Death to Yuppies!

Great Debates
1

Reading in the very interesting Gentrification thread, I came across a number of references to “yuppies” in the same knee-jerk mode that is used around here to refer to “liberals” or “fundies” or “creationists”. It is something that I encounter quite often in conversation, even among friends that would be considered members of the yupper class by the loosest definition. It is pretty hip to hate yuppies, and I’m wondering a few things:

  1. What is your definition of a yuppie?

  2. Do you consider yourself a yuppie?

  3. If you hate yuppies (don’t be shy now), Why? Can you make a convicing case either way without mentioning Starbucks?

To be fair, my answers:

  1. A yuppie is a person between 25 and 40, generally white, and at least upper middle class in income. They work and live downtown in cities. Their social norms revolve around consumption- often of the conspicuous variety.

  2. I don’t think I’m a yuppie, but I think some people would say that I am.

  3. I don’t hate yuppies, I guess. But places like Pottery Barn and others make me cringe- the attitude that if you get that perfect shower curtain or hanging mirror your life will be in order. I like nice things, so I guess I understand the impulse. It just seems that a life spent collecting things is kind of a shallow life.

This feeling doesn’t account for the kind of vitriol that comes to the forefront in sentences containing the term yuppie. So I think a lot of that comes from jealousy- the occasional insidious feeling that maybe you didn’t pick the right path in life and Joe Stockbroker did. What do you think?

2

I’d agree with your definition of yuppie for the most part. What makes a person a yuppie in my mind is that they’re easily taken in by advertising for products that they don’t need, and they’re usually not willing to talk about subjects that I would consider “deep” or “important”, such as religion, philosophy, etc…

I’m too young to be a yuppie, but I sure hope that I don’t become one.

Well, there’s also Barnes&Noble.

3

For me, a yuppie is someone who is shallow and squanders their money on needless things. And then they try to flaunt it.

I’m definately not a yuppie, we can barely afford the rent right now.

I hate yuppies. They waste things, and then rub it in your face in a passive-aggresive way. And they also think they are better than other people who don’t have all those nice things. DAmn them to hell.

4

  1. A yuppie is a white, protestant, straight individual between 25 and 60 (remember, the term “yuppie” started as a reference to a certain part of the baby boomer population) who is more interested in material possessions and external appearances than in happiness. Or, more accurately, believe that the former will lead to the latter.

  2. I am not a yuppie, and I pray to God I never am.

  3. I don’t hate them (I like to think I don’t hate anybody), but they frustrate me. My parents are yuppies, as are the parents of most of my friends. It’s a really empty existence, and it makes a cold house growing up.

5

I think people would say that I’m a yuppie. I’m quite young, live in the city and have a (very) good income for someone of my age. I enjoy ‘stuff’ and I do spend a lot of money, but I figure that I earn it, I’ve worked for it afterall. I do not feel guilty that I make more money than other people, but I do try to not show off. I hate people who show off.
However, sometimes people think that you are showing off no matter how hard you try not to. When people ask me where I’ve been on holiday, I could lie and say that I spent a week at home or I could tell the truth and say that I went on a trip to Israel for four weeks. When buying a car, I can choose to buy a nice new car, or I can choose to pay less for a second hand, rusted one. What would you do?

I realise that people get envyous of that, but is that my fault?

I do think that the people you guys are referring to are nothing but arrogant dickheads who can be found in any layer of society, not only the upper middle class, and I agree that I don’t like that sort of people. But there’s nothing wrong with the term ‘yup’, standing for young urban professional, meaning it’s just a 20 something living in the city with a good paycheck.

6

The dictionary defines yuppie as a young urban or suburban resident with a professional job and an affluent lifestyle. The word is allegedly derived from young urban professional, and can be traced back to 1982 (according to Merriam-Webster and American Heritage. I pretty much fit that definition to a tee.

As for the negative connotations, I wonder to what extent these are subjective and to what extent the “general public” think of yuppies as shallow and materialistic. I think materialism as a complaint can be applied to a much larger group in western societies; don’t lower income groups often aspire through material possessions?

I do understand the characterisation of yuppies, but is this an extreme or is this the commonly accepted definition now? I find it difficult to communicate with or to like people whose lives revolve around material possessions (I like being able to buy stuff, but it’s not the be-all and end-all). On the other hand, neither materialism nor shallowness are restricted to particular income groups.

Er, the short version:

[1] What’s a yuppie? Young, affluent urban professional. No negative connotations, necessarily.

[2] Am I a yuppie? By that definition, certainly.

[3] Do I hate yuppies? I dislike shallowness and materialism as much as anyone else, but they aren’t traits unique to yuppies. Time for a change of definition?

7

Stoli’s dead on, IMHO. All too often, the word “yuppie” is a broad brush that applies to anyone that’s white and comfortably middle class. I’ve always applied the term to those with a certain lifestyle, which includes most of the following elements:

  1. Professional employment, usually legal, financial, marketing or real estate. Somewhat guilty - professional, but not a field where I’ll ever be making a six digit income.

  2. Higher than normal income. Not guilty.

  3. (No, I won’t bow down and utter that cliche.)

