To wonder why some people are so in awe of people that have money?

[LucyTory]

I've seen it happen quite a lot in the town in which I live. It's quite a small town and everybody seems to know everybody else, and it always seems as though people that have money get put on a pedestal by many and treated as local heroes.

Most recently, an aquaintance's financial situation has changed a lot in the past couple of years. Her DH started a business and it's gone really well, and they've gone from living in a 2 bedroom semi to a 5 bedroom detached house, upgraded their car, have nice holidays, buy nice things etc. Since this has happened she seems to have acquired hundreds of fans on Facebook, that ooh and aah at everything she is wearing in photos and gush about how nice her house is, and how lovely her kids are. This didn't really happen before she appeared to have money.

On Saturday it was the birthday party of one of her DCs. It was in a soft play place locally where loads of people have their DCs parties. During the course of Saturday I must have seen 6 or 7 Facebook statuses each tagging her and saying they'd had a great time at "The Party of the Year". It's so weird! It was just kids playing in the soft play followed by kids eating fishfingers and chips!

Basically it seems that since this woman has been better off financially she gets treated like a queen!

Does anyone else notice this kind of thing regarding people who have a bit of money? As I said, I have seen it happen quite a bit locally.

I don't get it either.

Friend had recently had new baby : she recently posted #posh baby clothes love joules on her fbook page with a pic of the baby in a baby gro from Joules

Who gives a shit?

She didn't post mine from F&F!

Here's my baby wearing posh clothes? What a complete saddo

Baby can't read it's own logo can it

I am completely oblivious to any of this ... suspect it may be a London thing .

My friends' incomes go from £0 to £probably 200,000 or more pa plus enormous bonuses, and I honestly don't think the extra wealthy ones are more popular or better liked than the less well off.

Thank goodness.

I never know how much money people have, how do you all know?!

Lots of people just have big mortgages or lease cars (work), or expensive taste in clothes...

It sounds like Ireland might have a healthy attitude.

I think thought that those that like people because they have no money or are poor, just so they can say they are not interested in money are as bad as those who like people because they are rich and have money. Both sound like shallow, self-centered and unhealthy obsessions with money.

I've come across more inverted snowberry in the U.K than the later. People being'monitored' to not get above themselves', what's that all about , what's wrong with actually wanting to rise above what you were born into? Only in the U.K is this seen as a slight. People being despised for driving a flashy car, people gleefully commenting on MN about how although rich might be knee deep in debt living on credit cards. It's as if once you are well to do/rich you are not wished any kind of goodwill, people seem to relish the idea of misfortune to the well off. And if I have to read about how most private school parents are private schooling because they don't want their children to mix with the oi poloi, I'm going to scratch my eyes out.

There are rich and poor knob heads. It's not the sole premise of either.

Inverted snowberry sounds like a sex position for fruitarians.

I grew up in Ireland, and the 'don't get above yourself, sure I knew your grandad when he was shovelling shite for a living' attitude has its own problems, and can, at its worst, translate into a pathological fear of standing out from the crowd and of any kind of achievement, and a sourness about success. (Though I imagine the Celtic Tiger shook up that kind of traditional attitude, anyway, though I had left long before that.)

I'm interested in people who manage to translate a passion into something they can make a living from - and I'm fascinated by this country and social class - but I can't summon up much interest in stuff.

Stupid spell checker keeps changing everything.

The Irish attitude to it can be summed up in one word.

Notions.

Notions

...and at the first sign of notions, you get "It's far from that you were reared"

Notions.

Notions. Very sad indeed, the fact that as humans we are not allowed to have notions. It is a key thing that separates us from animals.

I believe there is a deep fear underlying this attitude. A fear that if people move up, or get 'notions' they will lose them or be unable to relate to them, or that their own might now look down on them . No doubt, there will be some people like this but the majority usually impact those around them more positively.

My ILs are like this. They have friends who are pretty well off and every single time they mention them in conversation, they have to bring it up. If I have to hear how incredible it is that their friends Range Rover whatever is there second car - gasp!- I might scream. They can't stop talking about this couples money and I find it really really odd.

I can nearly see my mother wondering whether the world has stopped turning if I happily admit to having loads of notions. My mild-mannered mammy's worst insult for anyone is that they're 'a bit full of themselves', which in practice can mean that when complimented on a new dress/degree/tiling in the bathroom, they said 'Oh, thanks!' rather than launching into a litany of 'Oh, this old thing, sure I bought it in Dunnes' Stores in 1948 for forty p!'/'Degree? Sure I can barely spell my name, no idea why they saw fit to give me an MA - they must have felt sorry for me!'/'Tiles? I got them off a skip and they're falling off already' etc etc.

I am only exaggerating slightly.

I find the very idea of "moving up" or "bettering yourself" faintly repellent, I do admit.

You are a person who has earned a bit of cash. That doesn't make you better than anyone.

bibbit But the mover up is not 'better than anyone' nor saying they are. They are just bettering themself? Being aspirational for themself. What's wrong with that? It is you that is thinking the mover up is better than yourself. How can anybody not want to ever move up, achieve, be successful in whatever, given the opportunity?

www.dailyedge.ie/do-you-have-notions-quiz-2278556-Aug2015/

In case anyone is wondering where they are on the notions scale (lighthearted!!!)

Teahornet I know a few people like your Mammy. I especially like, 'degree, what degree, I can barely spell my name'.

Rugger According to that link, I get the odd notion apparently.

I love the "not in Edinburgh" derxa. I lived there for 12 years and can confirm that it is the one city in Scotland where getting above yourself is OK.

I live in a fairly eccentric area I think, there are some phenomenally wealthy people who tend to have a second home here, or holiday here, with a few here all year round. The majority of people are leading their own lives, with all sorts of odd little businesses, lots of small holdings, general pottering around.

Why? If someone has money because they worked hard and are successful then how can that repell anyone?

Usually when someone appears to assume they are better it is just a sign of deep insecurity and the need to prove to themselves and the world that they are not only OK but more than OK. This comes from all walks of life and is not found only in those who have money.

WomensNet I apparently once did the big shop in Marks (but we don't talk about it)

Well you have define "better yourself" don't you Womensnet?

I think there are many ways to do better in life than earn money.

The people I most admire are not the wealthiest. The type of person I aspire to be does not = richer.