Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe What Screams 'I Am Upper Class'

People Describe What Screams 'I Am Upper Class'
Mateusz D on Unsplash

Define "Upper Class."

Everyone wants to be it, but who can really say what defines it?

Money can't buy class, we know that thanks to celebrity and all the Real Housewives.

But so many people believe they belong to this sacred group of privilege.

So let's figure out how we all get there.


Redditor rethinkwhatisthere wanted to discuss just what exactly are the benchmarks to becoming society's best by asking:

"What screams 'I am upper class'?"

GROSS EXCESS.

I do a lot of cable and fiber-optic work in an extremely affluent neighborhood in the FL panhandle, called Alys Beach. I'm talking GROSS excess when it comes to these houses. But the look on their face when I call their multi-million dollar villa a "townhouse," is priceless.

notacatacaton

Giphy

I Aspire. 

Honestly I don't know, I do security for upper class neighborhoods and condos and its the upper middle class people that absolutely do the crazy things for status. There was a guy who didn't have a barcode, so he came through the visitors lane everyday. He had a messy car, greasy hair, wore holey t-shirts. He was the nicest guy, but he did seem out of place. One day he was upset people were talking sh!t about him and I let him vent and he appreciated that. He came in the next day so happy and was like "Remember that b!tch I was talking about yesterday? Well l, I bought her business! Who's laughing now!"

So he was I can buy your business out of pettiness rich, which is what I aspire to be.

wrestleastavaganza2

Rumor has it.....

Knew a rich kid in college. Rumor has it, dude ended up owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to bookies for betting on NBA games. For that amount of money, the syndicates financing the bookies in my country go after you and your family to make sure you pay.

Night before pay day, dude went to his parents allegedly crying, telling them he had a problem. Parents were obviously concerned. Dude told them what happened and parents breathed a sigh of relief.

They thought he got a chick pregnant. They gave him the money to pay the bookie, relieved.

Opulescence

Swim Deep. 

I taught swim lessons at a pretty expensive summer camp, where parents paid upwards of $200 per day for kids, and around $350/day for tweens. Swimming, hiking, paddle boards, rock climbing, horses, etc.. nothing too special these kids couldn't find at another camp. Lots of celebrity kiddos though.

I would charge $50/hr to guard private pool parties because I didn't want to work weekends and didn't really like guarding as much as I loved teaching, but these parents didn't care. I once made $400 in an afternoon guarding a pool that nobody swam in and $100 tip because the dad felt sorry for "wasting" my time. $500 to eat catered Kogi Korean bbq truck food and chat about cars for a few hours; no complaints.

It felt like I was just on display for the parents to show that they could afford a guard. I miss it sometimes.. I was dumb with the money and didn't save much, but enough for some tattoos, a flat screen, and to put 35% down on my first car.

alazaay

Basics...

Not knowing what ordinary things cost, like a banana or pair of socks.

refreshing_username

Giphy

Transport Issues. 

Frequency of travels. I work around a ton of upper class people and many of them travel so much they are practically locals at some restaurants. They also focus on lesser known, yet elaborate spots.

W8sB4D8s

The Steinway....

A wealthy couple I know has twin Steinway concert grand pianos in their ballroom-sized living room.

Neither of them plays a note on these elegant pianos that are worth about $185,000 each (Steinway model "D" - 9').

So they hire me to play for special occasions. In the interim, the 2 grands just sit there as part of the room's décor.

Back2Bach

​Having a nanny 100%.....

Having a nanny 100%. Taught at a dance school in a wealthier area. Not only did all the kids attend a private school but their nannies would be the ones dropping them off. Being that i am not upper class my first few weeks I was pretty confused as to why so many white children seemed to be adopted by asians. Than when I finally met the parents of one of my students i realized they were ALL Vietnamese nannies.

rubyrochelle11

So Quaint. 

My friend's parents have a lot of money and I went to a Halloween party that his family friends were having a couple years ago. I distinctively remember hearing the following two sentences (both travel related):

  1. "We only have five trips booked next year so we're going to try to sneak in a little visit to Egypt in April."
  2. "Yeah, we were just offered another expenses paid trip to St. Lucia but we turned it down. It just gets boring when you've been so many times."

To the second one, I said "I had to downgrade to one-ply toilet paper this month. Can I have the trip?" They all laughed at my "quaintness."

viennawaits88

Add it up...

Being enormously more concerned about how long something will take to get done, rather than how much it will cost.

foodfighter

While we may not have nailed down what upper class is, it seems like classy isn't necessarily part of it.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Savannah Guthrie
NBC News

Savannah Guthrie's Brother Leaves Fans Stunned With His Reaction To Her Fear That She Caused Their Mom's Disappearance

On the Thursday, March 26, broadcast of the Today show, Hoda Kotb interviewed host Savannah Guthrie about her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1, 2026.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of January 31. Surveillance footage then showed a masked individual disconnecting her home security camera around 1:47 am.

Keep ReadingShow less
Men from TMZ video; Ted Cruz in airport
TMZ; MEGA/GC/Getty Images

TMZ Is Actually Being Praised After Asking People To Send Them Photos Of Lawmakers On Vacation

TMZ has for years generated controversy and attracted derision for its story gathering tactics, but it's actually earning a little bit of goodwill after asking people to submit photos of members of Congress on vacation during Easter break as the partial government shutdown reaches historic lengths.

Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he would deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown that has caused exceptionally long delays at TSA lines nationwide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Charles Barkley; Donald Trump
CBS; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Charles Barkley Sounds Off On Trump's Immigration Crackdown 'Disgrace' During March Madness Rant

Former NBA star turned sports analyst Charles Barkley condemned President Donald Trump's "disgrace" of an immigration crackdown in remarks on CBS on Sunday, lamenting the fates "amazing immigrants" who have been terrorized by the federal government.

Barkley pivoted to discussing immigration after CBS ran a feature on University of Connecticut star Alex Karaban, whose parents are immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Steve Jennings/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Rips Trump After Report Reveals Massive Amount Taxpayers Have Spent For Trump To Go Golfing

President Donald Trump's trips to his golf courses have cost taxpayers a fortune in his second term, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to criticize him for the massive tab in a post on X.

Trump’s golf outings have cost taxpayers at least $101.2 million in travel and security expenses since he returned to office. That total is about two-thirds of what his golf trips cost during his entire first term and puts him on pace to spend roughly $300 million by the end of his second term.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joe Rogan; JD Vance
The Joe Rogan Experience; Heather Diehl/Getty Images

JD Vance Weakly Claps Back After Joe Rogan Says MAGA Is Filled With A 'Bunch Of F—king Dorks'

Former actor, comedian, and Fear Factor host turned podcaster Joe Rogan has spent years profiting off the conspiracy theorists, Christian nationalists, and White supremacists that make up the MAGA movement.

But lately, Rogan has gone from enabling Republican President Donald Trump and his cronies to criticizing them.

Keep ReadingShow less