I saw the ad below this afternoon and I've been pondering exactly how unqualified and unsuited I am for this position. I actually don't know ANYONE who IS suited for this position. I'm not sure anyone that was not drunk or on drugs would ADMIT to having a "haute lifestyle" no matter how much money they have in the bank.
The ad is so absurd.
Luxury lifestyle magazine Haute Living is looking for new passionate, well connected and knowledgeable writers to contribute to HauteLiving.com 's Atlanta luxury lifestyle blog. Must be familiar and interested in all things luxury in Atlanta including social events, celebrity happenings, high end restaurants, hotels, local fashion etc. This is an unpaid position, but includes the opportunity for bylines and exposure as a Haute Living team member. Must live in Atlanta. Please send resume and writing clips.
Really? You want me to mingle with the hoi polloi for no money whatsoever?? How will I pay for the martinis, the massages, the limos, the meals in fancy restaurants, hmmm?!??
I read through the whole thing and thought well, OK, I have no clue about any of this stuff, but then the phrase "must live in Atlanta" struck me as sort of weird. How can you have an intimate knowledge of rich folks here if you don't live here?
I haven't noticed any jetsetting international playboys around town lately. My office is near the High Museum, and I get out and about in Buckhead fairly regularly. I don't run into them anywhere.
So do I want to try and bluff my way into this elite group, so I can get "exposure as a Haute Living team member"??
Hmmm.... let me think about that.
No.
I know a fair amount about the rich; enough to know I don't crave their company.
My father was a banker. He was in the trust banking business for more than thirty years. He knew a LOT of rich people with trust funds. He regularly mingled with the rich folks and he wasn't one of them. Here's what his experiences taught me - because he used to talk about his work fairly often.
1) Rich people put on their pants one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.
2) The fact they have a lot of money doesn't mean they have a lick of common sense. Many folks with trust funds can't live on the boatloads of money they get every month. They see something they want and they buy it. Period.
My dad had a customer in Knoxville who was very wealthy. The old man had worked for his money and was a nice guy. His n'er do well son was a druggie and a gambling addict. The son could never live within his means. He called Dad once, in the middle of the night, from Las Vegas. He said the mafia was going to kill him because he couldn't pay his gambling debts. Son wanted an advance on his monthly trust allowance. Dad said sorry, I can't violate the trust. Wish I could help you out, but I can't. CLICK.
The son wasn't killed by the mafia.
Dad grew up poor. He knew the value of a dollar. He bought luxury items once he was making enough money, but he always told me it is important to live within your means. We didn't have a new car every year or take expensive vacations, but we lived just fine.
3) Rich people never like to admit they are rich. I have various friends and relatives who I would classify as rich, some even "big rich" as Mother would say, but you know what? Not a single one of them would say they were rich. Not one.
I once had a lawyer I worked for say to me, very seriously, "I make half a million dollars a year but it's really not that much." I sat there, just stunned. She was dead serious.
4) Snobbery isn't pretty. My Mamaw grew up rich, and it totally warped her thinking. She treated waiters and waitresses like they were imbeciles. Mother and I were laughing about it today but it's not really funny. I loved her dearly but Mamaw was a true blue snob, even though my great grandfather lost all his money and Mamaw and Papaw struggled to get through the Depression, just like everyone else. Being a snob is loathsome. I can't stand being around snobby people and I avoid them like the plague.
5) Rich people have problems just like anyone else, they just have different problems. Whereas I worry about paying bills and taxes, rich people just worry about taxes. They worry whether the maid is stealing, or if they can get the right wine for a special occasion. They worry about how to look young and beautiful no matter how old they are. They never age gracefully, in my experience.
CONCLUSION
I will not be applying for the job on Atlanta luxury lifestyle blog. I couldn't even fake enthusiasm for that superficial crap. I like this quote:
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either of them might run out.
Mary Schmich
