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I suspect its social class tension compounded by an increasingly tough economic environment. Yes, that dreaded taboo topic CLASS that we are so scared to discuss. "They" might look upon you as making too much money that you don't deserve (however false it might be). Also, just by your mannersims and language you unwittingly assert your social status (upper, upper-middle, etc.). This again gives rise to feelings of inferiority in many who have not acheived that status because they have different values or familial upbringing. Class is just not about money. Its about some money & education, language, tastes, mannerisms, clothing, food, accents, etc.. The people in the lower rungs are probably stuck in dead end low jobs that have no autonomy, pathetic pay, no respect, depressing work environments, no job security, high stress and no degree of control whatsoever. So they basically feel like waste matter compared to folks in the upper rungs. So then in a desperate attempt to gain respect they are forced to find pride in their profession, however miniscule & illusory it might be. Therefore, "they" will bellow out that it is "they" who do "real work" with their "hands" and not the latte sipping sissies with Polo shirts in ivory towers. When the stress gets to them as it always does, they take it out on the ones they resent (and of course their kith & kin too. Sad but true). Understanding how to manage stress might as well be like learning quantum physics. In some cases such enlightment is a luxury also, for many of them just don't have the time or the inclination to do so. They'd rather resort to machismo by being aggressive, vulgar, loud, direct & challenging, most of which are tell tale signs of most of the "low rungers". For the most part, diplomacy & finesse are non-existent terms in their dictionary. Quite simply & rather foolishly, they are taking out their resentment and anger on you.
Easier said than done, just ignore "them" like foul smelling waste matter.
Chill mate!
I live in Norfolk and its just as bad out here in this social trash infested cesspool. Most well educated natives say the same thing.
We saw that attitude when we lived in Manhattan. Many yupsters looked at us like we were waste matter. Mo matter that many were interns or residents that would soon make 6 figures.
Behaving like snobs can ignite the underlying tensions into outright confrontation.
Not all working people are unhappy. Many are quite proud of the jobs they do and feel their contributions much exceed the paper pushers on Wall Street who play with numbers all day and die quickly from stress related illness.
If there were no good plumbers, many would die of disease. All people should be valued.
An attitude like the one shown in the quoted post only makes the city a very unhappy and dangerous place to live.
Humility is a very good trait. Sam Walton rode around in an old pickup truck and treated his employees as valued team members.
Good. I can't wait until all the rent stabiliized are destabilized and forced out of their apartments by the invasion of hipsters and yuppies. I eat out a few times a week, shop at Barney's and wear $400 jeans, go to yoga classes, drink Starbucks, travel frequently, go to galleries, drive a BMW and I'm not ashamed of it. I'm very proud of my life. I hate the negativity behind the "yuppification" of New York and I hope it continues to force all those bitter, jealous people out of New York. I can't wait until Harlem is restored to the middle class/upper-middle neighborhood it used to and should be and I can't wait until the goverment stops rewarding laziness. This is a free market and if you don't like how insanely expensive, high-end and filthy rich New York is becomming you are free to move down South. Actually I encourage you to do so. And I totally love the animosity I get from the bitter and displaced!!! It's my fault I'm successful! Bad me!! I should be ashamed I am educated, have money and enjoy luxury!! Bad bad me!! Waaaaa, cry me a river!!! I also love my wealthy black friend in his 20s who's never worked a day in his life and parties while daddy foots the $4,000 a month rent and $40,000 NYU tuition is just "cool" and gets a pass but white males with money or without are all yuppies!! And please pardon my lack of paragraphs, I'm typing this from my yuppie BlackBerry. Ciao!
Materialism- you don't have to ashamed of your wealth, but you should be ashamed of your attitude. From your post you seem like a rich, stuck up, shallow, elitist, who doesn't give a damn about anyone but yourself or your rich Friends.
Last edited by Rudbeckia; 05-04-2008 at 08:35 AM..
This is what I meant. The attitude of deprecating the working class citizens could well backfire if riots occur.
Remember, the NYPD, NYFD, National Guard and other support folks are primarily working class too.
I'm white, male, and college educated but can no longer afford NYC because of the end of rent controls. The middle class stabilize a neighborhood, and their absence sets things up for the poor to turn on the rich grabbing what they want by force.
When the next widespread power failure hits, some of the new "gentry" will wish the middle class was still around to protect the neighborhoods.
So if you are rich and have expensive accoutrements, you should either
1. not live in NYC
2. not wear your expensive clothes outdoors
3. not participate in the expensive lifestyle of your choice
ETC.
because poor people might bash windows and steal things and create mayhem next time the power goes out?
I'm not rich, but I have to say, I'm with the rich guy if these are the two sides of the argument.
Remember, the NYPD, NYFD, National Guard and other support folks are primarily working class too.......
....When the next widespread power failure hits, some of the new "gentry" will wish the middle class was still around to protect the neighborhoods.
Isn't that their job anyway? Whats to debate about this. Thought they had sworn to serve and protect. There's a reason why ads for cops, navy & army talk about honor, courage, pride, etc. It's targeted towards a segement of the population thats looking for it as that's what's missing in their lives for a good measure due to their upbringing, value system, social circumstances, economic circumstances, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saturnfan
We saw that attitude when we lived in Manhattan. Many yupsters looked at us like we were waste matter. Mo matter that many were interns or residents that would soon make 6 figures.
