How can you tell if Americans are "poor"?

And yes, I was considered odd for wanting to walk places & told not to get the bus.

I went to Beverley hills about a decade ago & even there you got a lot more house for your money vs some parts of London but space is less of an issue.

I've also encountered people in the US who were shocked I would walk places. One child I met said he had never walked anywhere!

But I have also had the experience of work colleagues in the UK (SE, not London) being shocked I commuted by train. The fact I commuted by train and my secretary commuter by bike were both seen as totally shocking. Everyone drove by car even though train was much quicker. Mind boggling.

Soneone else said laundry outside is poor.

A relative lives in a part of US where it gets very hot in the summer and she says it's ok to hang out if you are around to take it in once it's dry, but leaving it out for hours while you are at work is not great. Stuff fades, or just gets baked dry. She would actually prefer to hang out rather than tumble dry.

Having said that, she has a fantastic laundry room in the basement, it's assumed you will dry indoors, so there is space to do so.

Had a similar experience in Fort Lauderdale. I was with my xh trying to walk to a restaurant that was literally on the other side of the road. About 400 metres as the crow flies. We walked in the wrong direction to get to a flyover bridge thing then back in the right direction, we had to walk through a green 'lawn' that had frogs in it and when we got to the restaurant the staff were looking at us, like, where you from? you not from round here
we walked back just to be eccentrically European. Only people who push shopping trolleys take that route was the general local consensus.

I have to say though, as freaky as it is driving through Celebration in Florida, I actually love it. It’s like a movie set, and everyone is friendly. Always someone just walking by complimentlng my dd on her beautiful hair or that my ds has a lovely smile. Oh, and the dog friendly bakeries and restaurants!! Even the dogs act perfectly!

TEETH

Although Americans believe their own stereotype that ''all British people have bad teeth'' I think that their poor people have worse teeth than your poor people.

You only have to watch an episode of dr phil or one of those shows to see that many Americans fall into this band.

It looks messy.

Exactly. Always khaki and an ill fitting long big tie.

It’s considered indecorous. These HOA communities in the suburbs aren’t too different from the Desperate Housewives set. People prize homogeneity, and almost Disney-like utopia. People with washing in the line, their own planting, cars parked on the road, unruly hedges etc all spoil the aesthetic.

In reality, these places are seething, roiling hotbeds of gossip, drama, disputes, people trying to wield power. I couldn’t live like that. My in laws love it! I feel they think it protects them from the horrors of the real world, makes them feel protected and superior and stress-free. To each their own, I suppose.

Shapeless khaki trousers!

Their suits are often way too big, like a child dressing up.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned clothes - on holiday we got stuck behind a party of retired Americans - fresh off a cruise ship so not poverty stricken - but their clothes were universally horrible by European standards - ill fitting, shapeless and cheap looking, horrible shoes and sandals you could have spotted them a mile off even before they spoke.

I also suspect the various wars in the 20th century and resulting shortages, means that lots of abstemious little habits like conserving fuel, bulking out meals with extra carbs are still part of the culture in Europe in a way they aren't in the US.

No idea. Maybe some sort left over puritan prudery thing?

I give zero fucks if people see my M&S pants.

What is going on with the not drying washing outside? Why not?

Obviously not...

But it proves the point that it's not a 'poor' thing.

Plus some people smell musty because it takes too long for the washing go dry indoors.

Americans are very weird about line drying washing, something which is perfectly normal for all classes of Europeans.

If anythig I think in the UK having to dry your washing indoors is a signifier of relative poverty as it implies you cannot afford private outdoor space.

You call it laziness, I call it hayfever. If I dry stuff outside, it spends hours getting covered in allergens to make my life a misery. Especially bedding, as I am then rubbing my face in it all night.

The Simpsons are not working class. They’re lower middle based on homes earnings

This is why I enjoyed The Wire so much. It showed a side of the US I hadn’t really seen much of before. Not just the terrible poverty in The Projects but ordinary houses that the cops lived in etc. See also Maid, the Netflix series.

i have a thing about watching Frasier and/or Everybody Loves Raymond at the weekend when they’re usually on C4 and I love the way the social classes are depicted in those progs.

Family friends moved to LA from the Wirral and had the entire neighbourhood up in arms when they put washing out. Very much Not The Done Thing in their area.

My dh worked in NY for a weei and decided to just catch the bus for once, as he was only going down the road. He said it was one of the scariest thing in his life.