Wife Of TARP CEO Whines About Loss Of Luxury, Social Status

[Julius Civitatus]

Absolutely despicable! There are people that in this economic juncture whine and complain about not being able to buy new $250 jeans, or being seen shopping at Bergdorf Goodman. She has the gall to compare her current status to how "Mao frog-marched intellectuals into China's countryside".

There are monsters out there. And they are real:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/21/wife-of-tarp-ceo-whines-a_n_189758.html

Portfolio ran an anonymous piece today by a self-described TARP wife lamenting how far she's fallen both socially and monetarily. The article only serves to further the notion that perhaps one of the few silver linings of this financial crisis is to burst the bubble of the TARP wives. Except her bubble hasn't really burst, just punctured with the air slowly leaking out. What's always astonishing about these Wall Street "look how much worse my life is" pieces is that they're written with the belief that people, besides their friends at the country club, will have any sympathy for them whatsoever.

For example, take this paragraph:

I haven't even looked at spring clothes; God forbid someone catches me out in something new. Keeping up with fashion seems somehow decadent in this new era, like getting Botox injections or catered dinners... If I buy a present for someone, I have the package sent to their home. I don't want to be spotted climbing into a taxi, laden with Bergdorf Goodman shopping bags.

One senses that the spring fashions she would consider are not from The Gap because, really, if your new pair of pants is going to cost less than $250, is there a point in getting new pants? And then there is the line about buying presents. The point this wife seems to be missing is that she can still afford to, and still does, buy presents for friends at Bergdorf's. The only thing that's changed is she's embarrassed to be seen with the bags. This is not a real problem.

The next paragraph is equally cringe-worthy and it's only the third paragraph:

As you can see, being a TARP wife means, in short, making decisions according to a complex algorithm: balancing the need to look like your world hasn't crumbled beneath you--let's not alarm the investors!--with the need to appear duly repentant for your subprime sins. It also means we're part of the community of more than 400 companies that have received government bailout funds, whose fall from grace has been swifter and harsher than any since Mao frog-marched intellectuals into China's countryside.

As tasteless these sentences are, they nicely sum up the disconnect between this wife and the real world. The "complex algorithm" by which she lives her life is not complicated all. Expending energy to determine how much less money you have to spend to satisfy the need "to appear duly repentant" is what we call one of those "good problems." Most of America lives their lives by the complex algorithm of balancing the need for rent, food, and the occasional night out to blow off some steam.

The author acknowledges that hers are "luxury problems" but that she's still getting "squeezed." Sorry, but no, you're not getting "squeezed" if when planning your husband's birthday party "it came down to a choice between an especially accommodating (and well-known) high-end restaurant and a less expensive, clubbier spot" and you went for the cozier but more expensive place because it's "low-profile" and "rarely mentioned in the press" (as in, still famous enough to be mentioned in the press)
(...)

Somehow the figure of Marie Antoinette came to mind, after reading that piece.

[NightWatcher]

1. eat the rich.

they are the true fatted calves of our day and time

[Soylent Brice]

38. +1 shpadoinkle!!

[FiveGoodMen]

77. +2!

[SammyWinstonJack]

41. .

:applause:

[HamdenRice]

2. Are you sure this isn't satire? nt

[Julius Civitatus]

4. Apparently it's a legit anonymous article from Portfolio Magazine

Here's the link to the original:

http://www.portfolio.com/executives/2009/04/21/Confessions-of-a-Bailout-CEO-Wife?page=1#page=1

Portfolio is not the type of magazine that would satirize the extremely rich.

[glitch]

97. Intentionally. Turns out reality has its own satirical side.

I noticed the same thing when I watched the movie "Reversal of Fortune".

[Last Stand]

3. Damn, my violin's been foreclosed on. nt

[Coventina]

5. Wow. I have no words. I wish I could meet this "woman."

I could probably find the words then.....

Actually, I'd like to take her to a small Cambodian village where they are currently eating rats because of the global meltdown she caused. I'd just leave her there, and let her figure out how to manage....

