Why can't the Romneys stop talking about their wealth? Somehow I missed the part about how we know that Ann Romney was wearing a $990 T-shirt. How do we know it was silk? How do we know who the designer is? How do we know that they have plans to build a car elevator? I know how we know that Mitt cavalierly makes $10,000 bets. I just think this is all so strange.
During the late '60's and well into the '70's I had a lot of contact with fairly wealthy people. Most of those people were the nouveau riche. They talked about money and extravagant purchases all the time. They looked askance at those not so fortunate. They didn't have the class of those who had come from money. They weren't very good at hiding their backgrounds, and silly things were said. I knew one woman who bought a beautiful, large home in a very expensive neighborhood. One of the rooms had built-in bookcases. She said she was going to have to buy some books to fill it up. Okay, then. Purchases all had fancy labels. Only certain stores were acceptable. I had never been in a KMart until the day before my daughter was born. I needed a diaper pail and that's where my ex-husband took me.
While I was going to a community college, I got a seasonal job at Saks Fifth Avenue. I worked in the children's department. It amazed me how much people were willing to pay for little people's clothing. It wasn't unusual for me to be treated like a servant. It really didn't bother me that much. I was young and the job was temporary. One day I got into a conversation with an older woman who was dressed just like you'd picture a rich older woman to dress, complete with hat. I'm not sure how, but we started talking about how rude people were while they shopped. How they barked orders to whomever was close enough to help. She told me that those, mostly women, were of the nouveau riche. She told me that people who had always had money didn't find it necessary to act that way. The old money people were used to purchasing quality products, and thought little of it.
If that's true, what's with the Romneys? Both of them came from wealthy homes. They're second generation wealth. Why can't they stop flaunting it? Why do they sound like snobs? The Kennedys (John, Robert, Teddy) were second generation, also. They never came off as snobs. In fact, they were the reverse. They were approachable.
I thought I'd throw this out and see if someone wiser than I can come up with an explanation. Because it really seems strange, and it's not winning them any friends.