To think that lots of people fawn over people with money?

[Hikea]

I have always found this to be the case, but in the last few years a woman who is a FB friend of mine got together with a bloke who is well off and who has a lovely house, huge top of the range 4 by 4, goes on exotic holidays etc. They have had a child together recently too.

Since she has been living her new 'wealthy lifestyle' she has become much more popular than she was before, to the point where she is getting hundreds of FB comments about how fabulous she is and hundreds of likes on each photo she puts on. It was her child's birthday the other day and people kept doing statuses about her child, wishing her a happy birthday. Local friends literally treat her like a celebrity, like they are waiting on tenterhooks for the next installment of her glamorous life.

Likewise there is a mum at my DCs school who appears wealthy, and isn't really a very nice person, yet is probably the most popular parent at the school, and is fawned over and treated like royalty (not by me!)

Why do people with lots of money get put on a pedestal like this? I can never understand it! I like a person because I like the person, not because of how much money they have or have not got!

Yes it is weird to observe and I have witnessed it. It takes a braggy person coupled with an insecure easily impressed person and bingo.

People naturally gravitate to successful and/or powerful people. Maybe that's the reason? They see their wealth as powerful so want to be friendly with them?

I know what I'm trying to say but it's not coming out right..

I love all these 'nouveau riche' comments!
Ah, we're all snobs in our own way, surely?

People are in awe of money and power. If these two come together, then that's quite something to behold!

Anyone with real money doesn't mention it, 'specially not on FB.

I'm not FB friends with Roman Abramovitch but I know he's richer than Croesus.

The idea that everyone who's rich is a shy retiring type with holes in their trousers is just a story that people who aren't very rich and envy vulgar arrivistes use to comfort themselves.

Well yes Limited The very rich are just people, some are good, some not, some big headed and vice versa.

The daughter of the man who invented the Tetra Pak was on Desert Island Discs. She literally has a company giving away his money in the 3rd world. An amazing woman.

I heard her ppeatfruit. If I had her sort of money, or the fortunes of Bill and Melinda Gates or Warren Buffett, it do that. There are only so many superyachts you can spend time on and you could do some real good in the world.

Plus, it's shallow but I'd like a charitable foundation in my name so people knew what a great person I was.

But I'd still have an enormous chunk left over to spend on fast cars, clothes, jewellery, art to fill my lovely homes around the world, first class air travel, general pampering and whatnot...

These people don't necessarily do that, but that's what I would do and I really wouldn't care if people thought I was vulgar.

To fawn over someone wealthy though? Do they expect the wealthy person to start flinging about £20 notes with gay abandon? It just doesn't make any sense to me and is weird to observe

It's about being with the incrowd and a modern day take on social climbing.

I was talking to a friend the other day about secondary schools and a friend of hers was considering the very mediocre school a few miles from here because 'if it's good enough for x (who is apparently considering it) it's good enough for me' I was .

This woman isn't mega rich (her dh has a very senior job with major local employer) but people seem to lap up everything she says. I don't know her so I can't judge what she's like but it's just weird.

Oh dear AnUtterIdiot You described us, but we're not millionaires honest!! We live in between Fr. and Eng. we can afford a nice house in Fr. b ut only a room in Eng.

It's a nice sized house not huge though. either.

Sounds very new money. Putting new bags, shoes etc on FB sounds pretty desperate too.

Hmm, I'd never post and I'd never fawn.

limited I agree, after helping family, I'd spend on buying a tract of rainforest and managing it properly.

Sad though that the Tetra Pak heiress has a difficult family life however vast their fortune is.

I've heard of her and her foundation before ppeatfruit. She seemed a lovely and interesting person on the radio.

I'd read about her brother, and his wife who died, when it happened. I can see how with no purpose and an addiction, you'd wind up just like poor junkies, you might take a bit longer to get there.

And her depression and the fear of kidnap...

I play a fantasy game where I am rich beyond the dreams of avarice. I'm quite avaricious, so I keep adjusting the upper figure

But I know I'd want to be anonymous except in the places I wanted to go and with the people I wanted to see. I think that would be best for keeping you safe and sane.

That doesn't fit with my other desire to have a philanthropic foundation in my name so everyone knows what a great person I am. Probably something connected to education, social mobility and social justice.

I'd work with it to give me something to do, but I'd try to avoid the dreaded Founder's Syndrome.

Something tells me I'm never going to be presented with that problem IRL .

Do they expect the wealthy person to start flinging about £20 notes with gay abandon?

Funny you should say that. DH has a very rich friend - to give you some idea, he fancied playing polo so bought a string of ponies and employed five other players to form his team. He was the fat, ungainly one on the sturdy pony who was always at the back of the field.

He will never let you put your hand in your pocket. You have to be quick off the mark to beat him to the bill. That's not why we're friends with them btw. And they aren't vulgar people even though his wife does like her bling.

We used to joke between us about them adopting us. They had their own children, but we were much more charming, witty, pretty and altogether deserving, so for a time were confident of ousting them like cuckoos in the nest.

Sadly it wasn't to be . But we're still friends with them and their pesky kids.

He was the only person to invest in DH's business. Otherwise it probably wouldn't have happened. He could see that it would work and he liked DH. And he is a shareholder.

The man whose funds he managed was even richer...