[Missy Vixen]

18. So, she's actually running the bank or investment house?

>Actually, I'd like to take her to a small Cambodian village where they are currently eating rats because of the global meltdown she caused.<

It's interesting to me that there is so much Righteous Outrage over this woman's comments. SHE did not make the policies that led to the meltdown. SHE did not make the decisions. SHE is not the name on the brass plate on the office door, or on the letterhead.

She's a bit clueless, but she's not criminally responsible.

How would you like to be blamed for something you did not do?

[TahitiNut]

40. You seem to miss the fact that SHE did nothing to EARN her affluent lifestyle ... an entitlement.

Those who live off the spoils of corruption, whether they're Mafia wives or other parasites, have even less justification for their sense of entitlement.

[Missy Vixen]

56. TahitiNut, she's the member of a household

I don't care for her attitude, either, but banking used to be a fairly respectable profession.

My husband's the major breadwinner at our house; does that make me a "parasite", too?

[lumberjack_jeff]

63. I'm a stay-at-home dad.

I bring in intermittent income, economy permitting. I do the best job I can homemaking.

I do a large share of the household tasks, cooking, cleaning, parenting, transporting, banking, etc. Nevertheless, I am wholly cognizant that it is my wife's income on which the family's wellbeing depends.

If, like the woman in the op who contributes in no meaningful way to the family, my day were spent instead worrying about the appearances of where I shopped or the gifts I should buy friends, yes, it would be eminently fair to consider me a parasite.

[FiveGoodMen]

"does that make me a "parasite", too?" -- No

Not unless your husband is stealing what he brings home (which I'm assuming is NOT the case).

[Coventina]

74. She's guilty of having no human feeling.

I make no apologies for my post.

[truedelphi]

98. For one thing, Missy Vixen, I would be somewhat

Appeased if I could still be buying up designer clothes by the bagful.

But you do bring up a good point - she is just the wife and did not make the decisions.

[SammyWinstonJack]

103. She benefited from his decisions and is now whining that she can't keep up appearances.

Because his decisions aren't mainstream and everyday taxpayers are pissed at the greed displayed by her and her husband. :shrug: She is a parasite.

[HughBeaumont]

6. This is the world's most microscopic tear being shed for their most trying plights.

http://nymag.com/news/businessfinance/56151/

“AIG pissed some people off, and now you’re gonna screw everyone on Wall Street?” rails a laid-off JPMorgan vice-president. (Despite the honesty of the conversation, many did not wish to be quoted by name.)

“No offense to Middle America, but if someone went to Columbia or Wharton, their company is a fumbling, mismanaged bank, why should they all of a sudden be paid the same as the guy down the block who delivers restaurant supplies for Sysco out of a huge, shiny truck?” e-mails an irate Citigroup executive to a colleague.

“I’m not giving to charity this year!” one hedge-fund analyst shouts into the phone, when I ask about Obama’s planned tax increases. “When people ask me for money, I tell them, ‘If you want me to give you money, send a letter to my senator asking for my taxes to be lowered.’ I feel so much less generous right now. If I have to adopt twenty poor families, I want a thank-you note and an update on their lives. At least Sally Struthers gives you an update.”

It is difficult to sympathize with these people, their comments laced with snobbery and petulance. But you can understand their shock: Their world has been turned on its head. After years of enjoying favorable tax rates, they are facing an administration that wants to redistribute their wealth. Their industry is being reordered—no one knows what Wall Street will look like in a few years. They are anxious, and their anxiety is making them mad.

Their anger takes many forms: There is rage at Obama for pushing to raise taxes (“The government wants me to be a slave!” says one hedge-fund analyst); rage at the masses who don’t understand that Wall Street’s high salaries fund New York’s budget (“We’re fucked,” says a former Lehman equities analyst, referring to the city); rage at the people who don’t “get” that Wall Street enables much of the rest of the economy to function (“JPMorgan and all these guys should go on strike—see what happens to the country without Wall Street,” says another hedge-funder).

Margin call, bitches.

