Rich superiority complex

75% Normal
4 Comments

I grew up right in the center of a county where I was on the line of the zoning jurisdiction for two different school systems. On one side of my county was rural country kids usually less money and harder work ethic they had their own school systems for that side. Then on the other side of the county you had the rich kids who lived by the lake. Their parents had alot of money. Some of them were very rich.

I was in the center of the line but they kept changing the zoning for the schools alittle so one year id be with the rich kids and then the rural kids and then rich kids again. I got along better with the rural kids, but I noticed with the rich kids especially the really rich kids they had a subtle way of looking down on people for the work they do. Like they already knew they were going to be rich as hell working as a doctor or something one day. There was a certain superiority about them. They thought getting their hands dirty was beneath them.

I'm doing pretty fair financially and I want to avoid this type of conditioning on my own kids. How are ways to avoid this? Im thinking of forcing my kids to work as janitors or something for their first jobs.

Voting Results
75% Normal
Based on 4 votes (3 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 4 )
  • dirtybirdy
    1 year ago

    I hate that shit so much. I'm all for getting my hands dirty and sweating like a beast doing manual labor as opposed to dressing all fancy and working in an office making and answering tons of phone calls and having perfect posture, going to meetings with brushed hair....no thanks. I'm a chick by the way 😁🐣

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    3
    3
  • LloydAsher
    1 year ago

    Teach them work ethic. Simple as that. Dont give them a car make them work to get the car. A teenager is still a teenager aplenty of opportunity for them. Dont go overboard on that either, let them enjoy being a kid so that you wont have the coddling problem in your grandkids.

    As for them looking down on other people it cant be helped if they arent exposed to the people of the lower classes. Nothing teaches like experience.

    I'm just saying you cant teach a kid by just saying a blanket statement of dont be petty to those who make less than you. Being an adult taught me more on my outward appearance more than anything.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    3
    3
  • Boojum
    1 year ago

    First, I think it's really messed up that you kept getting bounced from school to school. I'm very cynical about the value of school (not education per se, but rather the way schools operate), but the social aspect can play an important role in how kids develop.

    As for your question, I'm a parent (for what that's worth - I make no claim to be the best father ever), and while I believe that what parents say to their kids matters, I'm certain that how kids see their parents behave matters a whole lot more. If you always treat people in crappy, "lowly", minimum wage jobs with kindness or at least respect, your kids are going to notice that and it's likely they'll model their behaviour on yours. If you have some understanding of how tough life can be for people in that social position and you occasionally mention things about that, it's likely that at least some of that will sink in. If you occasionally mention how fortunate you and your family are compared to others who've had life shit on them, and admit that you recognise that what success you've had is, to some degree, the result of the luck of the draw as well as the effort you've put into your education and career, then that might sink in too.

    And I think it could be useful for you to talk to them about what you have here.

    While I can see where you're coming from when you say you're considering forcing your kids to work in a crappy job, I can't accept that the "forcing" bit is ever a good move for a parent. Newton's law about actions and opposite reactions applies to parents and their kids just as much as it does to pool balls whacking together.

    Having said that, I have been thinking recently that I just might engage in a little devious parental persuasion when our daughter is sixteen in a few years, and nudge her towards getting a part-time job at our local McDonald's. It's not as awful as many jobs, but I think it would be good for her to learn what working in a little team of adults is like, and she'd definitely learn how to cope with obnoxious and idiotic members of the public.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      1 year ago

      The constant school changing is really bad. I was quite popular with the rural kids and then didnt fit in as well with the rich kids. Hated the change. I call them rich they werent like that rich but they all had huge houses and sports cars and boats and land on the lake. So they probably made 250k+ atleast back then that was alot. Its still alot.

      And yeah you're probably right about the forcing part. Im learning as I go but I think about this stuff alot. I just want the kids to grow up and be happy and successful. McDonalds is a great first job its physical and fast paced and its abit lower status which is also good to let young people work their way up over time. I dont remember any of the "rich kids" working that kind of job. They always had nice cars and never worked until after college. It was a totally different mindset for them.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0