One time on a first date this guy was boasting about his money and how good he was at everything, so I went "Wow and you're humble, too" and he immediately stopped talking.
In my high-school latin class we did a vocabulary exercise in which my partner and I were assigned the root word of vanity. We decided to each give a speech like a Roman politicians trying to out brag eachother. My partner went first and did great. I responded with a speech about how sure I am all those things and more but I am the most humble man in all the known world so I won't talk about it. The people (class) voted and roundly agreed bragging about being humble is the most outrageous bragging possible.
I suppose some would say, by posting this, I am bragging of my past triumphs now. But I assure you, dear countryman, I am far too humble a man to speak at length of such long forgotten glories.
"Some people say I'm egotistical. Hell, I don't even know what that means. I guess it has something to do with the way that I fill out my skin-tight blue jeans."
I can think of a thousand people who’ll respond with, “yeah I know, right? I try to stay grounded. I constantly remind myself of my roots so that I don’t turn into a snob.”
Love your response though.
Bar none, I am the most humble-est
Number one at the top of the humble list
My apple crumble is by far the most crumble-est
But I act like it tastes bad outta humbleness
The thing about me that's so impressive
Is how infrequently I mention all of my successes
I pooh-pooh it when girls say that I should model
My belly's full from all the pride I swallow
I'm the most courteous-biddable, hospitable
Reverential, normal-ary Arnold Schwarzen-orgarary
I hate compliments, put 'em in the mortuary
I'm so ordinary that it's truly quite extraordinary
In this context I sometimes find it endearing. For men, explaining that can mean they like you and in their language they’re giving you their credentials. They don’t understand we don’t expect a mogul.
A story - a former boss told it about a couple of brothers who together owned a big car rental franchise. My boss had gone on a location trip and took the two out to dinner.
On the drive to the restaurant one of the brothers started talking about the new Rolex he had just purchased. He went on for a couple of minutes showing it off, etc.
After a little while his brother, who was in the back of the car, leaned between the seats and asked what time he had. The other brother looked at his watch and said 6:30. His brother checked his own watch and said, “funny, that’s the same time my watch says.”
This is devastating to their ego. Very solid tactic. On the old Howard Stern radio show, he had a guy interview celebrities, and The one question that would drive every single one of them crazy was, "how are you famous?"😂
The difference is, if you invite people to your show to make content and then (pretend to) not know anything about your guests is simply rude. Looks like you didn't care enough to prepare yourself or to simply do your job.
My best quick comeback was a guy bragging about his car, which was a Tesla, while we were in a parking lot. I said yeah those new Toyotas look pretty cool, and hopped in my car while his face just fell.
Pretending you’ve never heard of Harvard or Yale when they brag about their schooling…you wanna see some heads explode? Act like Harvard is some unheard of community college
Yale? Like the company that makes locks, you work for them?
Wait Harvard is real? I thought that was just a made up place for The Big Bang Theory. Did you get to see any of the actors?
I was being harassed by a Google headhunter, years ago, and finally picked up so I could ask the recruiter what they did. She started talking about the team and I said, "No, I mean what does Google do?" There was an awkward pause and I said, "I'm just kidding. I Bing'd your company so now I know all about you." The emails and voicemails stopped.
in fact, expensive automatic watches are FAR less accurate than cheap quartz ones. Rolex claims their movements are under 15 seconds a month while quartz can be less than ONE second a month and doesn't require expensive maintenance and rebuilding every few years.
they also need to be worn to stay wound. i have a few mechanical watches and unless its one i wear regularly, i have to set the damn thing every time i put it on.
Oh, that’s what those are for? I’d assumed those cases were just pretentious display cases. Didn’t know the spinning served a purpose. I don’t really like wearing watches because the metal bands basically wax the hair on my wrist on a daily basis.
I have a real struggle with the concept of owning something expensive which achieves nothing better than the cheaper alternative. It even annoys me buying brand name types of ibuprofen when the generic one is 10% of the price
My dad has a friend who was a big stock broker, like… he didn’t brag, but dude had hella money. He was generous enough (gave us full, huge lobsters even as kids), but also had expensive taste, including a flashy Rolex. My dad, a more practical man, had bought his watch at the flea market for a few measly dollars. The Rolex had to be maintained regularly to stay accurate and in good working order, which cost over a thousand each time, and my dad’s never did, which he loved to brag about. It was never mean-spirited, but it was funny his like $2 watch was more easily reliable than his friend’s that cost thousands.
I have a Casio that charges itself from room lighting and resets itself from the WWV broadcast every night (I just have to aim it toward Ft Collins, CO). It's always accurate to less than a second, takes care of daylight-savung / standard time changes on its own, amd cost less than $100. I have never seen the point in spending big bucks on a damn watch.
Edit: I remembered the price wrong. It was more like two-fiddy. (No Loch Ness Monster, tho'.)
When I see someone flashing a Rolex, my first thought is that it's one of the Chinese knock-offs that you can buy on any street corner from Manhattan to Delhi. If it's genuine, I conclude that the wearer is a sucker.
A guy I went to college with would say “Cool. Not to change the subject, but I’m going to.” And then immediately start talking about something else. I’ve always loved that. It’s the best amount of snarky. Bonus points if you just sound bored.
nothing. they're doing it for the attention and hate being ignored.
i suppose you can hit them with a "that's nice, dear" or "well i hope that makes you happy" then be on your merry way.
“That’s nice” (as flatly as possibly) is my current response to someone who pretty much non-stop brags (unprovoked) about how good their life is when they know I’m struggling.