[Coventina]

11. Good gravy, it's like they WANT us to guillotine them!

I'm against the DP, but yeesh.....these guys almost make me want to reconsider....

[Julius Civitatus]

7. NY Magazine has unmasked the anonymous TARP wife...

She is Liz Peek, the wife of CIT Group's Jeffrey M. Peek:



http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/04/who_is_the_anonymous_tarp_wife.html

[bkkyosemite]

8. Hilarious! What a poor poverty stricken wife.

[Romulox]

9. Reads like "false flag" propaganda to me (not that I have any sympathy...) nt

[Julius Civitatus]

10. She's been unmasked: It's Liz Peek, wife of CIT's CEO Jeffrey M. Peek

It's a real letter, apparently:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/04/who_is_the_anonymous_tarp_wife.html

[Mari333]

12. is it THIS Liz Peek????

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/author/lizpeek/

[Julius Civitatus]

She's a former New York Sun business columnist

I believe we are talking about the same Liz Peek.

[Mari333]

15. yep. shes a fox shill too.

what a bitch.

[Romulox]

24. Wow. Turns out that Ms. Peek is a moron lacking in all self-awareness.

I stand corrected.

[Julius Civitatus]

28. Yes, Romulox: there are people this callous out there

She's also a financial columnist for... get ready for this... FOX NEWS!

[HughBeaumont]

32. Read the article I posted above, called "The Wail of the 1%"

That's callousness and self-importance at it's most cringeworthy.

[glitch]

100. Easy to see where you made your mistake.

Liz Peek reeks of 'false-flag propaganda' even when she's talking about her own personal life. It's a Fox thing, it leaches into every aspect of their lives. They believe, live and breath their work, even after they retire.

I am sure it's in the 'Collaborator' job description.

[supernova]

13. She needs a job at a fast food outlet

Let her see how real people life.

:eyes;

I have no patience for this crappy behavior. She hasn't learned a damn thing.

[Mari333]

14. more on Liz Peek the whiner

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04222009/news/regionalnews/poor_bailout_wife__i_cant_flaunt_my__165606.htm

wahhhhh wahhhhh wahhhhh


the comments on there are priceless............................

[Canuckistanian]

48. "Her wealth???? ... She is nothing more than a hooker with a marriage license"

:rofl:

[janx]

50. Well...think about it.

It's true! ;-)

[Mari333]

58. LOL

[AspenRose]

82. Oh, wow.

"Even Octomom gets better press," she said."

Yikes. :wow:

[islandgirl808]

16. geez

can we just poke these people's eye out with a fork already??

[SOS]

17. "I don't want to be spotted climbing into a taxi, laden with Bergdorf Goodman shopping bags."

One day I was waiting for a bus on Sutton Place in Manhattan.
A limo pulled up to Alan Greenspan's building.
The doorman rushed out to help the driver. There was no passenger.
The entire limo, trunk and passenger area, was packed with shopping bags from Saks, Bergdorf etc.

A glimpse into the life of our overlords.

[Missy Vixen]

27. And those stores employ people who need a paycheck

It's amusing to me that there are so many here who don't seem to realize that there are others who make a living because "Saks, Bergdorf, etcetera," remain open.

I'm not happy about the financial meltdown, either. We're currently unemployed. At the same time, I am not stupid enough to think that it's a great thing those who can afford Saks and Bergdorf aren't shopping.

I suppose those that formerly worked there can live on the self-righteous rants of those who bitch about "our overlords," can't they?

[SOS]

49. You picked the wrong person to call "self-righteous"

I formerly worked at Saks. It was an underpaid nightmare.
Minimum wage, no benefits and we were searched every day on the way out of the store.
At the time, I was paid $4.50 an hour. You call that "a living'? I call it what it was: poverty.

There must have been $50,000 worth of stuff in that car.
If American workers were paid a decent salary, maybe we could all occasionally splurge on a $500 shirt or a $40,000 dress.

And if hedge fund hustlers hadn't dumped a billion dollars of debt onto Saks, they would be in no danger of going under.

