Not to say that one mustn't date outside their social class. But it feels like it causes stress with expectations and the cultural differences. The poorer partner will have more responsibilities with taking care of family, and possibly more day to day stress, which the posher partner might not be able to have any empathy for. It seems like richer people do leisure better, and I often hear the richer partner complain that "my gf/bf doesn't do anything". Well they don't have the material ability to kite surf or travel internationally. Seeing each other's respective living spaces can be a shock for someone who's used to a settler level of comfort.
I've definitely dated quite well off people in the past, and it didn't go well. One woman used to insist on showing me her paystub every fortnight?? Another guy would take me to posh restaurants but then get paranoid we'd be seen. Not to say that I'm perfect, I definitely used to look for people with similar degree levels when I was dating.
More power to those that can transcend it all. Sometimes it feels like only the super rich can do it well, as they can just buy the other partner's parents a new home and make all the problems go away with money.
Communism would make dating easier.
not a chance I could relate enough to a leisure-class passive income person. at best I would be a curiosity to them, having worked jobs and lived in communities they build walls to prevent themselves from seeing.
I did know someone that did date a trust fund guy. they were both weirdos imo and in their mid 20s. when she told me he literally did nothing all day except watch DVDs in his lux ass downtown apartment and wait for her to come home, I said,
"If I was rich as fuck enough to set up my kid for life, I would make it so the trust ended when they hit 30 and all the money went to charity or something. just totally pull the rug out and make it so they have no idea it's coming."
the other poverty wage people nearby started laughing and she asked "why?" I said something like "it would build character and teach them a lot about life." and she looked at me like I had driven a tank through her dream house.
I wasn't even a leftist back then, but I had just started intersecting with the mega rich 1% that orbit the non-profit/charity machine. and their aloof decadence in the midst of so much deprivation and struggle made me so angry.
I'm a white collar labor aristocrat, but I still have trouble relating to real PMC people. There's some kind of "every interaction must signal or produce status" thing they have going on. When I first noticed it, I put it down to me being neurospicy, but I get along fine with eg public school teachers, so I think there has to be a class aspect.
Have you read the tyranny of merit? It's not materialist analysis at all but it's relevant for understanding the modern self-image of the "PMC" class.
Added to TBR, thanks.
yoink'd
Ya they're unavoidable there. They're basically paying cool people to be their friends.
Bet that he's a total shithead now. Probably a massive chud with a particular right-wing thing that he's pushing over everyone.
Honestly, that is probably the best thing a trust fund kid could do.