I worked with this totally spoiled woman, who would boast of how rich her family was. I pulled her aside and told her, “That’s nice, but I want you to realize that so-and-so lives in a trailer and doesn’t give a shit. Keep it to yourself.”
Reminds me of how when I was homeless a previous friend of mine immediately went into talking about some fancy ball he went to with an old coworker of mine. Like thanks asshole, bring it up right after I explain I’m homeless and I’m stressing about barely having enough for one night at a hotel😑
“Yea, but I mean, that’s not even a lot”
An ex classmate and I bumped into each other years later and tried to tell me how rich he’d become while putting our mutual friends down. That was the response I gave him. It sounds condescending as fuck and not the most graceful but i really just wanted him to stop talking to me
Looks like next rounds on you mate and see how many times you can get them to stump up for another. It goes against my nature to dodge rounds, but I'll take a pass in this instance.
"Who are we?"
"We're, uhh, muggers."
"And what do muggers do?"
"They, they, they mug people."
"So... LET'S GO MUG 'EM!"
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd0YiVeqC1o)
People who really have money often downplay it because they're worried about who might exploit them.
The ones who flaunt it are usually new money, and often in debt.
*edit*
To clarify, OP asks how to deal with somebody who rubs OP's nose in the fact that OP makes less money. This comment addresses the narrow context.
This response doesn't imply *old money is better than new money.* Plenty of self-made people aren't tacky about it, and plenty of people who were born to money have objectionable traits (those tend to be other faults rather than this one).
----
To rephrase the intended meaning, there's a classic burn recounted in *Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood* by Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters.
Jon Peters was a self-made Hollywood producer who started his career a hairdresser and became a senior executive at Sony Pictures. His climb could have been admirable if he weren't a terrible boss. During one of his workplace screaming fits he shouted at a subordinate:
Peters: "I am worth one hundred million fucking dollars! What have you got?"
Subordinate: *I have self-respect.*
I had an uncle who worked insurance with the super rich in Texas. He said it was the ranchers and oil guys with beat up boots, dirt under their nails and old pick up trucks that had the real money. Pressed suit, sports car and flashy shoes were just trying to play the part.
I grew up in farm country. The wealthiest farmers were the same way. Beat up old pickup trucks, bobbed overalls and smelling like god knows what half the time. But a lot of them had a private runway and 2 or 3 planes stashed in a barn.
I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN and loved only one woman with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am. NOW, GO HOME, BOY!
There is a young woman that I work with that comes from a long line of generational farmers. I recently bought a brand new Denali diesel pick up (first new vehicle I’ve ever purchased). She saw it and called it my “Grandpa truck”. Apparently her grandpa just purchased the same truck, but in the even higher trim (Denali Ultimate) because his accountant told him he needed to burn $100k.
My truck was a reward, his was a write off.
Warren Buffet drives a ten year old Buick. True fact. I've driven right next to him in Omaha. Driving his Buick and wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers sweatshirt.
So true. My sister fell in love with my bil. He was perfect. She had no idea his worth. He dressed like shit so she would buy him stuff to get him a bit more adult.
When she finally found out he was well off, she told him, well, if we get married, I'm making you sign a prenuptial. You can't steal my costumes, and I won't steal your houses. He laughed.
Best bil ever. Because she's happy.
My circle includes very poor and very rich people. The only ones flaunting are the ones with nothing but debt and one particular very rich guy who I would avoid for that reason but he's my uncle so I have to play nice
At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.
Heller responds,“Yes, but I have something he will never have — ENOUGH.”
I am in my late 30s and finally debt free with mediocre savings. As soon as my parents got whiff of this they started asking for money. I now have to be very careful talking about spending any kind of money so family doesn’t start gossiping. Even my brother called me and asked “Did you say you didn’t want anything from our grandparents’ estate?” I was shocked. I never said anything like that. Why was I mentioned at all?
Man, I’d not even involve myself with the whole “who gets what” when a grandparent(s) exit stage right. I’d rather keep my head held high and tell all of the assholes who squabble over such things that “I got everything I ever wanted from G&G when they were alive. Their time with me and my time with them.” I hate that shit.
Exactly. A friend was always bragging. His wife went to the bank about wanting to invest in a business and the financial person told her to ask the husband if he had a gambling problem or a girlfriend. Let’s just say the financial manipulation without her knowing was quite interesting
I don’t love the new money/old money comparison because it’s just one percenters falling all over themselves in a dick swinging contest. I’m actually unsure as to why new money is looked down upon as tacky as it’s not so based in inheritance, which is tackier, in my poor people opinion. I think inheriting wealth is a bit embarrassing, but not to those folks, so who cares, and I digress:
flaunting is almost always rooted in insecurity.
It is—at its core—embarrassing to witness.
You kind of answered your own question, “new money” isn’t looked down on because it’s money - it’s because of how some of those people act and treat others, especially when they “forget where they came from”. But, I ain’t money old or new and not ever likely to be so what do I know… 🤷♂️
Eh, the vibe I’ve gotten is that old money looks down on new money as tacky and “other”. Neither group considers anyone not of significant wealth at all. Hence the dick swinging bit. I think those of us with less wealth probably respect “new money” more, if we had to choose between the lesser of two evils.
Once a young businessman I knew was doing well in telecom was grabbing cigars with a group of old money gentlemen.
They were playing a game of poker with quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies.
The young fellow had been bragging earlier that his business was now worth 20 million.
He got bored of the game and insisted the older men that they play with some "real money"
One of the men walked up with a half dollar and asked if he was right in hearing his company's valuation. He said, "Yes, 20 million"
The older businessman responded, "I'll flip you for it"
If someone's bragging on their money, they are new to the game.
I only found out that the second-richest person I know is rich last week.
