Life is a mere summation of your experiences; what you've seen and what you've done. Obviously, your mileage may vary, as people living in different parts of the world. or going through different upbringings, have a difference of opinion on certain matters. For example: Walking out onto a private beach with personal showers would definitely give you a different mindset about how public beaches are run and operated
Not everyone is rich, and if you grew up in the upper-middle-class to the wealthy class, then it probably showed without you even realizing it.
Reddit user, u/bassistmuzikman, wanted to know when the veil lifted as they asked:
"People who grew up rich, when did you realize you were living in a bubble and not like everyone else?"
Just Pay Cash. What's The Problem?
"When I went to college and had friends who were complaining about student loans."
JoeyJUULS
"Same here, I remember when I started seeing a girl at uni and she said she had loans. I asked her why she didn't just ask her parents for money... Grew up a lot that day."
MrNob
Not Everyone Has The Same Pockets
Giphy
"I'm not super rich, but things really hit home when I was with a friend and his mother started to panic because she couldn't afford milk for her toddler son (my friends little brother). I was just walking around with $40 in my pocket for no real reason so I gave her $20. She was embarrassed to be taking money from a 13 year old, but swallowed her pride for the sake of her children."
"I knew my friend wasn't as well off, but it never fully hit me what that meant before then. To me, being poor just meant someone couldn't afford nice things. What it meant to struggle with basic necessities like milk never really struck me before then."
Dubanx
All It Takes Is One Meeting
"Whilst not "rich" rich, I'm certainly solidly middle class - detached house, a holiday every year, new clothes on the reg, private schools from the age of 3 to when I left school at 18, a hefty allowance from my parents during uni... I was the least well off amongst all my friends so I just assumed I wasn't poor but I wasn't rich."
"Until I met a girl at uni who lived the first 6 months of her life in a homeless shelter and talked fondly of the council house her and her mum got to stay in for a whole year before they realised it was too big for a family of 2 (it was a 2 bed house)"
smidgit
At Least You're Thankful For That
"I didn't grow up rich but definitely wealthier than the people around me. I realized we lived in a bigger house than most but I assumed that was just because it was 5 of us (three siblings and my parents) + pets. Anyway, I became aware of my situation in high school. I would message my friends to hang out but they said they couldn't because they didn't have spare money. Not even for pizza. That's when it hit me."
"I've never been in a position where I couldn't do something because money was tight."
"I thank my parents for that."
pocketgo
Yeah...Just Don't Think About It
"I didn't realize that not everybody had allowances in college. Especially not when your weekly allowance is more than most people make in a month."
"It still weirds me out, but I just try not to think about it or bring it up. Saves me a bit of guilt and a lot of sideways glances."
vanillarice24
Count The Rooms. Then, Do it Again.
"The day I realised that we are a family of three and my parents bought a five bedroom house. (I later found out that was because they wanted more kids, but unfortunately that never happened). Meanwhile most of my friends had 2 bedroom houses, and quite a few shared with siblings."
maxthefrenchone
When You What You Had Isn't What You Have
"I wouldn't say "rich" but well off or upper middle class in the 80's and 90's. I realized when we lost it all during the early 90's recession and we went from a big 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment in a not so great part of town. Definite wake-up call."
ragingduck
Both Ends Of The Spectrum
"For me it was when I went to college and met my best friend. Here I am with my college being completely paid for by my father and my brand new apartment (being paid by my dad) and I figured that's normal. Anyways my best friend had to drop out because he couldn't afford it anymore and he actually lives in a section 8 apartment complex with his family of five. It really hit me seeing how much his family struggles just for the basics in life. It opened my eyes and humbled me. My family isn't rich but definitely upper middle class."
"Then I met my boyfriend who is from a more upper class family and I saw how for him it was normal to go in lavish cruises every break with his family and how nice and big his house is."
haananyy
Not Just One, But Two
"I thought it was normal to have a second home until 3rd grade"
[usernamedeleted]
Some People Have To Make It On Their Own
"When I was a kid, I thought everyone's parents had money saved up for them to go to college. Or at least, everyone who wasn't "poor". It was a shock to my whole world-view in high school when I realized I was in a small minority and very very lucky. And especially in college when I realized how many people were working full-time on top of a full-time courseload to pull it off."
A--Blaster_69
"We Took A Plane To Our Cruise."
"When I was like 11 my friends asked me what I did over 2 weeks we had off and I claimed I went on a cruise and then came back home and flew in a plane to and from the ship. They were shocked because they didn't go anywhere, kids always pointed out my luxurious lunch it was weird. Then I had party at my house and now to this day everyone calls my house a massive massion and I get teased being called rich."
ThatOneGayWitch
Very Different Definitions Of What "Acceptable Gifts" Are
"When the mother of a friend of mine had to sit me down and explain to me that, no it’s in fact not normal to receive a boat as an elementary school graduation gift from your father... I had no idea that most people didn’t give their children things like that at that age. Was a real culture shock for me"
f-ckehead
"How did that conversation start? Did you ask your friend why they didn’t get s boat and their mom told you other kids don’t get boats? What kind of boat? I’m so intrigued by this story..."
dberna243
"Lol ok so my dad compensates loving his kids by buying us whatever we want since he’s never around. So when I was in 8th grade I, for some reason I can’t remember now, I became obsessed with speed boats. So naturally, my dad bought me a speedboat for graduating (because I could definitely drive a boat at that age???). I had a friend that didn’t go to swanky private schools, and didn’t live the same kinda lifestyle I grew up with. My dad didn’t really approve of us being friends but he wasn’t around enough to stop it and our maids always encouraged it so we hung out a lot during summertime."