[hfojvt]

68. Why would anybody want to spend $500 on a shirt?

Much less $40,000 on a dress? Lots of people could probably buy $500 shirts if they wanted to. I could, and I only make $12,000 a year. But is any shirt really worth $500?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

73. It's made out of poor people.

[anonymous171]

19. I wish we could march them off somewhere.

And make them all work for minimum wage.

[Mari333]

20. 'before her poverty stricken fall'

http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2008/February/about_Valentine%27s_Day_Party_at_Liz_and_Jeffrey_Peek%27s.htm

[Lance_Boyle]

42. Is that "Sweet Caroline" Kennedy

in the second pic, schmoozing with these fuckwads??? Holding a featherduster?

[Mari333]

43. no its mr and mrs richard cashin

whoever they are. (blurb is under the picture at the link)

[janx]

46. That is one ugly dress.

And what's the other woman holding, a feather duster? What odd photos!

[Mari333]

53. perhaps she was 'slumming'

you know..carrying around the knick knacks of the little people..
I have a feeling its some other odd froufrou circa Tiffanys that she flits about with whilst schmoozing with her petit bourgeousie flibberdegibbits.

[janx]

60. But it looks like a feather duster!!!

:rofl:

It's ridiculous!! :rofl:

[Mari333]

61. I am going down to the dollar store in town

and get one for myself! Its all the rage in NEW YORK high society!

[janx]

66. Wait, LOOK! Liz has one too!

It's in the first photo. I had to save the photo to my machine and then open it and zoom in on it, but it looks like some kind of feather fan!!

:rofl:

[Mari333]

70. okay !! I FOUND it..they are the IN thing

http://images.google.com/images?q=feather%20fan&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi


for the well to do...

but what I want to know, is, why dont they use them for THIS!! at least THEN she would have a JOB

[janx]

72. ...

:rofl: !!!!!!!

[Mari333]

21. "Obama ignores tea parties at his Peril" by Liz Peek

the utter HUBRIS of this woman!!!









'More than 250,000 feisty Americans took to the streets this week to protest high taxes and rising government spending. Curiously, the media — and the White House — treated this outpouring of anger as insignificant. Though we are supposed to take seriously Barney Frank’s outrage over AIG bonuses, apparently ordinary taxpayers are motivated by some “special interests.” Yes they are — their own interests!

Americans are not stupid. They fear the huge deficits stemming from the budget proposed by President Obama, and they know that someone is going to have to pay for them. Moreover, they recognize that in all likelihood the numbers will only get worse. Indeed, only weeks after the budget was released, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that total outlays would exceed Obama’s projections by $2.3 trillion between 2010 and 2019. And that was before Congress axed some provisions that would have raised revenue'










http://www.wowowow.com/politics/barack-obama-tea-parties-economy-recession-liz-peek-270557

[Romulox]

23. How can someone living off of taxpayer $$$ be a tax protestor?

The lack of self-awareness among America's wealthy explodes any notion that we have a meritocracy.

[Mari333]

25. she loves the tea party people because

they attack the poor, not the wealthy. and I have a sneaking suspicion she thinks that she is ENTITLED to taxpayers money because her shit doesnt stink.

[lunatica]

36. What shit? She has the help do that for her

[janx]

44. Not all wealthy Americans are like this woman.

There are the wealthy who flaunt it and the wealthy who don't.

[Hello_Kitty]

81. It's not the flaunting that's the problem. It's her selfishness, greed, and hypocrisy. eom

[janx]

83. Agreed! n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

91. She's currently not flaunting, which burns her but

The flaunting is not the point. I am sure that you don't understand why.

[janx]

96. I understand why quite well.

;-)

[HughBeaumont]

33. A) Liz, ordinary taxpayers DID vote for their own interests in 2008.

B) Where were you and the ihateObamaAndDemocrats crowd during 1980-2008?

C) Who was president in 2008?

D) There's no such thing as a "Self Made (insert prefix here)ionaire".

[HughBeaumont]

34. Dupe

[backtoblue]

22. Pity

I guess this is the "trickle up" response to the "trickle down" BS.