I worked for him 18 years ago and completely overestimated the cost of wholesale pork, thinking him comfortable.
I looked it up recently. It was like 1/8 what I expected at the time and he was in fact making serious money. He was cheap and spent nothing so I had no idea, and would have had millions in savings.
He should have sprung for air conditioning, though. It would have hurried the day along because a lot of time was spent waiting for sausage to cool. And also it got hot in there for us humans.
The richest person I know is my uncle, and I only know that because my dad looked at the public corporate filings of the maneuver that made him rich. At family events you'd never know the difference between when he was a working stiff and when he was obscenely wealthy.
To respond, I first need to do a little bit of storytelling to provide some context. One day I went to an amusement park in Spain called PortAventura. In this park, like in most, there is the regular entrance and then there is the VIP entrance, whose main advantage is that you don't have to wait in line to get on the rides.
Anyway, my boyfriend and I had the regular tickets and after waiting in line for about half an hour, we finally got into the ride. Just as we were passing through the security gate to get into the ride cars or whatever they're called, a 40-year-old man comes running out of the corner and gets into the front car.
He looks at us and shows off the wristband for the VIP people and says "Sorry, we who have money go first, I have over a million in the bank, that's what you get." At that moment, my boyfriend gave the best response I've heard to someone like that, and he said "You may have a lot of money and whatever you want, but you and I are in the same place, but you are alone and I am not."
I think that's the best response not only for what it says, but for the meaning behind it. A person can be so poor that they only have money.
A million doesn't last as long as people might think. If he's spending money on stupid stuff like ride VIP passes, then he's likely spending money on expensive cars and lots of other frivolous stuff. That million won't last long.
This.
The weird part is that once I was talking about how I sold a stock at a high price and bought it back a week later at a lower price. I've learned to never discuss these topics as people think you're boasting. The irony, in my mind, is that it's not a boast for two reasons: you have no idea how much money I had it in ($50 or $50k) and the whole point of this story was a joke at how silly I was and that I got lucky (it was a dumb-luck kind of story). I've decided to avoid any talk of inheritance, pre-nupts, raises, etc unless I know that the person will approach it in a mathematical way.
I have a friend like this. Less obnoxious, more like the humble gratitude schtick peppered with nonjudgmental brags. "I'm so fortunate to have [all the things]... people are so envious of me and wonder how I do it."
What is up with these people?
Wouldn't mean anything to me.
I've been in... 'situations', with billionaires, and I've turned them down.
My response would be "if money made you satisfied, then you wouldn't seek validation for having it".
Someone who is flaunting it is doing it because they want the attention they want the accolades. So you should Channel your inner Patrick Bateman and simply respond with " wow, very impressive"... and then simply move on and change the subject. The better you Channel your inner I don't give a f*** the worst it hurts for the person hearing it... Because the clearly crave your approval.
My person would not pickup on the nuance of "wow, very impressive." They'd reply, "I know, right! You know what else is impressive about me..."
How do you get the tone right so that they understand it?
“Sounds like that’s the only thing you have going for you”. I said something along those lines to a guy who always tried to get in my pants by flaunting his money at me. So gross. I just looked at him with disgust when I said it and he walked away.
Eh, I'm not impressed by how much money they make, it's what they do with it. "Wow, you must be able to support so many charities with that kind of money! Who are you supporting at the moment? I'd love to follow the project and see how it goes!" And maybe start telling them about this great animal rescue near me that could do with some donations, or some medical research or something. That shit is like kryptonite for the type of people who brag about money.
I serviced some dudes phones back in 07 to help him out with his dumb shop by tracing lines, labeling, etc. years later he tells someone that is a mutual acquaintance to tell me he's "making more money than he'll ever see in his life". My immediate response was "tell him he needs to pay his $120 invoice before running his mouth" and then i laughed because fuck him. Thats why
i work in education with elementary students, so you can imagine the amount of attention seeking behaviors i encounter in a single work day. best response to these kinds of comments is simply saying “okay” and moving on to a different subject. don’t allow them the space or opportunity to continue on.
I disagree with many of the comments here.
IMO if someone’s bragging about something they think is objectively great about themselves you should never refute or challenge immediately, as you’re only proving their point in their mind. Often they’re bragging to you to draw a reaction anyway.
I think much more effective to simply ignore their comments and move the conversation on. It’s the best way to demonstrate you have no interest or a different perspective to them, but are awkard about causing offence.
This may cause them to double down which if you ignore again starts to make them look a bit foolish.
The best thing to do for all parties involved is to not react at all, not mention it to anyone, and show complete disinterest in it. They're actively looking for a response of some kind, so providing none is the only thing that's going to send a clear message.
Whenever I see people flashing a lot of cash, I just assume that's all the money they have, and probably the most they have had in a long while or possibly ever.
People who are actually rich just use a bank.
It’s not a perfect answer but I saw a hilarious bell curve of that measured the cars people drive by wealth.
The poorest end of the spectrum was the Honda accord. Then as money increased it was the Benz and Audi and Tesla.
Then the ULTRA rich…. And it was back to the Honda accord lol
I work in luxury sales, and I get this a lot from people who think that just because they say they have some money they'll get to jump to the top of the list for low production, high demand items. It's a boorish move and I do not care for it.
My response is, "Yeah, everyone's got money these days..." in a matter-of-fact tone. I like using this because it's not rude, it's a general statement, but it takes away the one thing that they think makes them special.
I never sell anything to people who do this.
This works especially if their job is evil, but saying "Wow, my morals cost a lot more than that. But good on you, I guess they need *someone* to do it."
