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50 Of The Most Ridiculous Things Privileged People Said That Showed How Disconnected They Are From Reality
Disconnected /ˌdɪskəˈnɛktɪd/: lacking contact with reality or lacking a logical sequence.
Each of our stories is unique. Our genetic makeup, the experiences we go through growing up, the substances we take in, our diets, our environment, and the relationships we model all lead to a very unique perspective on reality and the purpose of one’s life.
However, some people seem to be completely disconnected from the fact that they’re living a privileged life, leading to them assuming their experiences are the norm. No, Beth, not all of us have a private helicopter to come pick us up after a night out… The good netizens of the world have been sharing their own experiences with disconnected people, and today, dear Pandas, we’ve got you a list of our favorites.
Don’t forget to upvote your favorites or the ones you find the most interesting. Also, leave your thoughts in the comments below, mayhaps sharing your own little moments that made you squint your eyes at a person, debating whether you both come from the same planet. And, if you find that you want more of the same, here’s another Bored Panda article. Let’s get into it!
Image credits: mfbenji
This post may include affiliate links.
One cannot expect to know everything about another’s life. Especially when one is just learning about a person. However, being aware of what the usual experience of life is, compared to a very privileged and financially-worry-free type of life, should be classed as common sense. That is not often the case, and these good people shared their own experiences.
When trying to find something to talk about in this article, when it comes to dissociation, Google came forth and delivered a lot of interesting bits and facts that I’ll be sharing with you today, because I love learning and you get to do that with me! Haha, let the malicious teaching of random things commence!
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#2
crowspectre (he/they) 2 years ago
Haha insomnia over here so I sometimes have dinner for sleep
#3
Blaze Fitzwater 2 years ago
I've never been to Paris either but I immediately thought Gusteau's.😂 Hey, IYKYK...
Let’s start with emotional detachment. According to Healthline, this is an inability or unwillingness to connect with other people on an emotional level. It helps protect some people from unwanted drama, anxiety, or stress, yet for others, it isn’t always voluntary. Emotional detachment or “numbing” is frequently a symptom of other conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or others.
However, this is speaking more about an empathetic kind of emotional detachment, when one turns off their emotions, but there’s a different condition where one turns off reality as a whole. Depersonalization-derealization disorder manifests when one is disconnected from themselves to the point of having an out-of-body experience.
#4
FakeOptimist 2 years ago
Tell them to go to their banks and ask why they don't give ppl a mortgage so FORCE them to pay 3 times that amount on rent.
Ryan cole 2 years ago
Or the fact that the mortgage is the only reason banks still are so neccessary. Back in the day you could like win a house at the county fair. Or buy one for like $4gs. Pretty reasonable.
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StrangeOne 2 years ago
That's what a lot of people are saying whenever the news spouts about rent increases and rent assistance. You'd think the only people who comment on the news are the wealthy.
Maggie Dinzler Shaw 1 year ago
It is true. But did I listen to myself? No . 200K in rent down the drain and now I am going to buy a condo for less than that and never pay rent again. HOA fees are far less.
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Dan Bexell 2 years ago
I remember being told when I was first married, that I needed to begin saving for retirement. We were so young and poor, we had to scramble to make it every week.
Xan Maranya 2 years ago
Years ago a friend said the market trends showed we should invest our cash in gold. I said, "You mean the $40 I have in my underwear drawer for groceries?"
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v 2 years ago
Buying actually doesn't make much more sense unless you're in a position to weather the market and sell high or you fully intend to stay in the same house for the term of the mortgage plus a few good years to take advantage of just sinking 30 years of money into the place. The reality is that owning vs. renting is just about even over the course of a 30 year mortgage. Plus, with renting you're in a much better position to relocate if need be.
Reviewer UK01 2 years ago
Also depends what your country/employer does for retirement years. A mortgage will at some point become paid off and you just stop having to pay for that. Rent goes on forever. That's the real worry for me, how do you pay rent for a good 20 years after you don't have a job now that pensions have fallen to bits?
