Really horrible and petty rich people

If it's any help, I'm really horrible and petty and I'm quite poor.

You know, helix, I think I might have to add myself to that list you're on up there^

Helix said:

If it's any help, I'm really horrible and petty and I'm quite poor.

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You do have nice teeth, though.

Haggis said:

You do have nice teeth, though.

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This is true.

Well, beak, to be more precise.

Haggis said:

Well, beak, to be more precise.

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*gives stone-curlew side-eye*

All I can think is it's good to know the dentists are ripping off the rich too.

In fairness, just because you're rich doesn't mean you're a jerk, and just because you're poor doesn't mean you aren't one. Of course you'd be less wealthy, but that's a given.

My spouse really likes to travel, and we've been on a range of tours from moderately-cheap to moderately-expensive, and one thing I noticed is that richer people seem to be a little more prone to complaining. They might be lovely folks, but they're also the folks who grumble about their wine being too warm when they're in Africa and it's been 40C all day long. Like, yes, your wine is going to be warm. Just like your drinking water is warm. And your toilet seat. And that lake with the hippos you're looking at.

The nice thing is they weren't any more likely to complain about the big things, like the air conditioning rattling itself right off the back of the bus in the middle of the Namibian desert--just the little things, like the wine.

RightHoJeeves said:

But of course it's not fun to rag on nice rich people.

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You'll have read Gina Rinehart's magnificent poem, I'm guessing, Jeeves. I'll chase up a link for those who have not yet been exposed to the lyrical riches of Australia's wealthiest woman.

I grew up in Newport Beach, and many of my classmates were much richer than I was (my dad was a prof at UC Irvine, and we could only afford to live there because he bought the house in 1970). One of my schoolmates started a rumor that my family was sooooooo poor that we had an outhouse in our yard instead of bathrooms.

But the story that stands out for me was one day when we were eating brunch at a country club (one of my high school chum's family was a member). In their dining room, they had a hot dog bar on the side board that were complementary, as in you didn't get billed for using it, whether you were a member or guest. Anyway, there was this older dude who went over to the hot dog bar to make himself a hot dog and had a complete melt down, because OMFG, THE BUNS WERE COLD!!!!!! He started screaming about it and actually threw his hot dog at one of the staff, who meekly scuttled off to get him some fresh buns.

I don't know how much his teeth cost him, however. If he went around treating people like that all his life, it's hard to see how they hadn't been knocked down his throat a few times. Of course there were many wealthy people who were perfectly nice, generous souls, but it was not uncommon in Newport Beach for certain rich people to get away with being assholes, because (as they loved to remind people), "I can make one phone call, and you're out of a job and out on the street."

RightHoJeeves said:

Doesn't she want people to work for $2 an hour? She doesn't sound particularly nice.

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Quite.

Here's Craig Reucassel reading the poem on Q&A. And here's the work engraved on a plaque onna lump of iron ore in Perth. (Photos from The Worst of Perth.)

In my current job I pretty frequently get calls from people who actually do say "do you know who I am?" Typically they are the clients on the ritzier end of things. That said, I never do know who they are, even after they tell me.

veinglory said:

In my current job I pretty frequently get calls from people who actually do say "do you know who I am?" Typically they are the clients on the ritzier end of things. That said, I never do know who they are, even after they tell me.

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The proper response to that is, "Do I care?".

Unless of course you don't want to get fired. Then maybe it's not such a good choice.

Wicked, not suited for a job that involves public relations

On one hand, this sort of thing makes me ragey. No, you do not assault your fellow human beings because your free bun was cold. Dude should have been bounced off the sidewalk outside the gates with the shredded remains of his membership card raining down around him. (Or arrested, although the cops have better things to do than figure out how to write up an assault via Vienna sausage.)

On the other hand, it's very likely this guy was raised with no role model for how to get what you want in life as a pro-active, civil human being. Tantrums worked as a child, and no one ever taught him different, so that's still the only tool in his toolkit. It doesn't excuse his behaviour in the slightest, but it is sad that he's been left socially ham-strung. (Even as it's frustrating he's apparently never realized, as an adult, he might want to do some remedial work on this.)

The true measure of a man (or woman) is how they treat those who are subordinate to them.There are many horrible poor people who will never have subordinates. There are many horrible rich people who demonstrate daily why they should not have the subordinates they do.The flaw is in people, the amount of money they've got is secondary to it. But the rich can do a hell of a lot more damage by dint of influence, sad to say.

When people are spoiled they become entitled, and that can be a very unattractive trait until (and if) they figure it out.

It doesn't have to be about extreme wealth, tho. If someone is extraordinarily beautiful, or famous, in a position of power, or in any situation where people are likely to cater to them, it can go to their head. If they're smart, and give a damn, they'll figure it out and get past it.

veinglory said:

In my current job I pretty frequently get calls from people who actually do say "do you know who I am?" Typically they are the clients on the ritzier end of things. That said, I never do know who they are, even after they tell me.

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I remember that attitude as well.

Another story, though this was told to me: A couple of my closest friends were driving, and one of them cut another car off. Okay, he was a bad driver, but it wasn't done maliciously. The guys in the other car chased him down and ran him off the road in his little VW bug (it was night). Then these two guys got out of their car and approached. It was clear they were young dudes, around the same age as my friends, and they looked familiar. Both my friends who were in the car thought they were guys who had graduated from our school the year before.

When my friend (stupidly, imo. He should have gunned it out of there) rolled down the window to ask them what was wrong, he was answered with a fist. He got smacked a few times before he finally did gun it out of there, got some cuts on his face.

So, they came over to my house (I lived close by) and looked at last year's yearbook, confirmed the identity of one of the guys who'd attacked them a high degree of certainty, and went over to the police station to report assault (also, this friend was 17 at the time, where the other guy was likely 18 or over, meaning it was assault of a minor by an adult, which is more serious). The police wouldn't do anything, because he was only reasonably certain of the assailant's identity, they hadn't seen/remembered the plate (though they had make and model of the car), and as it turned out, this kid's dad was a local big wig. They said they could be sued if they brought charges against someone named as a suspect who turned out not to be the actual person. I'm pretty hazy on this, since police pull suspects in on vague descriptions, let alone names, all the time. They took the report, but refused to put the name of the alleged assailant, and said they'd keep an eye out for someone matching the physical description given. Nothing ever came of it. No suspect was ever arrested.

I wasn't there when the report was given, so I really don't know all the details, or how accurate the version I heard was. But anecdotes about this kind of thing (police refusing to press charges against a prodigal son of some local luminary) abounded in Newport back then.

veinglory said:

In my current job I pretty frequently get calls from people who actually do say "do you know who I am?"

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"A big shit in a small waterhole?"

"Prey."

"...Father? Is that you?"

"Um, refresh my memory. Did I give you herpes, or just pregnancy?"

"The true Stuart heir to the throne of England, my liege."

"No, but I'd love to get to know you better."

"Oh my God, Steve Buscemi! I loved you in that movie!"