Monday, June 20, 2011

Education Does Not Equate Class a.k.a. Can't Buy Class

I'm of the school of thought that people are born into certain circles.  You can fight your hardest to get out of your circle, even with a modicum of success, but you cannot escape where you came from.  At the end of the day, you are "of" a certain class. 
If you are about to call me an elitist, you can refrain. I came from a lower middle class family and I doubt I will ever be in high society--it's just not me.

Upward mobility has always been a dream for the middle and lower classes.  Education has traditionally been one way to do it.

Not for one woman riding on the Metro North Train.
High five to the New York Metro North train employee who asked the loud, offensive cell phone user to tone it down. Thumbs down to the cell phone user who informed the train employee that she was "too well educated" to be asked to quiet down and stop using the F-bomb.
Several times, the woman refers to herself as a well-educated woman. She rudely asks if the train employee is aware of how many schools she's been to.
There's even a video available here.

Is it more shocking that someone like this can become well-educated, or that being so "well-educated" can have nearly no bearing on someone's behavior?

"Money can't buy you classsss... elegance is loveeee, my friend"

7 comments:

  1. The woman's name is Hermon Raju. Truth be told, she is a graduate of NYU. Whoop De Do. I'm glad this woman has been skewered in the press. She deserves every bit of it. My educational background would put hers to shame, but I'm not about to go on about how I'm better than every one else. I realize that education doesn't make the person. When will people understand this? By the way, I'm an unemployed attorney at present. My education hasn't exactly opened up a lot of doors. Nevertheless, recent graduates seem to think they're the hottest thing since sliced bread since they have that undergraduate degree. These elites aren't doing you any favors. To the extent that I am in a position of hiring in the future (whether my own firm or otherwise), I for one plan to never hire an Ivy graduate. They can keep to themselves.

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  2. I would have told the rude passenger, "Well, it's time for me to toss your well-educated ass off the train. If you want, I can shove that phone up your ass, for good measure."

    Admittedly, I don't have much class - and that is fine with me. Manners are a luxury of wealthy people. When you are in the trenches, civility goes out the window. I laugh when detractors get upset because I trash law schools. Am I supposed to be polite when discussing the trash heap known as the law school industry?!

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  3. I can totally believe this. I am probably going to go to hell for even THINKING this (and will preface it with the note that I am myself, a lady), but I get this kind of imperious classist crap most often from women.

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  4. I'm of the opinion that mentioning how well one is educated is proof that they, in fact, aren't.

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  5. I tell ya its always just a shame to remember that people like this exist. Still its going to be all the more sweet when reality punches her in the throat like it does everybody else.

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  6. Actually, the quote you have at the bottom of the picture should be "elegance is LEARNED, my friend"
    This is the single of one Countess something or other from the show "Real housewives of NY"

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  7. Same as men who refer to themselves as "a gentleman." It's a sure sign he isn't.

    I feel class is a state of mind, not a socioeconomic level. I didn't come from high means but many would use the word "classy" to describe me. For one thing, I exercised serious restraint on my sister's wedding day when a now ex-friend chose to bring personal issues into the bridal suite right in front of her 4 year old daughter & tried baiting me into a fight. I could have responded to her little tirade but I chose to keep my mouth shut & not ruin my sister's wedding. I didn't even tell my sister until after the wedding but learned the ex-friend did, among other things to instigate matters.

    People who throw up degrees & their family name don't impress me; it just shows me you're an elitist snob who'd never last a second in real life. This coming from someone who's been called a snob by people she thought were snobs & could hold her own anywhere. I evaluate people as people & try not to hold that stuff against them unless it's deserved. If you think poor people can't be classist, you'd be dead wrong.

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