuppies but I did spend a large part of my life in Southern California....And, I learned a lot about social-climbers and status-seekers by observing my neighbors and other people who lived in CA.
By the time the early 90's rolled around, I started to feel like an "alien from outer space" in CA. My "ways" became obsolete. I felt like an "old grey mare" with no place to roam or graze anymore. So, I decided to pack up and move to Arizona.
Thank goodness, I had a few quiet and peaceful years here in AZ before the "invasion." But in the end, AZ became a haven and magnet for "CA yuppies"...and other look-alike, "wanna-be" (hopeful) "yuppies in training" from other places too!
All of the yuppies that I've known have been caught up in fads, trends, status and material possessions.
Name-dropping is their favorite pastime..Here's a sample of what they might say:
"Guess where I ate last weekend? At Bobby Flay's restaurant in Vegas. It was marvelous! Fantastic! You should go there yourself! Do you want me to make reservations for you? I'm tight with the maitre' d!"
Everything that yuppies "do" is always a "cut-above" or "wonderful beyond description"...compared to what others "do!" They love to "top" everyone! Have you ever noticed this? (I sure have!)
New, new, new!...Yuppies take pride in being able to keep up with all of the latest trends and fashions. "New" is always "best" to people like this...unless they happen to own valuable antiques, or some other "older item" that is worth "big bucks!"
Through the years, I've "lost" a lot of family members and friends to the "cult" of "yuppiehood!" (Sad!!)
It's as if they go through some type of a "brain-warp" machine that "scrambles-up" their values and priorities in life! They literally become someone else....Someone that I can barely recognize!
And even worse, they end up "rejecting me" because I haven't gone through the changes myself. I represent "their old life" and "who they used to be" and this seems to scares them.
Some of our kids "converted" to "yuppiedom" after they got married. And, they "pledge allegiance" to a completely different set of values today.
Old Mom and Pop seem old-fashioned and obsolete to our "modern-thinking kids!" We're "near hicks" in their eyes because we don't embrace every new "gadget" that comes out on the market...And, we don't spend our days "trying to move-up" to new and supposedly "better things" all the time. (Like they do.)
One of our sons did come back to the "fold." He recognized the "error of his ways" and worked hard to get his "head back on straight." But unfortunately, he ended up dying a short time later. (When he was only 37! Really sad!!)
How do you feel about the yuppies in your life? How do you resist going through the "brain-warp" machine yourself? Do you have anything else to add about yuppies from your own personal experiences and observations?
If you're a yuppie yourself, how do you feel about what I wrote? Do you think that I am being "too hard" on yuppies?
There's nothing wrong with wanting to try and "sample" new things! We all deserve "spice" and variety in our lives. "Same old, same old" gets pretty darn boring after awhile!!
But, I think we "get into trouble" when we base our entire identity and worth on "what we own." Don't you?
Most of the yuppies that I've known try to hide their insecurities through their "stuff" and so-called "status" in life. But, what happens if they "lose everything" as my son did? Do they have what it takes to start all over again "from scratch" and "reinvent themselves?" Or, will they declare themselves to be a "loser" and "failure" and simply "give up?"
"What I have, own or do" at any given point in my life is "incidental" to "who I basically am."
A strong wind, flood, or drop in the stock market can "wipe-away" everything that I presently "have" and I will still be left "standing strong." Because I know that it's just not wise or smart to wrap my whole identity around "what I own" or my "job title" or anything else that can easily "fall by the wayside."
"Who I am" comes from "my inside." (Not from my "outside.") And this type of attitude allows me to "grow old gracefully" because I don't feel compelled to color my hair, or "diet" my life away, or pretend that I am somehow "younger" than my years," etc.
Thanks for listening!! Please share your thoughts, feeling and views too!! (If you feel like it, that is!) Thanks again...CK
Wow. How self-congratulatory.
You realize that your definition of a Yuppie is really anybody who has something that you don't necessarily want, or is interested in things that you couldn't give a hoot about. And that anybody who doesn't follow your exacting standards of how to live is shallow, while you are deep. Must be nice to walk through life assured of one's own rectitude.
Look, if you don't like iPods, mobile phones, or Saab convertibles, just say so. But don't depict yourself as some kind of lonely crusader against mindless consumerism.
Corporations love it when everyone feels obligated to rush right out and buy their latest gadget in order to look cool and trendy....Maybe this is why new versions come out at such a fast pace....We don't have long to enjoy what we buy....Everything becomes obsolete overnight...And we look like dinosaurs or cave people if we hold own to older versions for long.
Its really entertaining how this thread, when created, was full of agreements with the OP, only to be resurrected much later by those defending yuppie culture. Just an observation.
Yuppies can defend themselves all they want. I don't respect anyone who bases the importance of their life on "names" and "things." Old or young, rich or poor, hipster or hippy, I don't care. If you think you're important because of gadgets and name brands, you are a tool and I DO think that I'm better than you because I'm able to think on a level that you cannot. Suck it up, buttercup.
I, like many others that were talking about yuppies, don't give a toot about people wanting to live life. We were complaining about how the standard yuppie thinks that their belongings define them and, to keep that definition, they buy buy buy and make everyone else miserable with their waste, price jacking, and blatant consumerism. And no, its not that we're jealous. Its that groups like hipsters and yuppies (or anyone who thinks that things=importance) actually try to get people to believe that consumerism puts them on an important hierarchy. But if you focus on things and names your whole life, you end up being a very hollow person. Doing something for you and doing something because "its in" are two very different things.
related, and quite humorous, is this page. By "white people" they tend to cover the stereotypical white person, which is your standard yuppie, hipster, or wannabe of the previous two. I gave the full list so you can pick the topic of your choosing.
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