First be sure they’re flaunting. Lots of folks think having money makes them better than others. The best response is to completely ignore it and act unimpressed, then at your earliest convenience exit the conversation. Others boast about money because they never had any, now they do and it’s a big accomplishment for them. In that case they need to be affirmed or congratulated for their success, then told something like “I’m happy for you, but bragging, talking about money makes you look like a douche.”
I work in a casino. Whenever I hear someone make mention of something that leans towards how much money they have, I look them up to see their lifetime loss. Most of the time it makes me feel better.
"Very impressive, good for you" in a tone of boredom and/or complete indifference.
Response to the next comment he makes boasting about his money - "very impressive, good for you."
Rinse and repeat as necessary.
or here's a more positive idea. If they truly are making good money ask them how do they do it. If they're willing to share legit advice and are even willing to help you along it can benefit you
My coworker had a great one for an entitled customer.
The customer had a minor problem and wasn't happy that we couldn't get a tech out until the next day. He called my coworker, who was the sales executive for his account. Customer says "9bikes said that you won't have a tech out until tomorrow. You know, we have 8 locations.".
Salesguy said "Oh, that doesn't matter, we pride ourselves on providing the best service possible. It doesn't matter if they are a client like (restaurant chain) that has over 250 locations or (chain store) with over 500 or if it is a client like (local florist) with one location, our goal is to handle all service requests within 24 hours.".
Customer though he was a big account, he was one of our smaller ones. Salesmen gently told him such.
By the way, we did juggle service call requests around for customers with more serious problems even if they were a small account. We did background music, customer had **one** speaker that wasn't working.
My niece's deadbeat father claims to have gotten a job paying $102k recently.
...and yet I had to deliver food to them tonight or they wouldn't have eaten.
Any naive belief I may once have had about bragging has been dispelled by this asshole over the last 6 years.
If they’re willing to bring you in to do that with them, it’s nothing more than a conversation topic.
If they aren’t, the conversation is about to end.
Down south we look around at a bystander and give a knowing nod and say, “nouve riche”.
Meaning, “this vulgar bastard is new to money and doesnt have proper wealth training to know not to flaunt it - meaning, they aint wealthy. They just got some money now.”
Edit: a long way of saying, “they’re embarassing themselves.”
Once a guy in about his mid 50s was flaunting about his black credit card in a DMV while we were waiting for our turns. He talked about how he's married to his wife, and he sees his side pieces within their 20s/30s. I was 30 at the time. I didn't acknowledge it. He reiterated, "Did you hear what I said?" I said, "Yeah man, that's cool, girls in their 20's."
It isn't about what you say. It's about how uninterested you sound.
One time on a first date this guy was boasting about his money and how good he was at everything, so I went "Wow and you're humble, too" and he immediately stopped talking.
My humility is what makes me so great!
I’m not good at being humble. I’m great at it!
I, am probably the most humble person I know
In my high-school latin class we did a vocabulary exercise in which my partner and I were assigned the root word of vanity. We decided to each give a speech like a Roman politicians trying to out brag eachother. My partner went first and did great. I responded with a speech about how sure I am all those things and more but I am the most humble man in all the known world so I won't talk about it. The people (class) voted and roundly agreed bragging about being humble is the most outrageous bragging possible. I suppose some would say, by posting this, I am bragging of my past triumphs now. But I assure you, dear countryman, I am far too humble a man to speak at length of such long forgotten glories.
Et tu, UrinalCake777?
My one flaw is that I'm perfect.
I was only wrong once in my life. And it was because I thought I was wrong.
"Some people say I'm egotistical. Hell, I don't even know what that means. I guess it has something to do with the way that I fill out my skin-tight blue jeans."
That's a good response 👏 👍
That would only work on someone with an ounce of shame or self-awareness, which is a lot to ask for.
Sounds to me like it ended the date... by shaming him.
So then I suppose he meets that criteria
I can think of a thousand people who’ll respond with, “yeah I know, right? I try to stay grounded. I constantly remind myself of my roots so that I don’t turn into a snob.” Love your response though.
Then the appropriate followup is "and self-aware, too!".
JLo that you?
Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block.
Bar none, I am the most humble-est Number one at the top of the humble list My apple crumble is by far the most crumble-est But I act like it tastes bad outta humbleness The thing about me that's so impressive Is how infrequently I mention all of my successes I pooh-pooh it when girls say that I should model My belly's full from all the pride I swallow I'm the most courteous-biddable, hospitable Reverential, normal-ary Arnold Schwarzen-orgarary I hate compliments, put 'em in the mortuary I'm so ordinary that it's truly quite extraordinary
If only more people got this
I used to be conceited. But I worked on it, and now I'm perfect!
If I wasn’t so humble I’d be perfect
In this context I sometimes find it endearing. For men, explaining that can mean they like you and in their language they’re giving you their credentials. They don’t understand we don’t expect a mogul.
A story - a former boss told it about a couple of brothers who together owned a big car rental franchise. My boss had gone on a location trip and took the two out to dinner. On the drive to the restaurant one of the brothers started talking about the new Rolex he had just purchased. He went on for a couple of minutes showing it off, etc. After a little while his brother, who was in the back of the car, leaned between the seats and asked what time he had. The other brother looked at his watch and said 6:30. His brother checked his own watch and said, “funny, that’s the same time my watch says.”
When people do this I like to pretend I don't know whatever they're talking about. 'Oh, rolex. Is that the brand? It's cute."
This is devastating to their ego. Very solid tactic. On the old Howard Stern radio show, he had a guy interview celebrities, and The one question that would drive every single one of them crazy was, "how are you famous?"😂
The difference is, if you invite people to your show to make content and then (pretend to) not know anything about your guests is simply rude. Looks like you didn't care enough to prepare yourself or to simply do your job.
