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Did Yuppies ever go away?

3.3K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  Scotch&Cigars  
#1 ·
I was sitting at home last night and decided to toss my DVD of Wallstreet in. It was an interesting look back into the 80's regarding lifestyles and attitudes. But, it got me thinking, has anything really changed? At first I felt like "wow, look at those people so obsessed with the image of wealth and sophistication that they decorate their homes with things they don't even like and buy their way onto the board of organizations they have no interest in."

Then, I started thinking about people I know who do these exact things. Trying to present an image to the world. Young Urban Professionals who go above and beyond. It might not be quite as flagrant as it was in the 80's, but I'm not sure it ever really went away.

Thoughts?
 
#4 ·
The Young Urban Professionals of the 80's have mostly grown up by now.
 
#6 ·
Not only have they grown up, but a lot of them have grown poor. Spending countless dollars on fancy expresso lattes, buying $100K+ automobiles, private luxury getaways overseas, all of these things caught up to their present life. It was only a matter of time before their worlds started crashing in. Those that are still living in their dream home must of did something right; as they're probably still generating multiple streams of income til this day. There might have been a time where the income was flowing in like a river, but those days are "gone with the wind" for many.
 
#7 ·
Not only have they grown up, but a lot of them have grown poor. Spending countless dollars on fancy expresso lattes, buying $100K+ automobiles, private luxury getaways overseas, all of these things caught up to their present life. It was only a matter of time before their worlds started crashing in. Those that are still living in their dream home must of did something right; as they're probably still generating multiple streams of income til this day. There might have been a time where the income was flowing in like a river, but those days are "gone with the wind" for many.
And some of us just got wise to our follies way back in the 90's and are living simpler lifestyles..
 
#10 ·
Well, I was actually thinking less of the original yuppies and more of the modern ones. Are the young generations of today that much different in their yuppiness than those of the 80s?
Not that I can tell. To be honest with you if I was asked to describe in one word many of the guys who post in this forum, that word would be "yuppies." And I don't necessarily mean that in a negative way any more than I am being negative when I say that I was a hippie in the 70's. :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser
 
#11 ·
Well, I was actually thinking less of the original yuppies and more of the modern ones. Are the young generations of today that much different in their yuppiness than those of the 80s?
From what I've seen, yes they are different.

In the 80's we still bought into The American Dream, while today buying into it is grounds for contempt and seen as futile, if not stupid. At least in this respect the feeling is much more 1960's than 80's.

And IMO today's young generation can't be blamed for this. I mean it used to be, the goal for the average Joe was to work for the same company 20-25 years, get the seniority, the advancement, and eventually the gold watch and pension. Now people are hired young just because their asking wages are lower and, assuming they're not ambitious Donald Trump types, they're kept only until their raises price them out of their positions, at which point they're unceremoniously dumped back onto the sidewalk.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Yuppie was simply the buzzword for the nouveau riche of that period, and it became heavily associated with a style of dress and the business sector responsible for creating the new wealth. As long as there is still the opportunity for a few of the members of the lower and middle classes to strike it rich, there will always be nouveau riche. Not having the upper class upbrining the rest of the wealthy have, they create their own external identity, often based on a misguided sense of status symbols.
 
#14 ·
As long as there is still the opportunity for a few of the members of the lower and middle classes to strike it rich, there will always be nouveau riche. Not having the upper class upbrining the rest of the wealthy have, they create their own external identity, often based on a misguided sense of status symbols.
It appears that for now, opening a restaurant/bar has displaced house flipping and B&B ownership!!

And that cheesemaking and organic farming has replaced micro-brewing.
 
#15 ·
For my own personal experiences, I make okay money, nothing special. I like to dress nicely, I'd love to be able to buy a new Beemer or Mercedes (maybe in a year or two) and I'm trying hard to climb the corporate ladder.

My brother owns his own computer business and make DAMN good money. He also likes to dress nicely (though I think he follows labels more than good taste/fit) and likes to flash money around. He goes to the exclusive clubs and it seems like he and most of his friends have dinner parties as status symbols. I'm sorry, but if you're in your twenties and having fancy dinner parties, in my mind, you're just trying to act the part.

I think a lot of us are trying to portray more wealth than we have. I'm sure we all have our reasons. Being too young in the 80s to really understand that era of yuppies, my ideas of them come from movies. I used to think that they were a bygone set, but the more I look around, I start to think that I have actually become one. Maybe not as snobby as what is portrayed in the movies and with different styles, but yuppies nonetheless.

My brother's friends have had relationships fail or partners going astray based on the making and losing of money alone. Seeing a girl 25 years old with a 40 year old sugar daddy because he's worth millions is actually seen as an accomplishment in his circle. Maybe this is normal in more cirlces than I'm aware of, I don't know. But it's been an interesting epiphany.
 
#16 · (Edited)
^I think you've shown here that you do not fit the mold, and your brother does.

You care more about style and quality. Motive counts too. It doesn't sound to me like your motive is to exude wealth, but that it is simply that you like to look nice.

Your brother on the other hand fits the mold very well. He buys what he thinks makes him look rich (top fashion brands, etc.), and he does what he believes makes him look rich.

Another reason why I'd say you yourself are not this type is the fact that you recognize, and seem to frown upon, such a lifestyle and attitude, and that you see the superficial and negative relationships that it creates.
 
#17 ·
^I think you've shown here that you do not fit the mold, and your brother does.

You care more about style and quality. Motive counts too. It doesn't sound to me like your motive is to exude wealth, but that it is simply that you like to look nice.

Your brother on the other hand fits the mold very well. He buys what he thinks makes him look rich (top fashion brands, etc.), and he does what he believes makes him look rich.

Another reason why I'd say you yourself are not this type is the fact that you recognize, and seem to frown upon, such a lifestyle and attitude, and that you see the superficial and negative relationships that it creates.
I really appreciate that, Coleman, thank you.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'm sorry, but if you're in your twenties and having fancy dinner parties, in my mind, you're just trying to act the part.
So there's no legitimate reason for anyone in their 20s to want to class it up for an evening? What makes someone in their 30's who has "fancy dinner parties" (can we get a definition on this one?) any less "trying to act the part?" Are us twenty-somethings only supposed to live on Ramen noodles and go out for a rowdy evening at the nearest crowded sports bar whilst sipping on a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon?

(Not that I have a problem with going out to a sports bar and drinking PBR)