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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
You didn't have to move all the way to AZ. I got away from that stuff by moving inland from South OC to Fontana. Nothing like a nice gritty working class area to flush your buffers and put you back in touch with regular people.
I think you like using quotation marks a bit too much.
That aside, I see your points about yuppies, and I'm waiting for those who reply with "there is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself!!!" I personally just ignore yuppies, or if they try to act like their things make them superior to me, I just shoot back with my own version of a superiority complex. Jokingly calling their pompadoo a mutt or pointing out that their vintage vespa has worse mpg than a small car gets their goat every time.
I really just wish that yuppies would learn that the things they want the most really are just things that TV and magazines are pushing the most. If they could admit that they don't give a toot about quality and just want to throw around the biggest fad names in a weak attempt to impress, I'd respect them more because a self-aware tool is better than nothing. However, many yuppies were teens in the 80's, where money, brand names, and fancy toys was the only proof of success. I don't think a lot of them are going to fess up because they seriously believe that their things matter more than anything else, including family and inner-happiness.
Ahhhh, the yuppie. Here in our home they are *affectionately* referred to as "Crunchies".
Here are a few of our observations:
~ everything they eat must have some type of crunch to it.
~they accomplish little in a day's work.
~they *think* they can point and click their way to Nirvana.
~they for the largest populi, drive SUV's....we call them CUV's.
~as you mentioned previously, they have the biff and buffy complex.
~they are either on the cell phone or texting at all times.
These are just a FEW of our observations. No, you are not alone in this.
You are spot on with your points. I will say to you, that the "crunchie" of today
will walk up another's back if they think they could get 2 steps ahead and IMO don't
demonstrate much integrity and character.
The "crunchie" mantra appears to be:
*I can do all things through me, who strengthens me.*
Sad, so sad....
Like you said, all the STUFF can be gone in a flash and when it does, there is nothing left.
But again, their train of thought appears to be, hurray for today, to hell with tomorrow and to hell with everyone else.
With that said...
I am sorry to hear of your loss.
The yuppie attitude: one of several aspects of this nation that I thoroughly despise. I will say that the McMansion generation is not entirely to blame. The previous generation planted the seeds for that value system and the yuppies/McMansioners cultivated it into weeds the size of cottonwood trees.
The definition of a yuppie is young urban professional. I don't think driving around in an SUV in the suburbs and residing in a McMansion qualifies you as a yuppie.
The definition of a yuppie is young urban professional. I don't think driving around in an SUV in the suburbs and residing in a McMansion qualifies you as a yuppie.
The definition of a yuppie is young urban professional. I don't think driving around in an SUV in the suburbs and residing in a McMansion qualifies you as a yuppie.
Despite the acronym, most YUPPIES live in the suburbs. And that's one of the main reasons I cannot bring myself to even considering living in the suburbs.
Fontucky: I like you name!! What is Fontana like today? Haven't been there in quite awhile. How far away do you live from "yuppie settlements?" Thanks for writing, CK
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