Gordon and I always laughed about buying a house in upscale Birmingham (north of Detroit) and sitting on the front porch in cutoffs and tank tops, drinking beer just to irritate all those stuck up people.

There was a time when we were considered "rich", when our combined income was $145K a year. But I still shopped at discount stores, still used coupons, watched for sales, and treated people with respect no matter who they were.

Although I'd like to think it's because I also recall scraping by as a kid, food stamps, those once a month lines where you'd get free no-brand foods, etc., I think respect for people "less" than oneself is something you learn and practice no matter what.

One of Gordon's friends growing up who was no better off than Gordon was while growing up, became a doctor (an anesthesiologist). He and his wife moved to Birmingham, and once he was invited to join the country club and they began moving in a more upper class social circle, we never heard from him again. Our phone calls and invitations went unanswered. We were no longer in their social class and therefore not worth retaining as friends. Sad, really.

Well that's really lame. I "slum" around with college kids, retail workers, etc., because they're my friends. I'd never think of not inviting them to my parties just because they make less money.

I find it odd that you seem to see that in 'rich' people and apply it to them. I live in a very economically depressed area where 80% of people are on food stamps and public assistance (I deal with them every day in my job), and I can tell you that they get out of their SUVs (yes, they have them, and the state helps pay for it, their gas mileage, AND maintainance on said SUVs) and treat the wait staff at resturaunts like crap, dont hold doors open, etc. I treat people (everyone) nice, and hold doors open because I was taught that. It isn't an economic issue, it is an attitude issue. Anyone who has everything handed to them will expect that from everyone else, be it 'rich' people, or the 'poor' people that the state/government hands everything to because they both choose not to work and to have someone else care for them. At a past job, a girl that was a regular customer came in often in her nice, big, shiny new Xterra with her food stamps, which she would use a couple stapms on candy to get change so she could use the change to get her cigs, and then she'd use her well fare check to buy Ben & Jerry's, Fiji Water, and uber-expensive stuff. She didn't work, and the state paid her way. One good thing that WV started doing was the EBT card. No longer do they have food stamps that allow them to get ANY change back. But she didn't work, lived off the system, and was just as much of a snob to the people that worked there and others around her, as the so-called 'rich' people.

CPLady's experience is a reflection of what true friendship is and is indeed sad, although the Doctor will probably never realise the fact. I couldn't agree more with Tekno, good manners have nothing to do with socio-economic status. One respects others because you learned or earned the value of respect and consequently treat others as you would hope to be treated. I also suspect, that Jeff doesn't really look down on "stupid" people, just people with stupid behaviors.