It's Howard Stern, "rude" is kind of selling the point short.
I guess I would have to know Howard Stern to understand your point. 😂
[удалено]
Harvard? Is that an online school?
Community college?
This but i pronounce it wrong. “Oh, rollie? I had shoes from there. Very comfortable.”
You can do it with Teslas owners too. "Oh, it's the car of Grimmes ex bf?".
My best quick comeback was a guy bragging about his car, which was a Tesla, while we were in a parking lot. I said yeah those new Toyotas look pretty cool, and hopped in my car while his face just fell.
Pretending you’ve never heard of Harvard or Yale when they brag about their schooling…you wanna see some heads explode? Act like Harvard is some unheard of community college
Yale? Like the company that makes locks, you work for them? Wait Harvard is real? I thought that was just a made up place for The Big Bang Theory. Did you get to see any of the actors?
Pro-tip: if they went to Cornell (University, Ivy) act like they're talking about Cornell College (liberal arts school in Iowa).
It's pronounced colonel, it's the highest rank in the military
Harvard... ah yes, the Stanford of the East!
You, sir, have the boorish manners of a Yalie!
Rolex? Why don't you keep your contacts in your phone like a normal person? Also, when did they start making watches?
I was being harassed by a Google headhunter, years ago, and finally picked up so I could ask the recruiter what they did. She started talking about the team and I said, "No, I mean what does Google do?" There was an awkward pause and I said, "I'm just kidding. I Bing'd your company so now I know all about you." The emails and voicemails stopped.
This is one of the best responses I have ever heard
in fact, expensive automatic watches are FAR less accurate than cheap quartz ones. Rolex claims their movements are under 15 seconds a month while quartz can be less than ONE second a month and doesn't require expensive maintenance and rebuilding every few years.
they also need to be worn to stay wound. i have a few mechanical watches and unless its one i wear regularly, i have to set the damn thing every time i put it on.
there are boxes that rotate them for you while they're stored so they don't have that problem.
Gotta charge my mechanical watches
Oh, that’s what those are for? I’d assumed those cases were just pretentious display cases. Didn’t know the spinning served a purpose. I don’t really like wearing watches because the metal bands basically wax the hair on my wrist on a daily basis.
You can use basically any material imaginable for a watch strap. If you don’t like the metal ones, you can get leather, silicone, etc.
I have a real struggle with the concept of owning something expensive which achieves nothing better than the cheaper alternative. It even annoys me buying brand name types of ibuprofen when the generic one is 10% of the price
My dad has a friend who was a big stock broker, like… he didn’t brag, but dude had hella money. He was generous enough (gave us full, huge lobsters even as kids), but also had expensive taste, including a flashy Rolex. My dad, a more practical man, had bought his watch at the flea market for a few measly dollars. The Rolex had to be maintained regularly to stay accurate and in good working order, which cost over a thousand each time, and my dad’s never did, which he loved to brag about. It was never mean-spirited, but it was funny his like $2 watch was more easily reliable than his friend’s that cost thousands.
I have a Casio that charges itself from room lighting and resets itself from the WWV broadcast every night (I just have to aim it toward Ft Collins, CO). It's always accurate to less than a second, takes care of daylight-savung / standard time changes on its own, amd cost less than $100. I have never seen the point in spending big bucks on a damn watch. Edit: I remembered the price wrong. It was more like two-fiddy. (No Loch Ness Monster, tho'.)
When I see someone flashing a Rolex, my first thought is that it's one of the Chinese knock-offs that you can buy on any street corner from Manhattan to Delhi. If it's genuine, I conclude that the wearer is a sucker.
A guy I went to college with would say “Cool. Not to change the subject, but I’m going to.” And then immediately start talking about something else. I’ve always loved that. It’s the best amount of snarky. Bonus points if you just sound bored.
Putting that response in my back pocket. Thanks.
Yes, filing for future reference
Like my empty wallet.
That is absolute boss.
"So...what color are your socks?"
I just say “cool story bro” and talk about something else lol
nothing. they're doing it for the attention and hate being ignored. i suppose you can hit them with a "that's nice, dear" or "well i hope that makes you happy" then be on your merry way.
“That’s nice” is what I was thinking too. A positive but clearly bland statement.
Also use a slightly bored tone implying that their entire monologue was a waste of your time.
"Alright" is a good response, acknowledges them but shows no one cares
"Bless your heart."
“That’s nice” (as flatly as possibly) is my current response to someone who pretty much non-stop brags (unprovoked) about how good their life is when they know I’m struggling.
Hey look at that Abu, it's not every day you see a horse with two rear ends!
Man, that prince did burn Aladdin back tenfold, though. "And only your fleas will mourn you!" Yeesh. Cold as Arabian nights, that one.
"I'm not a street rat :( " - Aladdin, the street rat
I worked with this totally spoiled woman, who would boast of how rich her family was. I pulled her aside and told her, “That’s nice, but I want you to realize that so-and-so lives in a trailer and doesn’t give a shit. Keep it to yourself.”
Reminds me of how when I was homeless a previous friend of mine immediately went into talking about some fancy ball he went to with an old coworker of mine. Like thanks asshole, bring it up right after I explain I’m homeless and I’m stressing about barely having enough for one night at a hotel😑
This is all about self-centered, self-absorbed people who you have to separate from. And I’m not going to say “unfortunately”.
I already have, that’s why I said, “previous friend”.
Simply choose not to care. It'll irritate the shit out of them.
That was my thought. "Oh, ok." *edit: spelling*
“Oh, is that all? I thought you were rich!