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Celtic Pirate Queen 1 year ago
We moved from San Diego to Springfield OR because our landlord was selling our condo. Springfield is right next to Eugene, where the UofO is located. Not only is rent ridiculous, good luck finding a vacancy. It literally WAS easier for us to buy a place than find one to rent. And our mortgage is cheaper.
Mike Soigne 2 years ago
Monthly rent should be deductible on our annual tax returns just like "homeowners" receive for their monthly mortgage payments. Why do THEY receive a "State-sanctioned reward" for taking on DEBT, but renters are viewed as, what? Unworthy of a "rent deduction" write-off because we prefer living in a city, without a yard?
Philly Bob 2 years ago
Can't buy a house but you can rent one, can't rent a car but you can buy one... go figure.
Gwyn 2 years ago (edited)
I grew up poor but my husband and I bought a house using a first time home owners program with a very low down payment on a teeny condo on minimum wage at age 20. It can be done if you aren't in one of the big cities.
RockSteady 2 years ago
Even in cities you can use first time homebuyer programs. Many cities even have housing grants for lower income and civil servants. I work with a ton of lower income folks with programs that provide them with full down payment and closing cost assistance.
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Reece Aster 2 years ago (edited)
As a poor person (make far below the poverty level) who bought a house there are ways to achieve it, but it's not by any means simple. Edit: I know I'm privileged. Now I sound like an idiot.
Lauren S 2 years ago
You don’t sound like an idiot. I know what you mean. Before we got married my husband and I lived in crappy apartments (like saw someone get shot in the parking lot, kid across the hall oded, police helicopter flying around announcing the description of the suspect they’re looking for kind of cheap and crappy places). He saved for years then got an FHA loan where he only needed 3.5% down rather than 20%. Timing was after the 2008 (ish?) housing bubble burst and everyone was foreclosing. I swear luck had a lot to do with it all. I can tell you if we tried to buy now we could never afford our house or even neighborhood. But heck, it sounds like rent sucks now too so idk what we’d do.
Load More Replies... Maggie Dinzler Shaw 1 year ago
Yeah well I just added up my past 8 years of rent and it is 200K. Looking to buy a condo now because at least I would have something for all that money.
Antoinette Maldari 2 years ago
Sometimes "buying" the home maybe doable, but "maintaining" the home, nearly impossible. Ever heard of being "House Poor"?
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
"If these Millenial, Gen-X, and Gen-Z kids had spent less time eating avocado toast and more time studying quantum mechanics, the nature of wormholes, and Relativity, they could have built time machines and gone back to 1974 and bought houses." -not mine but I haven't been able find the origin or where I read it.
Xan Maranya 2 years ago
I bought a house once. When I found out I paid twice the value in interest I said, "Never again."
David Paterson 2 years ago
Had a situation where "why rent when you can buy?" was appropriate. Daughter couldn't rent because no job security and low income and no rental reference because she'd been homeless and then had shared. So was turned down every time tried to rent. So couldn't rent, but could and did buy, because I'd been saving up for 40 years for just this occasion. Why else save?
Xan Maranya 2 years ago (edited)
Actually the interest and fees you pay buying a house is dead money.
Load More Replies... Bernd Herbert 2 years ago
Yeah, I rent because I tend to make decisions that make no sense. There’s definitely no other reason…
Catte West 2 years ago
You also have to be able to pay property tax, repairs on everything. No thanks.
Carol Odrlin 2 years ago
People! If you really want a house apply to the Department of Agriculture! They will build you a house! I dud, now I'm selling UT to go on a Motor home trip around the Continental United States. If you can't afford down, closing etc. You have to be able to afford it. You must live in it. You will choose your own lot and considering the size of your family! It won't be overnight. When folks start reading this it may take longer. But hey, I love my home, its two bedroom and my yard is 100x50. I made it cute. You will make your house what you can handle. Good luck to you all!
