What's classy if someone's well-off, but trashy if someone's poor?

I’ve always thought “trashy” and “classy” were judgments more in the mind of the beholder than the beholdee.

Talking like someone from the hood. If you are rich and pick up phrases from listening to hip hop then you are cool. If you are actually from the hood, you talk that way because you are ignorant.

Trashy: Walking around with a paper bag around a bottle most of the time.
Trashy: Your ass is falling out of your pants or your boobs.
Trashy; Using curse words all the time.
Trashy: Wearing the same dirty clothes for a few days. (unless you are homeless) I came from a very poor family and so did my mom. She always said that so long as you have access to clean water, your clothes should always be washed. We always had a change of clean clothes each day to wear.
Trashy: Always looking unkept
Classy: Clean (The clothes could be worn or old. As long as it’s clean)
Classy: Holding up to your own standard. Not getting in the muck with people who are Trashy.
Classy: Being considerate of others
Classy: Not considering those who are born different from you as not being your equal.
Classy: Just being a decent human being.

@pachy But of course they are. That’s exactly the point of my question – when wealthy and poor people have the same behavior, the beholder sees it differently, as either classy or trashy. Rich people get a pass, but nobody cuts any slack to the poor.

Go shopping at Walmart at like 3AM. All sorts of classy and trashy.

Multiple sexual partners, female. Independent woman, making her own choices, supping at the banquet of life, and bucking the patriarchy v. slut

Multiple sexual partners, mail. A guy who has it all v. “Irresponsible pig! How many illegitimate babies has he made?”

Sleeping outdoors
Drinking wine
Divorce
Exotic pets (like a pig in the house)

If a behaviour is trashy, it’s trashy. How can you tell if someone is well off? Some rich people dress and behave very badly and some poor people take great pride in the appearance and behave very well. If their behaviour is trashy (or classy), I don’t attach a judgement based on their wealth or position in life.

Apparently asking a woman out or flirting is wrong when your poor.

Driving an old car or truck
(I drive a 2000 Tahoe. I’ll let you decide where I fit on the spectrum.)

Wearing ripped jeans, as well as old/ old fashioned and used clothes.

Rich people buy ripped jeans and it’s fashionable and “second hand”. Poor people do the same and it’s pitiful.

Wow. GQ! My sister is quite well off, by virtue of her own hard work and the life decisions she’s made. We don’t talk much any more, but I had reason to stop by her house a few months ago….and I was shocked. It’s a huge house. A very nice house. A very expensive house. They’ve lived there for about 20 years. The last time I was there was about 10 years ago.
When I went by recently….it was like a fucking high class trailer trash dump. It wasn’t dirty….I’m sure she pays a cleaning woman…but you couldn’t get to the front porch without going through a gate, an electric fence, and 2 pit bulls. They had to come out and escort us. Then there were more dogs in the house. There was a sign denoting two crossed pistols above the garage door. They had a confederate flag flying off of the front porch. Inside, one of the windows was covered by a damn blanket.
It was insane. I was so shocked. Even my husband was shocked and he’s a damn redneck!
But, I am sure that in my sister’s mind, all of that was perfectly acceptable because they have so much money.

^^^ Does your sister have any hoarding issues? (Not that hoarding would explain the Confederate flag, but I digress…)

If she’s a hoarder, and if she’s well-off, I guess we need to call her “eccentric.” If she were poor, she’d be “crazy” or “out of her mind.”

By the way, is this the same sister who excluded you from her daughter’s wedding because you’re not wealthy enough? If yes, there are plenty of clues about mental instability.

No, she doesn’t have hoarding issues. However, the man she married is a red neck. He’s racist too. She met him when they were 18, and some of his attitudes shocked me even then.
I don’t know if my sister excluded me, but I was excluded. That really, really hurt. Really hurt.
Her youngest invited me to her HS graduation party. Don’t know what my sister thought of it, but we all had the BEST time. My sister and I were in the kitchen just chatting away. She used to be my BEST friend. I don’t know what happened. She won’t tell me. I only know she started pulling away after my divorce, and especially after I became a very poor, single parent.

^^^ Yes, I remember how hurt you were. That’s why I can still recall the incident, even after all this time.

Thank you. How I found out was my Dad’s wife was visiting from Florida. She had a variety of things to do, and she mentioned a wedding she was going to the following weekend in Oklahoma. I asked who was getting married. She said my niece’s name. I just kind of froze. She saw that and quickly said, “Oh, it’s just very small. Only family and close friends.”
That didn’t exactly help, but I just nodded. But Oh Well.
But thank you so much. I love your doggie!

Multiple divorces. Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elizabeth Taylor, and Larry King v. someone who’s a skank or a loser.

This woman: http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/011/271/277047-gina-rinehart-an-australian-mining-tycoon-has-leap-frogged-walmart-hei.jpg. She’s unkempt, obese, and careless. Who would possibly hire her? Oh, wait…the woman is Gina Rinehart, one of the world’s wealthiest people, with net worth estimated at $22 billion. I’ve heard her described as “earthy” and “not putting on airs.” How refreshing, a billionaire who doesn’t need to impress anyone!

Once we were at a family reunion at a large hotel. My sister’s kids were about 6, 12 and 14, and they were racing up and down the hotel halls on a luggage carrier. I would never allow my kids to do that.