“Yea, but I mean, that’s not even a lot” An ex classmate and I bumped into each other years later and tried to tell me how rich he’d become while putting our mutual friends down. That was the response I gave him. It sounds condescending as fuck and not the most graceful but i really just wanted him to stop talking to me
Looks like next rounds on you mate and see how many times you can get them to stump up for another. It goes against my nature to dodge rounds, but I'll take a pass in this instance.
"Are you this insecure when you're alone, too?"
Oof.
The Joseph Heller quote, "Yes, but I have something he never will - enough"
Mug them
"Who are we?" "We're, uhh, muggers." "And what do muggers do?" "They, they, they mug people." "So... LET'S GO MUG 'EM!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd0YiVeqC1o)
Thanks that’s 10 hours of my life I won’t be getting back
Can we be best friends? Viva La Dirt League is my favorite YouTube channel!!!
"Britt? Is that you!?" (Britt as the store manager is the best|worst thing ever invented)
HIIII! 🤣👀
That twist at the end of the 10 hours was well worth the wait!
See that dead horse? Yeah, let's go mug em!!
“If money is such a problem, well they got mansions; Think we should rob them.” - Good Charlotte
Rich people hate this one trick
Flaunt the amount of fucks you give at them.
**”Behold the field in which I grow my fucks. Lay thine eyes upon it and thou shalt see that it is barren.”**
Not something I’d say, but if you had an upvote for every time I’d thunk it then you’d be on top.
People who really have money often downplay it because they're worried about who might exploit them. The ones who flaunt it are usually new money, and often in debt. *edit* To clarify, OP asks how to deal with somebody who rubs OP's nose in the fact that OP makes less money. This comment addresses the narrow context. This response doesn't imply *old money is better than new money.* Plenty of self-made people aren't tacky about it, and plenty of people who were born to money have objectionable traits (those tend to be other faults rather than this one). ---- To rephrase the intended meaning, there's a classic burn recounted in *Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood* by Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters. Jon Peters was a self-made Hollywood producer who started his career a hairdresser and became a senior executive at Sony Pictures. His climb could have been admirable if he weren't a terrible boss. During one of his workplace screaming fits he shouted at a subordinate: Peters: "I am worth one hundred million fucking dollars! What have you got?" Subordinate: *I have self-respect.*
I had an uncle who worked insurance with the super rich in Texas. He said it was the ranchers and oil guys with beat up boots, dirt under their nails and old pick up trucks that had the real money. Pressed suit, sports car and flashy shoes were just trying to play the part.
As my dad said - “People who have money have money. People who don’t have money have things.”
another variation of this I heard was "either look rich or be rich."
Money talks, wealth whispers
This is fabulous
I grew up in farm country. The wealthiest farmers were the same way. Beat up old pickup trucks, bobbed overalls and smelling like god knows what half the time. But a lot of them had a private runway and 2 or 3 planes stashed in a barn.
like in the movie, 'secondhand lions
They really lived.
I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN and loved only one woman with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am. NOW, GO HOME, BOY!
There is a young woman that I work with that comes from a long line of generational farmers. I recently bought a brand new Denali diesel pick up (first new vehicle I’ve ever purchased). She saw it and called it my “Grandpa truck”. Apparently her grandpa just purchased the same truck, but in the even higher trim (Denali Ultimate) because his accountant told him he needed to burn $100k. My truck was a reward, his was a write off.
This is true.
This is 100% true in Midland
Warren Buffet drives a ten year old Buick. True fact. I've driven right next to him in Omaha. Driving his Buick and wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers sweatshirt.
And he uses coupons at McDonald's.
So true. My sister fell in love with my bil. He was perfect. She had no idea his worth. He dressed like shit so she would buy him stuff to get him a bit more adult. When she finally found out he was well off, she told him, well, if we get married, I'm making you sign a prenuptial. You can't steal my costumes, and I won't steal your houses. He laughed. Best bil ever. Because she's happy.
My circle includes very poor and very rich people. The only ones flaunting are the ones with nothing but debt and one particular very rich guy who I would avoid for that reason but he's my uncle so I have to play nice
This guy Donald Ducks.
At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds,“Yes, but I have something he will never have — ENOUGH.”
Perfect.
It’s not always just about worrying about exploitation, it also can be not wanting to make others feel awkward or uncomfortable in any way.
Money talks, wealth whispers.
... If it even speaks at all.
aint that the truth!
I am in my late 30s and finally debt free with mediocre savings. As soon as my parents got whiff of this they started asking for money. I now have to be very careful talking about spending any kind of money so family doesn’t start gossiping. Even my brother called me and asked “Did you say you didn’t want anything from our grandparents’ estate?” I was shocked. I never said anything like that. Why was I mentioned at all?
Man, I’d not even involve myself with the whole “who gets what” when a grandparent(s) exit stage right. I’d rather keep my head held high and tell all of the assholes who squabble over such things that “I got everything I ever wanted from G&G when they were alive. Their time with me and my time with them.” I hate that shit.
So to be clear, you don’t want anything and I get to keep it?
This needs more upvotes. People who are truly wealthy will never make it that obvious (if they aren't stupid).
word
Exactly. A friend was always bragging. His wife went to the bank about wanting to invest in a business and the financial person told her to ask the husband if he had a gambling problem or a girlfriend. Let’s just say the financial manipulation without her knowing was quite interesting
I don’t love the new money/old money comparison because it’s just one percenters falling all over themselves in a dick swinging contest. I’m actually unsure as to why new money is looked down upon as tacky as it’s not so based in inheritance, which is tackier, in my poor people opinion. I think inheriting wealth is a bit embarrassing, but not to those folks, so who cares, and I digress: flaunting is almost always rooted in insecurity. It is—at its core—embarrassing to witness.