[snooper2]

26. To put a face with it...

[BR_Parkway]

108. Geeze, this woman wears some ugly clothes - Obama's done

her a favor by curtailing her shopping if you ask me.

[madmom]

29. Did none of these socialites save any of the money they've been stea--oops earning over the years?

Why can't they dip into their Swiss bank accounts and continue to live the good life?

[Mari333]

31. hopefully her swiss bank account is being seized by the IRS as we speak

I can dream

[Mari333]

30. here are Liz's Campaign Contributions...

no surprise here...


http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/elizabeth-peek.asp?cycle=08

[janx]

52. Her occupations are listed as homemaker and free-lance journalist.

Translation: She doesn't have a job.

[Mari333]

54. LOL

[Missy Vixen]

59. There are many women who are homemakers and don't bring in cash

You're not going down that road, are you?

I don't care for her attitude, either, but after reading the rest of her letter, it sounds like her husband is not in good health. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

[janx]

62. Yes, there are many women who are homemakers and don't bring in cash.

But how many have husbands who have lavish lifestyle and get bailed out with taxpayer money, and how many complain about that?

[Mari333]

64. never fear, her husband will get the health care he needs

by the best doctors in manhattan.
in the meantime she will have to downsize her wardrobe from Yves St Laurent to some off the rack frock from Macy's and perhaps drive the Rolls Royce less, or maybe change her chauffer to an illegal immigrant to save money.
and she might have to dump one of her Faberge eggs. pity!

[wolfgangmo]

90. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy either.

Because I don't like my worst enemy.

This twit actually thinks that she has it bad. Good grief.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

102. Somebody that rich isn't washing the dishes.

They have maids for that.

[mrbarber]

114. Wow, another post defending her.

You are really on a roll!

[Reterr]

67. Translation: She doesn't have a job.

Exactly! Won't stop her or any of her ilk from telling working/middle class Americans about how they are poor because they are lazy.

Being a home-maker when you are middle/working class is one thing, but my honest impression of some of these "high society wives" based on the ones I have had the misfortune to encounter is really that some of them do fit the stereotype of the glamor-puss that just sits around all day worried about socializing, shopping and make-up, while a nanny takes care of the kids and the house-keeper takes care of the house.
Not all of them of course as with anything. But there is a significant chunk that fits the mold. Those ones are always Republican too...

[janx]

92. It's hard to believe that anyone could be so stupid as to

write something like this, given the situation.

[lunatica]

35. Years ago I was a volunteer driver for elderly concert goers

They were all wealthy older women, mostly widows who went to classical concerts and who were driven by volunteer drivers (who got into the concerts for free). One day one of them said she wished she could wear her fur coat and for the rest of the trip they all chimed in to talk about how unfair it is they can't wear their furs for fear of someone throwing paint on them. The wealthy really resent not being able to show their wealth.

And if you go to a wealthy person's party and compliment them on the beautiful flower arrangement they will respond by saying, "Oh isn't it lovely? Gustav so and so (the most expensive flower arranger in town) created it and it cost me $5,000.00." The wealthy woman might have a very creative talent herself for making flower arrangements but it would be height of faux passery to arrange her own and not have the most expensive flower arranger in town do it. This explains the rich in one example. It's all about flaunting the finery. To be seen in the most expensive dress, to be acknowledged as the wife of the richest man, etc. They'll wear a piece of ill fitting and insanely designed crap as long as everyone knows it's tres expensive.

[Mari333]

37. my dad always said, and he was RIGHT

"all the money in the world doesnt buy a person an OUNCE OF CLASS."

[janx]

47. That certainly seems to be the case here!

:rofl:

[AspenRose]

That makes sense

Thank you for explaining why some of the richest people wear some of the most hideous outfits I've ever seen. I always thought it was a case of "money can't buy you taste, class or style", but what you say makes sense.

[bertman]

39. TARP wife. Yeah, if she were my wife, I'd definitely cover her with a tarp.

[smokey nj]

76. This post made me laugh.

Thanks!

[bertman]

93. 'twas my pleasure, smokey nj.

