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As regular people suffered from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, the rich got even richer. According to the Institute for Policy Studies analysis of Forbes data, the combined wealth of all U.S. billionaires increased by $2.071 trillion (70.3%) between March 18, 2020, and October 15, 2021, from approximately $2.947 trillion to $5.019 trillion.

Of the more than 700 billionaires in the country, the top five (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, and Elon Musk) saw a 123% growth in their combined wealth during this period, from $349 billion to $779 billion. We, ordinary folks, are sharing the world with these individuals but the laws that govern their everyday life sound nothing like ours.

To further explore this issue, Reddit user Seraphina_Renaldi made a post on the platform, asking everyone: "What is classy if you’re rich, but trashy if you're poor?" and sure enough, they got plenty of thought-provoking replies. Things like going to the casino or having someone else raise your children. Continue scrolling to check out the answers and upvote the ones you think make the most sense.

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#1

The most expensive thing you own is a really old car.

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Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the post, Seraphina_Renaldi, and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us about what inspired them to ask Redditors this question.

"I was scrolling through some profiles on Instagram and I just got the thought that some people are celebrated for things I was berated for in the past and then I remembered reading an article years ago about this topic with a few answers and was curious what Redditors might think about it," they told us.

Seraphina_Renaldi believes the post went so viral because everyone has experience with this, whether on one side or the other.

"I also think that it's a topic that can also be a little bit taboo because the financial situation is something very private and people don't talk about it and their struggles openly when not being anonymous," they added. "I've also had my own experience where the struggles of being poor can be downplayed by some people that especially grew up financially stable so it's also hard to talk about it when people won't listen."

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#2

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Being on a first-name basis with a judge

UpInSmokeMC , EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA Report

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#3

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective If you are weird and rich people call you eccentric, but if you are weird and poor people call you crazy.

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#4

Drinking in the park. When they do it it’s a “banquet” but when I do it I’m “hammered” and need to “get off the swings and put my pants on”

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Globally, Latin America and the Middle East stand as the most unequal regions, with the top 10% of the income distribution capturing respectively 54% and 56% of the average national income.

Even though inequality declined in a handful of Latin American countries, it persisted, and even increased, in others. In the Middle East, Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia) have been marked as extremely unequal with little variation since the 1990s.

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Europe, on the other hand, is the most equal of all regions, with the top 10% receiving 35% of income in 2019. This can be largely explained by public investments in education and health (i.e. by predistribution policies), financed by a fair amount of taxes (redistribution mechanisms).
#5

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective If you live in a tiny home it’s ‘eco friendly’ if you live in a trailer you’re trash

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Sandra Taylor
Sandra Taylor
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in a trailer an I am not trash just like cheaper rent🤭🤭in a low income bracket🤪🤪

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#6

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Getting money from the government

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#7

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Someone else raising your kids

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LagoonaBlueColleen
LagoonaBlueColleen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think childcare is trashy at all, but I do find hiring a nanny so wealthy parents don't have to bother with the hardships of raising their own kids a bit questionable.

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As different as their lives are, Seraphina_Renaldi thinks that rich and poor people can still somewhat understand each. Especially if someone's self-made because they know the struggles that come with an empty wallet.

"I don't, however, think that people who grew up rich and poor speak the same language," the Redditor said. "They've had extremely different experiences and were socialized in [different environments]."

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"But I think that if both sides are open-minded, it's possible to [relate to] one another."
#8

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Asking your friends for money. If you’re rich, it’s a “fundraiser.” If you’re poor, it’s a handout.

Courbet72 , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Mária Dusová
Mária Dusová
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is perfectly described in the netflix show Inventing Anna.

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#9

Getting things for free. Which makes me viciously angry.

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#10

Van lifestyle: Some wealthy people will drop everything and remodel and literally live in a van or bus, traveling and usually blogging or vlogging along the way. On the flip side, many people did not choose to be homeless and are forced to live out of their cars.

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Tofu
Tofu
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this one should be higher on the list. I'm sick of seeing spoiled little brats traveling around the country (or the continent) in a super expensive rig.

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#11

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Not working

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Crease Almighty
Crease Almighty
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is more class status than wealth… upper class don’t know the meaning of the word work. Edit: definition of Upper class - British English: upper class NOUN /ˈʌpə klɑːs/ The upper class or the upper classes are the group of people in a society who own the most property and have the highest social status, and who may not need to work for money.

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#12

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Day drinking

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#13

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective I guess slapping people

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RaroaRaroa
RaroaRaroa
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chris Rock would, I presume, have charged a member of any other audience that did this to him. He should charge this idiot. Can you imagine Smith slapping, say, Ricky Gervais if he'd said the same? What does that say?