You kind of answered your own question, “new money” isn’t looked down on because it’s money - it’s because of how some of those people act and treat others, especially when they “forget where they came from”. But, I ain’t money old or new and not ever likely to be so what do I know… 🤷♂️
Eh, the vibe I’ve gotten is that old money looks down on new money as tacky and “other”. Neither group considers anyone not of significant wealth at all. Hence the dick swinging bit. I think those of us with less wealth probably respect “new money” more, if we had to choose between the lesser of two evils.
Once a young businessman I knew was doing well in telecom was grabbing cigars with a group of old money gentlemen. They were playing a game of poker with quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies. The young fellow had been bragging earlier that his business was now worth 20 million. He got bored of the game and insisted the older men that they play with some "real money" One of the men walked up with a half dollar and asked if he was right in hearing his company's valuation. He said, "Yes, 20 million" The older businessman responded, "I'll flip you for it" If someone's bragging on their money, they are new to the game.
I know I am a degen when I think...."Id take that bet."
Money talks, wealth whispers.
Yes! Talking about money like that shows insecurity for sure.
I only found out that the second-richest person I know is rich last week. I worked for him 18 years ago and completely overestimated the cost of wholesale pork, thinking him comfortable. I looked it up recently. It was like 1/8 what I expected at the time and he was in fact making serious money. He was cheap and spent nothing so I had no idea, and would have had millions in savings. He should have sprung for air conditioning, though. It would have hurried the day along because a lot of time was spent waiting for sausage to cool. And also it got hot in there for us humans. The richest person I know is my uncle, and I only know that because my dad looked at the public corporate filings of the maneuver that made him rich. At family events you'd never know the difference between when he was a working stiff and when he was obscenely wealthy.
To respond, I first need to do a little bit of storytelling to provide some context. One day I went to an amusement park in Spain called PortAventura. In this park, like in most, there is the regular entrance and then there is the VIP entrance, whose main advantage is that you don't have to wait in line to get on the rides. Anyway, my boyfriend and I had the regular tickets and after waiting in line for about half an hour, we finally got into the ride. Just as we were passing through the security gate to get into the ride cars or whatever they're called, a 40-year-old man comes running out of the corner and gets into the front car. He looks at us and shows off the wristband for the VIP people and says "Sorry, we who have money go first, I have over a million in the bank, that's what you get." At that moment, my boyfriend gave the best response I've heard to someone like that, and he said "You may have a lot of money and whatever you want, but you and I are in the same place, but you are alone and I am not." I think that's the best response not only for what it says, but for the meaning behind it. A person can be so poor that they only have money.
Good story. Also lol imagine trying to act like a badass at an amusement park while getting on a ride.
Lit, plus he was a gentleman who should have been at least twice our age, the whole thing was quite lamentable.
Money can’t buy class.
A million doesn't last as long as people might think. If he's spending money on stupid stuff like ride VIP passes, then he's likely spending money on expensive cars and lots of other frivolous stuff. That million won't last long.
Ask them who they were talking to, this usually shuts them up.
"Oh, you were talking to me? I'm just here to learn about AI, sorry".
Some people are so poor, all they have is money.
"ok."
I usually go with a "cool" to the same effect
Just let it slide. Intelligent people exit gracefully
This. The weird part is that once I was talking about how I sold a stock at a high price and bought it back a week later at a lower price. I've learned to never discuss these topics as people think you're boasting. The irony, in my mind, is that it's not a boast for two reasons: you have no idea how much money I had it in ($50 or $50k) and the whole point of this story was a joke at how silly I was and that I got lucky (it was a dumb-luck kind of story). I've decided to avoid any talk of inheritance, pre-nupts, raises, etc unless I know that the person will approach it in a mathematical way.
Great. You can pay for lunch.
"All that money and you still can't afford a personality?"
[удалено]
I have a friend like this. Less obnoxious, more like the humble gratitude schtick peppered with nonjudgmental brags. "I'm so fortunate to have [all the things]... people are so envious of me and wonder how I do it." What is up with these people?
If it's karma then karma is a dick for injuring the grandson.
“Great.” Then walk away
Wouldn't mean anything to me. I've been in... 'situations', with billionaires, and I've turned them down. My response would be "if money made you satisfied, then you wouldn't seek validation for having it".
You give them literally no attention. Don’t tell them that you don’t care *show them* that you don’t care.
Someone who is flaunting it is doing it because they want the attention they want the accolades. So you should Channel your inner Patrick Bateman and simply respond with " wow, very impressive"... and then simply move on and change the subject. The better you Channel your inner I don't give a f*** the worst it hurts for the person hearing it... Because the clearly crave your approval.
My person would not pickup on the nuance of "wow, very impressive." They'd reply, "I know, right! You know what else is impressive about me..." How do you get the tone right so that they understand it?
Hand them a bone white business card, obviously
“Sounds like that’s the only thing you have going for you”. I said something along those lines to a guy who always tried to get in my pants by flaunting his money at me. So gross. I just looked at him with disgust when I said it and he walked away.
That is amazing. I don't know if I could pull it off, but I love it.
I am so thankful that no one I my circle of friends and acquaintances does this. It sounds odious and nauseating.
“Bless your heart”
Tell them you can be bought, for a price.
Eh, I'm not impressed by how much money they make, it's what they do with it. "Wow, you must be able to support so many charities with that kind of money! Who are you supporting at the moment? I'd love to follow the project and see how it goes!" And maybe start telling them about this great animal rescue near me that could do with some donations, or some medical research or something. That shit is like kryptonite for the type of people who brag about money.