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
Buying and paying for the overpriced place you can't move out of without selling it to someone else is way worse.
#5
Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
"The life skill you missed out on" Honey, my dad taught me how to use a butterfly knife and how to hotwire a 1987 Ford Escort. YOU missed out on life skills.
Feeling detached from your own feelings or surroundings, as though you’re watching yourself in a movie or from above, feeling time move in a distorted way, and feeling like you’re a robot with little control of your body or thoughts have been ways to describe depersonalization symptoms, whilst derealization manifests in objects looking foggy, artificial, cartoonish or dreamlike, distorted in size or distance, or even flat or two-dimensional, with sound going muted or heightened. According to PsychCentral, this affects 1-2% of the population.
Not every bit of disconnectivity stems from underlying conditions or disorders. Sometimes we’re stuck in situations that disagree with what our inner world needs because it’s what the outside world expects, and that leads us to disconnect from ourselves and our feelings. The problem is that those emotions never go away.
#7
#9
StrangeOne 2 years ago
When people ask that question, they are already assuming they know the answer and using that as an opener to gloat how much they make vs. what you make to make you feel inferior. Don't fall for it. If you gotta lie, lie. Say "Actually I have with my parents but they didn't allow me to have espresso or I would've been running all over Florence and climbing into Trevi Fountain. I've also been to _fill in the blank__, have you been?"
According to Manhattan Mental Health Counseling, society has a tendency to pressure us into pursuing or accepting certain things out of a sense of duty. We work a 9-to-5 job we hate because we’re expected to. We date because that is the norm. We dress a certain way because that is the norm.
But as the majority of people are doing so, it leads to a sort of safety bubble, which is incredibly difficult to burst. Reconnecting with those emotions that you’ve buried can be a long process, and one may not want to go through it alone. Seeing a psychologist or talking to your doctor may be a good way to start the healing journey, but it all starts with you wanting to take the first step.
#10
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 2 years ago
Oh yes but I went to vacation on Hamster Land to visit my cousin, you see
#12
Now we’ve reached the type of disconnection that this list is mostly tackling—privileged dissociation. According to Christena Cleveland, social psychologist, author, and professor, the privileged life is all about transcendence, living a life that lies beyond the limits of ordinary experience. It’s about avoiding or escaping systemic/societal pain. It is quite effective in that most privileged people are deeply disconnected from the ordinary experiences of many.
While it can be uncomfortable to recognize that one has unearned advantages over others, VeryWellMind advises working through that discomfort to utilize the privilege in a way that promotes more equitable outcomes for others in society. Privilege comes in many forms, such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and others.
#14
Claire Elise 2 years ago
"We have to pick up dad on the way home, his truck broke down again" My brother's friend(16): "You really need to tell your dad to get a new truck."
#15
Mr. Cinder 2 years ago
WOW! I wish I could do that! I can't even take a day off without worrying about the consequences.
Self-reflection is a great way to understand your privilege because it allows one to connect their individual experiences to larger systemic realities. By acknowledging your privilege, you limit the possibility of invalidating the other person’s life experiences or silencing them altogether. It shows self-awareness, empathy, and compassion for those who are marginalized.
Hope this was as interesting for you to read as it was for me to research. And if not, then I hope this list of hilarious comebacks we compiled made your day a bit better. As you continue scrolling, don’t forget to upvote your favorites and leave some comments detailing your own experiences. Until we meet again!
#17
#18
StrangeOne 2 years ago
I've heard of this from people who are not that rich because their parents just don't know how to say no.
#19
Panda Kicki 2 years ago
I think this kmowledge will be more rare as time goes. Dont know when I did that last time, most cans here has a ring you pull off.
#20
FakeOptimist 2 years ago
Worked (a short time) for a company who didn't give anything for Christmas (even tho it's a tax write-off here) but showed off pics of his new Porsche in January......
