I had a life lesson this morning with my kids, ages 9 and 5. We were doing the dishes and my 9 year old started acting super grossed out by the dirty old food muck in the sink and on the dirty dishes. Her attitude reminded me of one who is pretentious--who feels they are a "better class of human" who shouldn't have to work, because a "lower class of human" can do the dirty work instead.
I was immediately tempted to say, "quit acting like a rich person!" But, that didn't feel right. It's the lesson I was taught growing up in a household of extremely strong blue-collar principles, but I want my kids to grow up and become rich--good rich not bad rich. So, I thought again. I was taught to some extent to despite and have contempt for the rich, hence we had sayings like "quit acting like a rich person!", but that's not right. The principle we are really trying to teach is: "quit acting like you're better than other people." "Quit acting pretentious." Now that is the correct principle to be taught, and it applies equally to the poor as well as to the rich!
So, I learned in my head this morning, and then I taught and said to my whiny 9-year old:
[Instead of this]:
"Quit acting like a rich person. Just clean the sink."
[I said this]:
"Don't be pretentious. You're not better than other people. You can do dirty work too. Please clean the sink."
It's okay to be rich. Being rich is good and noble, because when you are rich you have a far greater capacity to help others. You can help others best when you are already in a good, financially stable position yourself.
So, when at the bottom looking up, do NOT denigrate those who are rich. Rather, condemn those who are pretentious. It may be true that most pretentious people are also rich, but it is not necessarily true that most rich people are also pretentious. That is a negative stigma taught by those who are at the bottom looking up, wishing they were also rich. Yet, it is wrong. It teaches to despite the wrong thing: richness, rather than pretentiousness.
Blue collar vs white collar attitudes: don't have a blue collar attitude that despises the rich. Despise being "stuck up" instead.
I had a life lesson this morning with my kids, ages 9 and 5. We were doing the dishes and my 9 year old started acting super grossed out by the dirty old food muck in the sink and on the dirty dishes. Her attitude reminded me of one who is pretentious--who feels they are a "better class of human" who shouldn't have to work, because a "lower class of human" can do the dirty work instead.
I was immediately tempted to say, "quit acting like a rich person!" But, that didn't feel right. It's the lesson I was taught growing up in a household of extremely strong blue-collar principles, but I want my kids to grow up and become rich--good rich not bad rich. So, I thought again. I was taught to some extent to despite and have contempt for the rich, hence we had sayings like "quit acting like a rich person!", but that's not right. The principle we are really trying to teach is: "quit acting like you're better than other people." "Quit acting pretentious." Now that is the correct principle to be taught, and it applies equally to the poor as well as to the rich!
So, I learned in my head this morning, and then I taught and said to my whiny 9-year old:
[Instead of this]:
"Quit acting like a rich person. Just clean the sink."
[I said this]:
"Don't be pretentious. You're not better than other people. You can do dirty work too. Please clean the sink."
It's okay to be rich. Being rich is good and noble, because when you are rich you have a far greater capacity to help others. You can help others best when you are already in a good, financially stable position yourself.
So, when at the bottom looking up, do NOT denigrate those who are rich. Rather, condemn those who are pretentious. It may be true that most pretentious people are also rich, but it is not necessarily true that most rich people are also pretentious. That is a negative stigma taught by those who are at the bottom looking up, wishing they were also rich. Yet, it is wrong. It teaches to despite the wrong thing: richness, rather than pretentiousness.
Blue collar vs white collar attitudes: don't have a blue collar attitude that despises the rich. Despise being "stuck up" instead.