Atlanta class obsession/Class insecurity. (Sandy Springs, Druid Hills: low income, 2014, leasing)

[Onthemove2014]

I notice it a lot on this board and since most people on the Atlanta forum live here I'd thought it fit for the city. Why do so many people look down on low wage jobs or low income earners here? I see it a lot in the comments. Someone has to do those jobs and they are needed for the economy.


I also notice a lot of people turning their noses up at things that seem
"cheap" or "poor" here too.Its not all but a lot. People leasing expensive cars. 30k millionaires everywhere. Does the city have a history of class warfare? Atlanta is known for its flashiness.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by Onthemove2014

I notice it a lot on this board and since most people on the Atlanta forum live here I'd thought it fit for the city. Why do so many people look down on low wage jobs or low income earners here? I see it a lot in the comments. Someone has to do those jobs and they are needed for the economy.


I also notice a lot of people turning their noses up at things that seem
"cheap" or "poor" here too.Its not all but a lot. People leasing expensive cars. 30k millionaires everywhere. Does the city have a history of class warfare? Atlanta is known for its flashiness.

Its apart of the ATL - Wannabe Hollywood Culture. It mostly comes from young people. I dont think the older people here do it. Its a Monkey see, Monkey do type of thing I used to see in school back in FL, but to see adults doing it here is irritating at first, then you just get used to especially once you start to make friends with the few normal non flashy type that pop up now and again. I have two very close female friends...love em to death, but both of them suffer from this illness. One girl is on unemployment from BOA, single and only dates men who are "professional" she attended FAMU but never graduated not even with an associates. Her Audi was about to be repossessed but her parents back in Florida stepped in. My other Best best friend almost same story...graduated from South Carolina State Uni, she works at an AT&T call center just got a brand new 2011 Bimmer and I know she cant afford it with her utilities & rent and she had a Maxima that worked perfectly fine. Some dude she was sexing, but would never give her a relationship told her, he wasn't feeling her because she wasn't on his finance level. Truth is dude just didnt want her and I tried to tell her...but Im not a baller so she didnt listen to me lol. Now she has the BMW I guess to make herself feel better. I dont know other peoples stories, but I do know both of these ladies situations one is 30 the other is 29. Neither of them seem to see the big picture. One of them is from my home town and the culture back home was not like how it is in Atlanta. I have almost fell into traps myself. Luckily I have a girlfriend who does not care about material things and what other black people think and she hates Atlantas Black Culture more than I do, I like to make fun of Atlanta people, but my girl really takes the things black woman say about her at her job to heart. I always point out that the women who are teasing her about driving a ford explorer and wearing her hair natural dont even have boyfriends or husbands and that she does. She always says "why people always talking about me" I tell her, because they want to have control over how she moves. Its a big reason many of the posters here dont like me, especially the black ones. I tell it like it is. The whole "I think Im all that" "Get yo swag up shawty" Attitude is very powerful here in Atlanta and its not even bad with the teenagers. Adults in their 30s and 40s are just as guilty.

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

Originally Posted by Onthemove2014

I notice it a lot on this board and since most people on the Atlanta forum live here I'd thought it fit for the city. Why do so many people look down on low wage jobs or low income earners here? I see it a lot in the comments. Someone has to do those jobs and they are needed for the economy.


I also notice a lot of people turning their noses up at things that seem
"cheap" or "poor" here too.Its not all but a lot. People leasing expensive cars. 30k millionaires everywhere. Does the city have a history of class warfare? Atlanta is known for its flashiness.

I personally do not look down on low wage earners. I believe we need them to keep our economy working.

The whole flash thing is not a big thing in Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Ansley, Druid Hills, etc. It is much more of an exurb/new suburb thing. You cannot compare the Sugarloaf CCs roster with that of one of the old ITP clubs.

I am against the "new money" culture. Maybe because I come from an old money family. But most of these new money families in the exurbs will not become old money because they are not planning for the future. I know plenty of new money in Buckhead but they have different goals vs. exurb new money. They want to grow their money so their children can keep the legacy going, they donate to the arts, they live in more modest homes(tend to be smaller then the exurbs yet have higher end finishes), instead of traveling they save to buy a second home that will hold value.

Well I am against the whole leasing thing because people claim an area like Johns Creek is so "rich" yet most houses are highly mortgaged, cars leased, credit cards maxed, etc.

Take the net worth of somebody in Sugarloaf with a 1.5 million dollar house vs. somebody in Buckhead with 1.5 million dollar house and it is a big difference.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

I personally do not look down on low wage earners. I believe we need them to keep our economy working.

The whole flash thing is not a big thing in Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Ansley, Druid Hills, etc. It is much more of an exurb/new suburb thing. You cannot compare the Sugarloaf CCs roster with that of one of the old ITP clubs.

I am against the "new money" culture. Maybe because I come from an old money family. But most of these new money families in the exurbs will not become old money because they are not planning for the future. I know plenty of new money in Buckhead but they have different goals vs. exurb new money. They want to grow their money so their children can keep the legacy going, they donate to the arts, they live in more modest homes(tend to be smaller then the exurbs yet have higher end finishes), instead of traveling they save to buy a second home that will hold value.

Well I am against the whole leasing thing because people claim an area like Johns Creek is so "rich" yet most houses are highly mortgaged, cars leased, credit cards maxed, etc.

Take the net worth of somebody in Sugarloaf with a 1.5 million dollar house vs. somebody in Buckhead with 1.5 million dollar house and it is a big difference.

Is this white people you are speaking about?

[Onthemove2014]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

I always point out that the women who are teasing her about driving a ford explorer and wearing her hair natural dont even have boyfriends or husbands

What's wrong with natural hair?

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

Is this white people you are speaking about?

It was a general thing that had to do more with location/lifestyle vs. race.

All my black friends live intown(Cascade, Morningside, Buckhead, etc.). More of the educated new money blacks seem to be more into growing their money for the future vs. buying unaffordable houses and leasing a Mercedes. They might buy a 400k house in Cascade but they have a lot more money then the family in a 1.5 million house in Sugarloaf. I am familiar with black culture because my wife is 75% black 25% white.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

...my wife is 75% black 25% white.

As are most African-Americans (Blacks largely descended from slaves in the U.S.).


African-Americans (I prefer using Indigenous Black Americans) average roughly 20-25% White/European ancestry.

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

Originally Posted by aries4118

As are most African-Americans (Blacks largely descended from slaves in the U.S.).


African-Americans (I prefer using Indigenous Black Americans) average roughly 20-25% White/European ancestry.

Well her dad is half(British)/half grew up in South Africa and her mother was born in Africa.

[Iconographer]

Class warfare is hardly a situation unique to Atlanta

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

Well her dad is half(British)/half grew up in South Africa and her mother was born in Africa.

I understand. I am glad y'all are together!

I was just relaying extra information--many in the U.S. do not realize the ancestry of Indigenous Black Americans.