#21
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Reminds me of a scene in Futurama. Zoidberg: "I asked for rich guy stuff and you give me this? Fish Eggs?!? Goose Liver?!? Good day sir! Wub wub wub"
#23
Panda Kicki 2 years ago
I have had scallops once, when I won a dinner at a fancy place.Very dissapoimted, after all Hells Kithchen I have seen I would have expected something really yummy, but it failed to impress. Sort of a slightly wobbly way to have something to put seasons on, prefer steak or even av fried egg.
#25
Fluffy mommy panda 2 years ago
🤣🤣🤣 hell I don't know can't find a place over here that I can afford wish I could maybe when I win the mega.......
#26
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Sure, it's made by this great old name in nautical arts, Fischer Price.
#27
#29
Sunshine Lady 2 years ago
Well there are cheap flights, also for some people it is a priority. Even people with low income can decide what ti buy - my mother finds clothes more valuable than food.
#33
StrangeOne 2 years ago
In a facebook group for the community I live in a newcomer posted asking how much people spend on things like groceries in the area. The answers varied from $300 on food a month to over $1000. Both sides of the income spectrums were bewildered with how much the other spends. It was interesting to read through.
#36
#37
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 2 years ago
To be fair, I used to think my financial situation is pretty good and people were calling me and my family ‘rich’ but I would go into shock if those STUPID entitled rich brats, especially kids, said anything like that. No, not anyone have beach houses or multiple homes. The ignorance is appalling.
#38
#39
Claire Elise 2 years ago
"You've never been to Hawaii??? It's honestly so affordable, you're just lazy if you haven't gone by now: after travel and lodgings, you'll literally only spend like 4 or 5 thousand dollars a week, if you stay on one of the cheaper islands."
#41
Michael Sanders 2 years ago
I wonder if they hang around the same people as the poster before?
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What do you think ?
--- 2 years ago
For "do you ski": I think it was said by people living in an area where going on a skiing holiday costs a lot of money, not by the residents of an Austrian town 10 minutes away from a ski area
Anyone-for-tea? 2 years ago
I don’t think the “do you ski” is that bad, as if you have a military background and are speaking to colleagues or veterans, there is a high chance that everyone from all backgrounds can ski as it is a really common adventurous training exercise that the majority of people go on at least once in their career. I suppose a better question is “can you” rather than “do you”.
Alex S 2 years ago
Yeah, context of the question is key here. Are you asking in Australia where it's expensive as hell, or Switzerland where you're surrounded by snow and the opportunity to do all kinds of winter sports?
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Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
We are solidly middle class, My kids got into private school on alumni scholarship. There is 2021 Lamborghini in the pick up line. My daughter got invited to a birthday party at a $200+ a plate restaurant. We got asked where we summer. (we summer at home, my daughter goes to YMCA camp.)
Tina Hugh 2 years ago
Ewww…charging people when you’re the host? Asking where people “summer”? Don’t be fooled by posers
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ThatBiBookLover 2 years ago
One of my friends, when he was 14 and I was 13, asked me “should I get a LV bag now… or should I save up?” I was in shock. Outside, I calmly said “maybe save up?” Inside I was like “…is this the type of problems rich people have to deal with??”
Scott T Brynildsen 2 years ago
Depends on if you were sitting around complaining or just posting it online
Load More Replies...
JB 2 years ago (edited)
I was talking to a stranger I met at a bar a couple of months back. I forget the context of the conversation, but at one point he stated that if someone had a couple HUNDRED million dollars (as opposed to tens of millions), then they would have no worries for themselves or their children. Gee, ya think? SMMFH
ThatBiBookLover 2 years ago
What’s wrong with that? Valid observation. Not necessarily out of touch.
Load More Replies...
Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
I find these posts interesting…wealth is about perspective to some degree. For example, most people on this site have a car, most of us a crappy one. And we can complain about how poor we are for not being able to afford a nicer car. But there are poorer people in the world who can’t afford a car at all. Or a house vs apartment vs nothing. There’s always someone richer and poorer…shouldn’t we appreciate the blessing we have?
stardrop loves you 2 years ago
Once my friend was complaining about how he wanted to leave his room but both his maid and his gardener was there, and when i was like 'what you have a maid??' he said "Yeah, doesn't everyone?" And acted genuinely surprised
Jessica Martin 2 years ago
This guy I worked with thinks that every child has a xbox or Playstation and all adults have laptops, when i told him this was certainly false he did not believe me at all!
CWebby 2 years ago
I'm a government cheese kid and thought that most of these examples were pretty judgy.
BlueCat 2 years ago
Nah, People pointing out how stunningly out of touch the rich tend to be isn't judgy.
Load More Replies...
Dodo 2 years ago
#33 $60 a *week* on groceries? That's roughly the equivalent of my monthly grocery budget. Is the US really that expensive?
SheamusFanFrom1987 2 years ago (edited)
Not trying to flex, but I finally managed to get my own car at 30, which was 5 years ago. Just 2 more years of installments and it's all mine. My proudest achievement yet (hopefully the first of many more). The point I'd like to send across is doing it by yourself has a feel of independence to it and in a way, gives you the "I did it!" feeling. Some of these kids and adults here need a dose of reality real bad: It ain't an easy world out there and when the trust fund/bank account dries up, it's a long and nasty trip from here on out.
BravePanda 2 years ago
I am another North American defending skiing. I grew up in Maine and currently live in Colorado. I've been lower middle class for most of life and have skied hundreds of times. Passes are free if you work at resorts. If you are close enough to ski culture, it's easy to find cheap or free equipment. It's like saying "do you ice skate?" in many cold weather locations without mountains. For my child, skiing is literally cheaper than our competitive travel soccer club which we can't afford.
Barbara Skolly 2 years ago
Out of Canadian College (similar to US community college) working at a gym in Vaughan Ontario which at that point had one of the highest incomes per capita in North America. I drove a 6 year old Pontiac that was new to me and financed. Co-worker who lived next to the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs asked me why my parents bought me such an old car.... she looked confused when I said my parents never bought me a car, that it was all I could afford on my own.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
When I retired from a career of teaching in a Catholic high school, the bishop asked if I planned to travel when I retired. Bishop, on the pension you pay me, I have to save up for trips to the grocery store.
Randy Sanders 2 years ago
Depends on where they live. Kids living in a place where the method of living is related to the sea (fishing), would possibly benefit from such knowledge,
Ashleigh O'Sullivan 2 years ago
In work I'm also in college finishing my degree at 33yo, in the Lúnch room with another broke college is both complaining about up coming car loan and tax insurance payments, manager on about 85,000 a year "you know of you just buy a new car cash its way cheaper in the long run, same with insurance tax is cheaper cus of low emissions, you should think about money management" my eyes rolled out of my head.... Talk about out of touch
--- 2 years ago
For "do you ski": I think it was said by people living in an area where going on a skiing holiday costs a lot of money, not by the residents of an Austrian town 10 minutes away from a ski area
Anyone-for-tea? 2 years ago
I don’t think the “do you ski” is that bad, as if you have a military background and are speaking to colleagues or veterans, there is a high chance that everyone from all backgrounds can ski as it is a really common adventurous training exercise that the majority of people go on at least once in their career. I suppose a better question is “can you” rather than “do you”.
Alex S 2 years ago
Yeah, context of the question is key here. Are you asking in Australia where it's expensive as hell, or Switzerland where you're surrounded by snow and the opportunity to do all kinds of winter sports?
Load More Replies... Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
We are solidly middle class, My kids got into private school on alumni scholarship. There is 2021 Lamborghini in the pick up line. My daughter got invited to a birthday party at a $200+ a plate restaurant. We got asked where we summer. (we summer at home, my daughter goes to YMCA camp.)