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#14

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective I saw this on a video some time ago and I'll repeat the response that came with it:

Rich people have mistresses

Middle-class people have affairs

Poor people have side pieces.

DarthZoon_420 , 𝓞𝓬𝓽𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓸 𝓕𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓲 Report

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Wistiti
Wistiti
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No matter where you are in the social standing, you can find cheaters.

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#15

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Not paying taxes, if your poor your stealing for others but if your rich you have the business savvy

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#16

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Giving your kids hard to spell/say names

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#17

Having a lawyer

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Tofu
Tofu
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this should be higher up on the list.

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#18

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Having 5+ kids

g-tron13 , krakenimages Report

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RaroaRaroa
RaroaRaroa
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is bad for our overpopulated planet, no matter who you are.

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#19

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Eating animals that are not usually seen as food.

CactusEating , Rene Asmussen Report

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#20

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Thrifting

Heymrpreacherman , Hugo Clément Report

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Susie Elle
Susie Elle
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm still laughing at how second hand items used to be called "kringloop" in my country (hand-me-downs, second hand clothes, what have you) and somehow it turned into 'vintage'.

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#21

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Wearing a bathrobe all day

tomw_n , Celine Lityo Report

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Crease Almighty
Crease Almighty
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing wrong with this… bathrobes are very comfy… although my boss prefers me to wear a suit

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#22

Being completely s**t-faced. I work in fine dining and you wouldn't believe the number of rich, well-dressed, "classy" people who get drunk off their a*ses and make a complete fool of themselves and still act better than you while they are doing it.

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Littlemiss
Littlemiss
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me ex workmates to a tee. They had loads of cash and slept around, so they were classy. If I got drunk and acted like them, I'd have been arrested.

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#23

Casual clothing in a formal environment. Hoodie and cargo pants at a law firm: you're either going over your trust fund or taking on crippling debt to get out of a public intox charge.

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Daniel Gisi
Daniel Gisi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Formal clothing should not exist. It's there just to make some people feel superior, at the cost of comfort.

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#24

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Minimalism.

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#25

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Police escorts.

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Hawkmoon
Hawkmoon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Generally, when you're poor, the escort is in the same car, not around yours.

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#26

Rich: Vintage collector

Poor: Hoarder

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TheHive Guardian
TheHive Guardian
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something tells me there's a difference between a room full of rat infested newspapers and a garage full of vintage cars

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#27

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Pete Davidson

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#28

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Showering outside

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#29

Lots of sex, when you're rich it's a sexual addiction when you're poor, you are just a wh*re.

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#30

Anything to do with making/growing your own food and clothes/home decor.

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#31

Rich people say living frugal, we call it broke.

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Jhenn Whalen
Jhenn Whalen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Living within your means Isa sensible thing to do at any economic level

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#32

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Moving around a lot.

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LagoonaBlueColleen
LagoonaBlueColleen
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I moved around so much in my childhood for various reasons and never because we got evicted, nor am I an army brat and we're not "gypsies" (as people had always assumed).

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#33

Clothes with no labels. Not working, not knowing how much money is in your bank account

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#34

Repurposing things such as jars, containers, boxes, old clothes, etc.

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Huddo's sister
Huddo's sister
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you're poor you do it because you have to and if you're rich it's because you want to.

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#35

Crime

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Dunja Blackwell
Dunja Blackwell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you steal 100 $ you are a criminal if you steal 1 mio you are a business man

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#36

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Casinos

twogvio , Kaysha Report

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Crease Almighty
Crease Almighty
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lose what you can afford springs to mind… gambling is an addiction.

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#37

Father has multiple children from multiple mothers.

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#38

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Speaking multiple languages, tax avoidance, day drinking, owning exotic animals, and having multiple cars on your property.

notarobotindisguise6 , Alex Suprun Report

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Ally MacMann
Ally MacMann
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Speaking multiple languages is trashy if you're poor? I've never heard that before.

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#39

Buying expensive things. Someone who has money to afford pricy things looks normal doing so, someone who can barely put food on the table yet has an expensive car, clothes, or other luxury items makes em look like a douche

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Nora Petricien
Nora Petricien
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I, a student, get s**t on because I won't eat out with my friends because I said I don't have money after buying a computer...

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#40

Someone Asks "What's Classy If You're Rich But Trashy If You're Poor" And These 40 Replies Really Put Things Into Perspective Owning multiple animals.

CactusEating , Matt Nelson Report

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Note: this post originally had 88 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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