[PA Democrat]

45. Hey Liz, no matter how much you spend on clothing, you are a shallow and ugly person.

[Lugnut]

51. Awww. Poor thing.

:nopity:

[janx]

55. Read the full letter!!!

http://www.portfolio.com/executives/2009/04/21/Confessions-of-a-Bailout-CEO-Wife?page=1#page=1

:rofl:

"In an effort to conserve cash, we are eating out less frequently, meaning that I’ve been turning out some pretty dreadful lasagna. Actually, staying home and watching Law & Order reruns has become our new guilty pleasure. It’s a far cry from opening night at the Metropolitan Opera, but it’s not bad. I drive the family crazy by switching off the lights every time we leave a room. Needless to say, we fly commercial. Using the company plane is now out of bounds; we’ve heard there are reporters staking out the private airports.

I have become oddly superstitious. On some level, I feel I’m being punished for too many thoughtless years of assuming that the trappings of success were earned and not given. I’m constantly knocking on wood or offering little good-citizen sacrifices, like manically recycling or chatting with telemarketers."


"I’ve watched the skin under my husband’s eyes take on a yellowish hue, and his hair turn from gray to grayer, as he tries to lead his company through this mess. He’s up every night for hours at a stretch, and for the first time, he has health issues. For a person whose life has been punctuated mainly by success—from perennial class president and high-school sports star to Ivy League MBA—failure is the worst of all nightmares. He seems off balance, as though self-confidence were a physical ballast that he is slowly losing. It’s heartbreaking how often he apologizes to me for losing so much of our money, for making so many mistakes."

[Kansas Wyatt]

78. This witch has the nerve to say that...

While millions of Americans are thrown under the bus and left to die on the streets, because of what people like this do to the under-classes?

She needs to be shunned everywhere she goes, and I hope she receives a lot of hate mail for speaking out against how their "success" (failed frauds) is rewarded.

[janx]

80. YEP,

And for more information about the reason the woman flaunts her wealthy status, note posts 71 and 75 in this thread.

[frebrd]

57. This woman has never encountered reality in her life. eom

[Reterr]

65. Poor thing

:cry:

[adamuu]

69. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww n/t

[Mari333]

71. WSJ blog. "TARP Wife cries Big Crocodile Tears" Robert Frank

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/04/22/tarp-wife-cries-crocodile-bag-tears/

[janx]

75. Check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/Richistan-Journey-Through-American-Wealth/product-reviews/0307341453/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

It's a review of a book the WSJ author (Robert Frank, the writer you pointed out) wrote. The book is titled Richistan. Note especially:

"90% of these new rich came from middle or lower class backgrounds and everything about them is different from the stereotypes of the "old" rich: how they made their money, how they spend it, how they give it away."

[Mari333]

85. omg the comments on the amazon page are priceless

"Vulgaria" LOL

[janx]

88. It would explain her taste in dresses, no?

:rofl:

I'm normally not this catty, really...but this woman is a moral imbecile and now I will stop at nothing!

[Mari333]

89. new money=bad taste

in Vulgaria, where the McMansions sprout up like large monoliths replacing the trees. Ive seen it in my town too, people in their Lamberghinis and badly named yachts. They chop down ALL the old trees and put up monstrosities with huge Foyers .
we have a lot of poor artists around here, some of them are wonderful. so we have some art galleries. One woman from Chicago came in to one of the local galleries and sniffed "You have ART in this town?"
As if they are cultured..bet she doesnt know a Monet from a Manet.
You cannot buy class!

[janx]

94. Is this a quote from one of the book reviews?

?