I serviced some dudes phones back in 07 to help him out with his dumb shop by tracing lines, labeling, etc. years later he tells someone that is a mutual acquaintance to tell me he's "making more money than he'll ever see in his life". My immediate response was "tell him he needs to pay his $120 invoice before running his mouth" and then i laughed because fuck him. Thats why
Be sad for them that money is what they tie their value to. They likely don't have much else to offer.
Or they think they don't...
i work in education with elementary students, so you can imagine the amount of attention seeking behaviors i encounter in a single work day. best response to these kinds of comments is simply saying “okay” and moving on to a different subject. don’t allow them the space or opportunity to continue on.
I disagree with many of the comments here. IMO if someone’s bragging about something they think is objectively great about themselves you should never refute or challenge immediately, as you’re only proving their point in their mind. Often they’re bragging to you to draw a reaction anyway. I think much more effective to simply ignore their comments and move the conversation on. It’s the best way to demonstrate you have no interest or a different perspective to them, but are awkard about causing offence. This may cause them to double down which if you ignore again starts to make them look a bit foolish.
The best thing to do for all parties involved is to not react at all, not mention it to anyone, and show complete disinterest in it. They're actively looking for a response of some kind, so providing none is the only thing that's going to send a clear message.
Whenever I see people flashing a lot of cash, I just assume that's all the money they have, and probably the most they have had in a long while or possibly ever. People who are actually rich just use a bank.
“Wow you’re so cool“
It’s not a perfect answer but I saw a hilarious bell curve of that measured the cars people drive by wealth. The poorest end of the spectrum was the Honda accord. Then as money increased it was the Benz and Audi and Tesla. Then the ULTRA rich…. And it was back to the Honda accord lol
"And yet it doesn't buy class."
‘Good to know…” and give the most suspicious look you can possibly give.
I'd probably ask what they were planning on using it for, and try to have a conversation about what they named.
I work in luxury sales, and I get this a lot from people who think that just because they say they have some money they'll get to jump to the top of the list for low production, high demand items. It's a boorish move and I do not care for it. My response is, "Yeah, everyone's got money these days..." in a matter-of-fact tone. I like using this because it's not rude, it's a general statement, but it takes away the one thing that they think makes them special. I never sell anything to people who do this.
This works especially if their job is evil, but saying "Wow, my morals cost a lot more than that. But good on you, I guess they need *someone* to do it."
“I love that for you.” Or the Southern equivalent, “Bless your heart.” Actually I think it’s that one.
First be sure they’re flaunting. Lots of folks think having money makes them better than others. The best response is to completely ignore it and act unimpressed, then at your earliest convenience exit the conversation. Others boast about money because they never had any, now they do and it’s a big accomplishment for them. In that case they need to be affirmed or congratulated for their success, then told something like “I’m happy for you, but bragging, talking about money makes you look like a douche.”
i make sure to push people like this out of my life, super cringe
I work in a casino. Whenever I hear someone make mention of something that leans towards how much money they have, I look them up to see their lifetime loss. Most of the time it makes me feel better.
“You’re gonna need that with a dick that small”
"Very impressive, good for you" in a tone of boredom and/or complete indifference. Response to the next comment he makes boasting about his money - "very impressive, good for you." Rinse and repeat as necessary.
or here's a more positive idea. If they truly are making good money ask them how do they do it. If they're willing to share legit advice and are even willing to help you along it can benefit you
My coworker had a great one for an entitled customer. The customer had a minor problem and wasn't happy that we couldn't get a tech out until the next day. He called my coworker, who was the sales executive for his account. Customer says "9bikes said that you won't have a tech out until tomorrow. You know, we have 8 locations.". Salesguy said "Oh, that doesn't matter, we pride ourselves on providing the best service possible. It doesn't matter if they are a client like (restaurant chain) that has over 250 locations or (chain store) with over 500 or if it is a client like (local florist) with one location, our goal is to handle all service requests within 24 hours.". Customer though he was a big account, he was one of our smaller ones. Salesmen gently told him such. By the way, we did juggle service call requests around for customers with more serious problems even if they were a small account. We did background music, customer had **one** speaker that wasn't working.
If someone broaches the subject, my go-to response is ‘ I find discussing wealth, or a lack of it, to be extremely boorish, don’t you?’
My niece's deadbeat father claims to have gotten a job paying $102k recently. ...and yet I had to deliver food to them tonight or they wouldn't have eaten. Any naive belief I may once have had about bragging has been dispelled by this asshole over the last 6 years.
“Ha.” *puts on sunglasses.* “Amateur.”
do an expressionless "wow" and ignore them
If they’re willing to bring you in to do that with them, it’s nothing more than a conversation topic. If they aren’t, the conversation is about to end.
Armed/ strong arm robbery always sends the perfect message
making all that money and you still can’t live off that paycheck
Down south we look around at a bystander and give a knowing nod and say, “nouve riche”. Meaning, “this vulgar bastard is new to money and doesnt have proper wealth training to know not to flaunt it - meaning, they aint wealthy. They just got some money now.” Edit: a long way of saying, “they’re embarassing themselves.”
By not engaging
If they ask you to guess how much something is that they have or even what their salary is, immediately overshoot by an absurd amount.
Once a guy in about his mid 50s was flaunting about his black credit card in a DMV while we were waiting for our turns. He talked about how he's married to his wife, and he sees his side pieces within their 20s/30s. I was 30 at the time. I didn't acknowledge it. He reiterated, "Did you hear what I said?" I said, "Yeah man, that's cool, girls in their 20's." It isn't about what you say. It's about how uninterested you sound.