For people who spend most of their lives growing up in one place, the world after high school is new terrain. Whether through college or employment, it's the first time many are exposed to real diversity. That doesn't just mean people from other places but people from different socioeconomic backgrounds as well.
Many people find the experience illuminating. They develop empathy and compassion from seeing what it takes some people to get by. For those people, however, their experience can be pretty shocking. As you meet people who truly believe money is no object, seeing how they live can be astounding.
Freelance reporter Jake Bittle struck up an interesting conversation on Twitter with a question about this very subject. In a since-deleted tweet, Jake asked people to share their experiences encountering rich kids for the first time. People were eager to share stories of opulence and wastefulness they had witnessed in their young adult lives.
Freelance journalist Jake Bittle started a fascinating conversation on Twitter. He shared a story of his own experience at the University of Chicago in a since-deleted tweet. Then he inquired about other people's stories of encountering rich kids in higher education.
Jake's experience was during a class when he saw another student's laptop screen. Her bank account information was open, showing $28,000, which is a lot of money for a college kid. She was checking this account during a class on Marxism.
Many of the replies were about encounters that occurred at UChicago. Jake noted that the replies "have gone from funny to really depressing." He muted the tweet before deleting it, though many of the replies are still up.
People pointed out that Jake shouldn't make assumptions about someone's bank account, even if he can see the amount in it. They also pointed out that he was judging the students of a $60,000-a-year school, so his view was already skewed. Many thought he was among the privileged group he was trying to judge.
Despite the murkiness of Jake's ground in this issue, many people shared their experiences encountering rich kids. The privilege noted is pretty jarring to most average folks.
"My freshman year roommate got a letter of recommendation from HW Bush who was President at the time," one Twitter user replied. "The guy didn't know how to wash clothes so he kept buying new ones and throwing the old ones out."
"One of my roommates whispered to me that our other roommate was on scholarship," shared another user.
"I told her almost everyone she met was on some type of scholarship. Her dad just used to pay it in one go. Her parents used to call her and check on her because she 'wasn't spending enough money.'"
Many people lamented that their peers would boast about their disposable wardrobes. "I knew someone who, instead of doing laundry, would just buy new clothes to wear," another shared.
"I remember somebody on my floor at the Shoreland threw out all her dishes and cutlery when she moved out because she couldn't be bothered to wash them," added another of their experience.
They shared stories of how out of touch with reality these students were. "In the dorms first week of school my suite-mate asked me when the housekeepers come to clean and do laundry. She had no idea what a washing machine looked like," noted one former student.
As they shared these stories of complete unawareness, it's clear these students knew nothing but their own affluent experiences. "Freshman year, I shared about how much my parents made and got told by another student that I must be mistaken," another Twitter user shared.
"Then they proceeded to argue that the 'middle class' starts at $350,000 and surely my parents made at least that …"
It was clear to many of the students who encountered rich kids that their attitudes and naivety were learned.
"My friend's dad lectured me on how much harder rich people work than poor people," one student said.
"I was working 50 hours a week at the time and his son had never had a job before. Guess who the rich family was?"
