[quote=Cabal] Believe it or not, they live check to check supporting the McMansion and lifestyle. Not long ago, he ask her to consider getting a job or cut back on discretionary spending. Her answer was “No, if I have to get a job what do I need you for?” The arrogance and sense of entitlement is just unbelievable. This may be an extreme example, but in my experience, there are many women with similar attitudes, especially in mid-upper class north county society. The keeping up with Joneses mentality and competitive nature of these women is truly frightening. I can only conclude that irrational fear of losing everything can drive women to be this way.
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Cabal: If anything, the situation you describe above has only grown worse during the downturn. The parents of one of my players were hammered over the last few years (he was a mortgage broker and she was a Realtor) and their standard of living has plummeted. They seemed to tolerate each other before, but now it’s turned vile and she openly berates him publicly, which is painful and embarrassing to watch. He is a decent enough sort, and he almost acts like he deserves this treatment from her.
I know the kid is humiliated by this, but it’s not the exception, unfortunately. This entitlement mentality was very strong for a lot of folks and now that things have turned ugly, they’ve turned on each other. I don’t get the sense of shared sacrifice or determination (what my dad would call “grit” or “sand”) to weather the storm, what I get is middle-aged spoiled brats pissed off that the party has stopped.
Like I said in my earlier post, the sense of disconnection from reality is amazing and more than a little frightening. My grandma lived through the Great Depression and she was one tough lady, believe me. No bitching, no complaining; just a rock solid work ethic and the discipline to ride out the tough times.
