the yuppie movement

hi. sorry for the pussy post yesterday but i was sick and didn't feel like really doing much of anything. i still feel like crap today but felt guilty about copping out two days in a row, so i am going to actually write a full post today. 

we made it to reason #8, can you believe it? it's bitter sweet...like the guy who makes rape whistles for a living or a funeral director. think about it. reason #8 is the yuppie movement. i suppose your location will determine how much this social construct affects you, but in the northeast, especially in connecticut (where i reside) it is running rampant. i wouldn't mind these people if they didn't bother me. i wouldn't mind anything if it didn't bother me and just left me alone. but unfortunately, they do. they always do. these are the men and women who judge you because you aren't wearing banana republic when you are waiting in line at a deli trying to get a sandwich, these are the men and women who glare at you from behind their triple chai latte while you try to finish a paper in a starbucks, these are the men and women who have their children on leashes. they are usually named biff, buffy, or beau and they most definitely drive some sort of suv or mini van and have their children in so many extra-curriculars that they never have to see them. these are the same children who become the binge drinkers and coke heads that i went to high school with.

the thing that frustrates me most with these people is that they aren't real. the ideal that they live up to is simply to impress their fellow peers. they are completely external while their insides are just means to an end. that end is social capital. the conversations are almost always a series of "one-ups." an example.

location: a starbucks

yuppie mom 1: well johnny has soccer today, the coach says he's the best on the team.

yuppie mom 2: oh yea, catherine's ballet instructor who studied at julliard said she is going to play odette in their production of swan lake.

yuppie mom 1: oh that's great! well you know my husband, john, is going to be taking us to the florida keys for our vacay this winter.

yuppie mom 2: oh well if you need a place to stay you know we have two houses down there.

yuppie mom 1: oh no that's fine, john's golfing buddy owns a series of hotel chains so we are going to be staying in a suite for free with free room service. i mean, really? who wants to go to a grocery store when they are supposed to be on vacation?

are you vomming yet? do you see the subtle "one-ups" that are going on in this conversation? that's pretty much how every conversation i've heard that includes two yuppies sounds. if you manage to stumble into one then be ready to hear a lot about the yuppie while finding yourself just showering them with praise. yuppies thrive on praise. if you dared to engage them on a human level i could only imagine the result. i'm sure they would quickly run away or their head would burst into flames.

if these people were just into the style of banana republic and enjoyed fine wines and white picket fences then i would have no problem with them. but the fact that they are judgmental and arrogant all while having no substance to them outside of trying to impress other people makes me gag. the fake happiness also bothers me. these people are usually the nastiest people in the world but fake it for every photo opportunity that arises...especially christmas cards. i can think of no better way than to end this post with the best example of the yuppie movement that i could find in a photo...

(http://www.washingtonspaces.com/blog/articles/2008/06/26/go-yuppie-or-go-home)

take cover,

-ry