Tina Hugh 2 years ago
Ewww…charging people when you’re the host? Asking where people “summer”? Don’t be fooled by posers
Load More Replies... ThatBiBookLover 2 years ago
One of my friends, when he was 14 and I was 13, asked me “should I get a LV bag now… or should I save up?” I was in shock. Outside, I calmly said “maybe save up?” Inside I was like “…is this the type of problems rich people have to deal with??”
Scott T Brynildsen 2 years ago
Depends on if you were sitting around complaining or just posting it online
Load More Replies... JB 2 years ago (edited)
I was talking to a stranger I met at a bar a couple of months back. I forget the context of the conversation, but at one point he stated that if someone had a couple HUNDRED million dollars (as opposed to tens of millions), then they would have no worries for themselves or their children. Gee, ya think? SMMFH
ThatBiBookLover 2 years ago
What’s wrong with that? Valid observation. Not necessarily out of touch.
Load More Replies... Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
I find these posts interesting…wealth is about perspective to some degree. For example, most people on this site have a car, most of us a crappy one. And we can complain about how poor we are for not being able to afford a nicer car. But there are poorer people in the world who can’t afford a car at all. Or a house vs apartment vs nothing. There’s always someone richer and poorer…shouldn’t we appreciate the blessing we have?
stardrop loves you 2 years ago
Once my friend was complaining about how he wanted to leave his room but both his maid and his gardener was there, and when i was like 'what you have a maid??' he said "Yeah, doesn't everyone?" And acted genuinely surprised
Jessica Martin 2 years ago
This guy I worked with thinks that every child has a xbox or Playstation and all adults have laptops, when i told him this was certainly false he did not believe me at all!
CWebby 2 years ago
I'm a government cheese kid and thought that most of these examples were pretty judgy.
BlueCat 2 years ago
Nah, People pointing out how stunningly out of touch the rich tend to be isn't judgy.
Load More Replies... Dodo 2 years ago
#33 $60 a *week* on groceries? That's roughly the equivalent of my monthly grocery budget. Is the US really that expensive?
SheamusFanFrom1987 2 years ago (edited)
Not trying to flex, but I finally managed to get my own car at 30, which was 5 years ago. Just 2 more years of installments and it's all mine. My proudest achievement yet (hopefully the first of many more). The point I'd like to send across is doing it by yourself has a feel of independence to it and in a way, gives you the "I did it!" feeling. Some of these kids and adults here need a dose of reality real bad: It ain't an easy world out there and when the trust fund/bank account dries up, it's a long and nasty trip from here on out.
BravePanda 2 years ago
I am another North American defending skiing. I grew up in Maine and currently live in Colorado. I've been lower middle class for most of life and have skied hundreds of times. Passes are free if you work at resorts. If you are close enough to ski culture, it's easy to find cheap or free equipment. It's like saying "do you ice skate?" in many cold weather locations without mountains. For my child, skiing is literally cheaper than our competitive travel soccer club which we can't afford.
Barbara Skolly 2 years ago
Out of Canadian College (similar to US community college) working at a gym in Vaughan Ontario which at that point had one of the highest incomes per capita in North America. I drove a 6 year old Pontiac that was new to me and financed. Co-worker who lived next to the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs asked me why my parents bought me such an old car.... she looked confused when I said my parents never bought me a car, that it was all I could afford on my own.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
When I retired from a career of teaching in a Catholic high school, the bishop asked if I planned to travel when I retired. Bishop, on the pension you pay me, I have to save up for trips to the grocery store.
Randy Sanders 2 years ago
Depends on where they live. Kids living in a place where the method of living is related to the sea (fishing), would possibly benefit from such knowledge,
Ashleigh O'Sullivan 2 years ago
In work I'm also in college finishing my degree at 33yo, in the Lúnch room with another broke college is both complaining about up coming car loan and tax insurance payments, manager on about 85,000 a year "you know of you just buy a new car cash its way cheaper in the long run, same with insurance tax is cheaper cus of low emissions, you should think about money management" my eyes rolled out of my head.... Talk about out of touch
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