Middle Class America

I grew up in what I thought was a wealthy area. My neighborhood was brand new with houses going up each day, huge yards, swimming pools etc. I had a professional basketball player on my street who we used to bug for autographs every time he had the team over.

The inhabitants of the neighborhood next door obviously thought they were entitled too. Most of the women of this neighboring development did not work and spent their days lunching, shopping, playing tennis in their mini skirts with all their veins and business hanging out for the world to see. Then they would rush home to feed their overfed kids their snacks before shuttling them to ballet, boy scouts, swimming etc. These uppity woman walked around with their noses in the air. They threw pre-prom and homecoming parties exclusively for their neighborhood...no one else was welcome. They were all good white churchgoers. At that time I can't recall one African-American family in that neighborhood and my people certainly were not invited to participate in their National Charity League luncheons.

I guess I was just reminded about this the other night when I was flipping through the tv and stopped on some reality show...I think it was some kind of race around the world. It was the very end and the two losers (I'm not being mean, they actually lost) were these blond women. So one of them says something like, we come from a privileged lifestyle...we get our manicures, pedicures and facials blah, blah, blah and then proceeded to say how proud she was that they did this race. I know they edit these shows to make the people look worse than they are, but come on...I'm sure she's middle America with her $22 combination manicure and pedicure. Get a job and life! You may be privileged, but not for the reasons you think. Those nail salons are filthy by the way and the fumes will kill you...but go ahead and get your weekly dose of poison.

So fast forward a few decades...many of those perfect little households in that neighborhood, and in mine as well, have dissipated. I've heard many stories of these women being forced to find jobs in Hallmark shops and clothing stores to pay the massive dept they accrued all those years shopping.

I'm not sure why I'm so bitchy...I don't mean to take pleasure from the downfall of others. I just can't help but think how horrible these women were to me and others simply because they thought they were so much better. I was young, shy and naive and sustained so much emotional and verbal abuse from these nasty women and my elementary teachers too...but that's another blog.

I've since seen true wealth. I work in an affluent area. I will likely never drive cars as nice as my students. That said, my students have class, an interest in the environment and a commitment to bettering the world and they don't walk around treating others like they are less than human because of money, skin color, religion, or neighborhood.

I know this has nothing to do with my IF, but I'm still just hanging out til Dec. 11th and I still don't feel pregnant so I haven't much to say on that subject. I'm so angry right now...I'm certain it's PMS.