"Her, her mom, and I were all out one day and I was kind of not subtly bragging about this top of the line speed boat I got and her mom had to take me aside and tell me that wasn’t normal and I shouldn’t brag about things like that because not everyone was as well off as my family was. Real eye opener for me."
f-ckehead
You Realize Your Mistake And Try To Make Up For It
"When I was in high school and I lent my friend a few bucks and she had trouble paying it back. I knew that there were "poor people" around, but I was going to an extremely expensive private school and it didn't hit me till then that some of my classmates were on scholarships and not everyone could afford to buy the school lunch every day."
"It was a really sobering experience and I started trying to pay for as many things as possible after that for my friends (ex. Buying us all pizza, insisting on paying for peoples' lunches, etc.). Also, I stopped keeping track of who I was lending money to and simply gave it out. My parents wouldn't miss the money and my friends didn't deserve to worry about it. Unfortunately it caused me to earn a reputation in the friend group as "the loaded friend" and I started getting treated badly because I "just didn't understand." Just had to deal with it till I graduated. I try really hard to keep it on the DL now."
anonymous_1128
Not Everyone Has A House?
"I did not grow up rich. But my husband did."
"His sister once said "I didn't know everyone didn't live in big houses until I went off to college." Apparently she led a VERY sheltered life."
awhq
"I said this in another thread similar to this, but when I was younger I didn't know families lived in apartments. I thought everyone had a house and apartments were only for students."
Johnnie_Karate
The Magic Kingdom Tends To Be On The Pricey Side
"When I started talking in school about the pros and cons of Disney World vs Disney Land, and people were like 'YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION?! LUCKYY'"
jonahvsthewhale
All The Best Games, All The Best Systems
"I was about 12, I think. When friends would come over they would go on and on about how big the house was and how I had more games and computers and sh-t than them (they especially seemed freaked out about the maid) and I just started to realize that I didn't have the same circumstances as most."
"They wouldn't all say it if it weren't true, I assume. I did have other friends with money, especially when I started attending private school, but I didn't realize they were well off either."
LoveAndDynamite
"...shame that it was at the expense of a person I loved so very much."
"The first time I went to my best friend's house. His circumstances were the exact opposite. His parents tried their best, but his dad often didn't have much work during the winter, and his mom didn't work outside of the home. They had 6 kids, and usually had things like pancakes for dinner. I'm in an upper class part of DC, with every toy and electronic imaginable, and he had none. It was a good lesson for me to learn, but it was a shame that it was at the expense of a person I loved so very much."
hestianvirgin
"I always had taken it for granted."
"I was talking to a friend about going to the town's public beach and they were saying how horribly crowded it gets in summer, and I suddenly realized (I was well into my 20s) that I had never had to go to a public beach because I always had at least two private family beaches to go to, one with cabanas, outdoor showers and space for cooking."
"I always had taken it for granted."
GorditoCat
The Sky's Not For Everyone
"I have a family member that grew up with a private jet. The first time she flew commercial she turned to her family and asked "who are all these people on our plane." On flying- I'm no way rich but I was reading that the majority of the worlds population, over 90% didn't take one flight last year. I'm not sure if that's true, I'll look for the post, but that hit me pretty hard how fortunate I am to fly to see family sometimes."
Highplowp
The Friendships Don't Always Last
"Not rich, but upperish middle class. I went to a play date when I was 10 and his mom was single and they lived in a tiny apartment. I couldn't figure out why he didn't have a house or a dad. Sad to say I was so uncomfortable that we didn't stay friends much longer after that. Sorry Darren, you were a good dude and I was dumb."
somethngrandom2635
"My friend was like that, for a while she lived in a two-bedroom apartment and shared a room with her brother. It took me a while to realize that they just didn't have a lot of money."
DuskofNight23
Life Hit You Early And Fast
"So this happened young. My dad worked in IT. International company, bunch of business trips to like every major country in the world and every major developing country. He got fired/company filed for bankruptcy. This happened whilst I was 8. Suddenly the only income we had was from my mum, working in the public sector for the state, helping mentally ill people. We went from expensive toys, Nutella for breakfast and expensive lunch items to buying birthday presents at basically dollar stores and hoping for hand me downs so that I could get clothes that fit me"
"Whenever we had a school trip, we had to save up 2 years in advance and ask relatives for help paying for those school trips, maybe not see relatives that lived far away for birthdays and other important things. My dad only got a job after 9 years of looking. My teen years consisted of hand me down clothes, worrying about social events and lunch. I still haven't grown out of the mentality despite my dad having a well paying job now. It's crazy what the 2008 crisis did."
CheapYoghurt
Ask The Kids. They'll Always Know.
Giphy
"Define "Growing up rich". My dad didn't start making real money until I was at least 10 or 11. We were comfortably middle class before that."
"I guess it started when we moved to a new city and people in my school would openly ask/tease me about being rich. I think the first thing I started noticing was that we took a big annual family vacation, usually on a plane, while many of my friends have never flown before."
Yserbius
Taking What Could Be A Negative And Turning It Into A Positive
"When my dad bought me a house to live in rent free, no mortgage. And realising that most people dont holiday in the algarve twice a year."
"My house is now a hostel/safe space for anyone I'm friends with/close to who needs a place to stay."
thepurplehedgehog
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
Giphy
Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.