[Mari333]

99. no its my own

but check this book out..
BOBOS IN PARADISE

this one looks even better

'You've seen them: They sip double-tall, nonfat lattes, chat on cell phones, and listen to NPR while driving their immaculate SUVs to Pottery Barn to shop for $48 titanium spatulas. They tread down specialty cheese aisles in top-of-the-line hiking boots and think nothing of laying down $5 for an olive-wheatgrass muffin. They're the bourgeois bohemians--"Bobos"--an unlikely blend of mainstream culture and 1960s-era counterculture that, according to David Brooks, represents both America's present and future: "These Bobos define our age. They are the new establishment. Their hybrid culture is the atmosphere we all breathe. Their status codes now govern social life." Amusing stereotypes aside, they're an "elite based on brainpower" and merit rather than pedigree or lineage: "Dumb good-looking people with great parents have been displaced by smart, ambitious, educated, and antiestablishment people with scuffed shoes."

Bobos in Paradise is a brilliant, breezy, and often hilarious study of the "cultural consequences of the information age." Large and influential (especially in terms of their buying power), the Bobos have reformed society through culture rather than politics, and Brooks clearly outlines this passing of the high-class torch by analyzing nearly all aspects of life: consumption habits, business and lifestyle choices, entertainment, spirituality, politics, and education. Employing a method he calls "comic sociology," Brooks relies on keen observations, wit, and intelligence rather than statistics and hard theory to make his points. And by copping to his own Bobo status, he comes across as revealing rather than spiteful in his dead-on humor. Take his description of a typical grocery store catering to discriminating Bobos: "The visitor to Fresh Fields is confronted with a big sign that says 'Organic Items today: 130.' This is like a barometer of virtue. If you came in on a day when only 60 items were organic, you'd feel cheated. But when the number hits the three figures, you can walk through the aisles with moral confidence."

http://www.amazon.com/Bobos-Paradise-Upper-Class-There/dp/B0013L4E66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240432593&sr=1-1

[janx]

101. Yeah, but I think this is a distinct group entirely.

?.

[Mari333]

104. sorry, I am still not completely briefed on the classist society here

theres the uber rich, the sort of rich and the faux rich
one has beluga caviar, one has regular caviar, and one has an occasional outing at Barneys steak house.
It gets so confusing...

[glitch]

105. Old money = bad taste also. It's like nobody even remembers the Bushes anymore. nt

[Mari333]

110. you are right!! how could I forget Laura's drapery dresses!

okay heres another story from my life.

When GW was inaugurated, my husband and I went to DC to protest.

we stayed at a swanky hotel, and oddly enough, a large number of very wealthy and 'prestigious' republicans stayed there also.

The night of the balls, my husband and I sat in the lobby and watched the parade of Bushites come down the stairs, and it was an eyeful.

High haired women, awash in VO5, large potbellied men in tuxedos replete with cowboys boots and 10 gallon hats, women and girls oozing in HUGE diamonds, makeup so thick you needed a chisel to remove it, little cowboy ties on the men, and all of them drunk and loud and saying things like
"ITS ABOUT TIME WE HAD SOME RICH FOLKS IN THE WHITE HOUSE YEEHAW WE GONNA SHOW EM WHAT REAL CLASS IS!"

I kid you not.
dont even ask me about the fur coats. They must have killed every varmint in Texas to cover these broads.

My husband and I loved watching them in their element.

The staff at the hotel LOVED us, because we were protesters. They said the GOPers were rude, didnt tip, and treated them like shit.

In other words, NO class.

[glitch]

113. I know! I think everyone wants to forget them as soon as they possibly can.

Tooo funny about the people at the hotel. On the one hand, I hate it when people parody themselves, on the other hand I just love it.

What does that say about me? :crazy:

edit: I was looking for a pic I remember of Junior leaving the White House in black cowboy hat, black cowboy boots and a long black wool overcoat, but I can't find it. It stuck in my mind as an absolutely perfect self-parody (and I couldn't even see his socks with their presidential seal!)

[janx]

115. You were actually there for that?!

:rofl:

What I witnessed on television was bad enough! I cannot imagine having been there. Did you get any pics?