Behaving like snobs can ignite the underlying tensions into outright confrontation.
Not all working people are unhappy. Many are quite proud of the jobs they do and feel their contributions much exceed the paper pushers on Wall Street who play with numbers all day and die quickly from stress related illness.
If there were no good plumbers, many would die of disease. All people should be valued.
An attitude like the one shown in the quoted post only makes the city a very unhappy and dangerous place to live.
Humility is a very good trait. Sam Walton rode around in an old pickup truck and treated his employees as valued team members.
Actually the working class has the highest prevelance of stress related diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, depression, etc). Sad but many of them don't have access to affordable healthcare. Misery is compounded by having to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. Call it pride in work, honor, whatever or just plain compulsion, being SOL or being under duress. Most number crunching Wall St. types want to succeed in a complicated global free market economic system. And most work just one job and in better ergonomic settings. They don't have the inclination nor the time to ponder about the struggles of somebody else. Everybody in life has their problems, why should anybody give you attention due to your plight created by circumstances & choices you could have very well avoided in the first place.
And about Walton's humility - yes, fully agree that its a very good trait, but wonder whether Walmart really cares about its employees, esp. the hourly wage earners.
The last thing I want to see is workforce housing. Gosh what are we becoming? The erstwhile Soviet Union or Romania with their mass housing big block apartment complexes subsidized by the Govt.
The working class gets mad at the rich who just come into the city and cause all the prices to skyrocket.
Yet, they move out to places they can afford.
And, no less. They're doing exactly what the rich are doing to the city. Bringing the prices WAY up.
I'm sorry. But, a working class new yorker can live a grand life down south.
You are correct. I have a great flat in Raleigh, NC with central A/C, olympic pool, free 24 hour gym. carpeting, and business center for $705. Reasonable utilities too and responsive maintenance + friendly management.
Would enjoy Manhattan again, but certainly not worth 5X the rent.
My kids had the opportunity to experience NYC because rent stabilization allowed a moderate income family to live in Stuyvesant Town.
I hope my prediction about the stratification of NYC doesn't come true. However, if it does, the riots in the 70's blackout will look like a church picnic.
the main issue that nobody realizes is that where will the civil service people live with gentrification occuring? i think they will wind up kicking out the people who live in projects and replace them with city employees. why actually ain't a bad idea.....the city provides you with a job, why not housing? and they certainly will be better taken care of than they are now.
as much as people may want to call a certain group underachievers, those same "underachievers" are needed.
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
the main issue that nobody realizes is that where will the civil service people live with gentrification occuring? i think they will wind up kicking out the people who live in projects and replace them with city employees. why actually ain't a bad idea.....the city provides you with a job, why not housing? and they certainly will be better taken care of than they are now.
as much as people may want to call a certain group underachievers, those same "underachievers" are needed.
I agree Seventh, this city needs the middle class, as does every other city.
I do feel, however, that the gentrification anger focused on white yuppies is misplaced. What's happening in Manhattan is just supply and demand. If people are going to be pissed off, they need to be griping about free markets and pushing a more socialist system, not blaming white people for all of the problems in NYC.
Materialism- you don't have to ashamed of your wealth, but you should be ashamed of your attitude. From your post you seem like a rich, stuck up, shallow, elitist, who doesn't give a damn about anyone but yourself or your rich Friends.
Elitist, but hardly elite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saturnfan
Remember, the NYPD, NYFD, National Guard and other support folks are primarily working class too.
Not to mention the people who wash and iron your expensive clothes, polish you lovely nails, dust your precious knick-knacks, sell you your knick-knacks, cook your meals both at your home and in restaurants and clubs, take care of your children, teach your children in their exclusive private schools, pick up the towels from your gym's locker rooms, hook up your plasma tv to cable, drive your limos, repair your car, staff your company's support positions (as well as those of your lawyer and accountant). If these people can't afford to live here, within reasonable commuting distance, I foresee some sorry, inept coddled ones who can't take care of their own basic needs.
Quote:
When the next widespread power failure hits, some of the new "gentry" will wish the middle class was still around to protect the neighborhoods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoot
Isn't that their job anyway? Whats to debate about this. Thought they had sworn to serve and protect.
Yes and they want to, but they don't live here anymore. The rich took over and drove them to Detroit, Pittsburgh and Mississippi, remember?
Quote:
. . . why should anybody give you attention due to your plight created by circumstances & choices you could have very well avoided in the first place.
Avoided how? If your family couldn't afford to send you to college, how are you going to earn six figures? You sound like old Ronald Reagan (which I do not intend as a compliment, hard as it is for you to believe it) talking about pulling himself up by his bootstraps. Some people don't have boots. Shocking, but true.
Quote:
The last thing I want to see is workforce housing. Gosh what are we becoming? The erstwhile Soviet Union or Romania with their mass housing big block apartment complexes subsidized by the Govt.
Sorry, I didn't see any mention of workforce housing on this thread (or this forum). I do think developers who build luxury apartment buildings of more than 20 units should be obligated to provide low- and moderate income apartments. This is generally the case when builders erect rental units, it should also be applied to co-ops and condos. Scatter site. No industrial/residential prison-like blocks. Your imagination is running away with you.
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