[Mari333]

117. yes but I dont have them online

I have a faux fur coat..its not real fur but it looks real..
We took a cab to the protest, it was really cold out that day.
as we were driving there, a woman in a REAL fur was waving down the cab..
it was VERY crowded and hard to find cabs, so I told the driver to stop for her
he did.
we shared the ride for a while and she made the comment
:OH MY GOD! THESE PROTESTERS ARE EVERYWHERE! I WISH THEY WOULD LEAVE OUR PRESIDENT ALONE:

I smiled at her and said "we are protesters"

she looked at me, mouth agape, and said

"BUT YOU CANT BE A PROTESTER!! YOU ARE WEARING A FUR!!"

hell, it was worth the trip for just that moment.

[janx]

116. Laura comes from old money, if I remember correctly.

The upholstery dresses with the big buttons were probably her attempt to appear "conservative" in a Barbara Bush kind of way. ?

Laura's family were democrats, and I think she was a debutante. I'll look it up.

[glitch]

118. Barbara Bush's Favorite Designer On Michelle Obama's Style: "Something Is Amiss"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/22/arnold-scaasi-barbara-bus_n_189731.html

:rofl:

[leftofthedial]

79. I wonder if Tim Geithner knows about this.

I'm sure he could get her a few extra mil to alleviate her unconscionable suffering.

[Froward69]

84. Now for the harsher deeper question...

Does she still love her husband???

I ask as I am currently seeing marriages falling apart all around me, as the women in some of those say the same thing. "he can't maintain my lifestyle anymore".

boo fucking hoo... (from the proud son of a garbage man.) :crazy: :eyes: :mad: :eyes: :crazy:

[Mari333]

86. this has gone VIRAL , she needs to go into hiding

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6150091.ece

[janx]

87. GOOD.

I hope it's on the nightly news. ;-)

[glitch]

95. What kind of pathology is this? Narcissism? Malignant narcissism?

Sociopathology? Damaged or no frontal lobe? What's going on here?

[Blue_Tires]

106. there is a notorious blog of women with this mindset

i just cant't remember the name now...and while i see the woman in the OP is nothing but a FOX news shill disguised as everywoman, the vapid women in that blog (younger and wannabe-hipper) were even more over-the-top....


oh wait i found it: DABA:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/28/wall-street-wives-and-gir_n_161573.html

[Mari333]

107. welfare queens on the taxpayers dole!!

they need to SUCK IT UP.

[janx]

111. ??? This can't be real.

Their mission statement:

"Are you or someone you love dating a banker? If so, we are here to support you through these difficult times. Dating A Banker Anonymous (DABA) is a safe place where women can come together - free from the scrutiny of feminists- and share their tearful tales of how the mortgage meltdown has affected their relationships. DABA Girls was started by two best friends whose relationships tanked with the economy. Not knowing what else to do, we did what frustrated but articulate girls have done since the beginning of time - we started a blog. So if your monthly Bergdorf's allowance has been halved and bottle service has all but disappeared from your life, lighten your heart with laughter and email your stories to [e-mail]. Warning all stories sent will be infused with our own special brand of DABA Girl humor."

Free from the scrutiny of feminists? :shrug:

And what on earth is a bottle service?

"Not knowing what else to do, we did what frustrated but articulate girls have done since the beginning of time - we started a blog." Girls?

And I didn't know that blogs had been around since the beginning of time--did you?

[Blue_Tires]

119. bottle service is a way to *really* show your wealth in da club:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Bottle service is a feature of many upscale bars and nightclubs where patrons may purchase entire bottles of liquor for their personal consumption.

The purchase of bottle service typically includes a reserved table for the patron's party and mixers of the patron's choice. Bottle service often includes the services of a VIP host, who will ensure that patrons have sufficient mixers and will often make drinks using the patrons' liquor bottle and mixers. The purchase of bottle service sometimes results in cover charge being waived for the purchaser's party, and often allows patrons to bypass entrance lines.

The cost of a bottle at a bar or club is usually extremely marked up, often by 1000% or more, and can comprise a significant portion of an establishment's revenue. <1>.

[Mudoria]

109. While I eat my gruel I'll think sympathetic thoughts for her plight lol

[Vinca]

112. Well, doesn't this just break your heart?

Poor thing. She might have to wear last spring's designer duds . . . or as she probably calls them, sackcloth and ashes.