  4. Residence either in a central city or older railroad suburb. Formerly guilty, now innocent.

  5. Foreign automobile (German or upscale Japanese brand) for old school yuppies, or an SUV (excepting Chevrolet, Hyunday and Suzuki products) for neo-yuppies. Not guilty.

  6. Regular consumption of the “upscale” equivalent of normal staple goods rather than established national brands or store/house brands (i.e. Starbucks coffee instead of Folgers, shopping at Whole Foods instead of a typical grocery chain). Occasionally guilty – don’t touch my microbrewed beer!

  7. Yuppie puppy – rare or uncommon breed dog. Guilty.

  8. A preference for light upscale music (smooth jazz, world music, anything found on records found in Starbucks). Definitely not guilty.

  9. Vacations to upscale (Cape Cod, Longboat Key, Santa Fe, etc) or unusual destinations (Tibet, Antarctica, Costa Rica, etc.). Not guilty.

  10. Doesn’t go out to restaurants, but rather dines out in bistros, trattorias, ristorantes, cucinas, and “New American Grills.” Not guilty

I also noticed a gradual change in yuppie consumerism over the years, from a focus on gadgetry and toys to comforting elements. Where the Sharper Image catalog was the Bible for 1980s yuppies, now they seem to prefer items from retailers that put out catalogs with lots of soft focus pictures – Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Orvis, and so on. Conspicuous consumerism has been replaced by what I call “upscale simplicity” – witness the “simple lifestyle” type magazines that can be found in great abundance in upscale supermarkets. A yuppie living room is lnow more likely to have a $2,000 couch from Quatrine and a vintage French advertising poster on the wall than a large screen television and a huge shelf stacked with high-end audio equipment.

Yuppie music has also changed – from the “yuppie rock” of the 1980s (Phil Collins, Huey Lewis, Robert Palmer) to … gag … smooooooooth jaaaaaazz.

8

Pardon the plagiarism but it’s easiest this way so (I hope elmwood doesn’t mind…answers in bold are now mine and not elmwood’s):

  1. Professional employment, usually legal, financial, marketing or real estate. Somewhat guilty - professional, but in a field where maybe, somehow, someway a 6-digit income could be had (but a lot of hard work and a lot of luck would be required).

  2. Higher than normal income. Slightly guilty.

  3. (No, I won’t bow down and utter that cliche.) ???

  4. Residence either in a central city or older railroad suburb. Guilty but in my defense I’ve been living in the city since I graduated and worked as a waiter to pay the rent so I don’t feel bad about this.

  5. Foreign automobile (German or upscale Japanese brand) for old school yuppies, or an SUV (excepting Chevrolet, Hyunday and Suzuki products) for neo-yuppies. Not guilty…drive a Chrysler Cirrus…nice but not too nice.

  6. Regular consumption of the “upscale” equivalent of normal staple goods rather than established national brands or store/house brands (i.e. Starbucks coffee instead of Folgers, shopping at Whole Foods instead of a typical grocery chain). Occasionally guilty – don’t touch my microbrewed beer! (I agree on the beer…I don’t even drink coffee and think Starbucks is an incredible ripoff…cabinets are filled with the usual: Campbells soup, Heinz Ketchup, Lays Potato Chips, etc…I have one bottle of fancy vinegar but I got it as a gift and have used it only once.)

  7. Yuppie puppy – rare or uncommon breed dog. Guilty and proud of it…she’s awesome!

  8. A preference for light upscale music (smooth jazz, world music, anything found on records found in Starbucks). Definitely not guilty. shudder

  9. Vacations to upscale (Cape Cod, Longboat Key, Santa Fe, etc) or unusual destinations (Tibet, Antarctica, Costa Rica, etc.). Not guilty…most vacations are camping trips with friends to central Indiana or Wisconsin…we take a ‘big’ trip maybe once every 2-3 years.

  10. Doesn’t go out to restaurants, but rather dines out in bistros, trattorias, ristorantes, cucinas, and “New American Grills.” Mostly Not guilty…a few places I frequent meet this definiton but I go there because I like the food…not to be ‘seen’ or ‘be hip’. One of my favorite places to eat is a greasy spoon diner

Yipes! Got me on the poster! Our couches (2), however, were from Sears for $600 (total). TV is a 27" that has serious color bleed on one side (needs replacing but never seem to get around to it). Stereo is the same $150 one piece unit made to look like a component system my wife had in college. Serviceable but hardly high-end audio.

I’m curious about all of the bad blood towards ‘conspicuous consumerism’. While I agree the motivations behind it are often silly and misguided it is this consumerism that is responsible for what has been a good economy and may (directly or indirectly) be keeping any or all of us in a job.

9

Starting to think this should have been an IMHO thread, because of all of the exposition I spilled before getting to the point. I believe that vehement hatred for yuppies is based in jealousy. I feel this way because to a certain extent I can see it in myself. Agree? Disagree? Don’t give a hoot?

10

A young accountant,lawyer,doctor etc.

Someone who often drives a flash car, has flash clothes and no kids yet.
Someone who buys an expensive property and says ‘remember that smart kid at school, its me !!!’

11

Jealousy? You bet! Damnit, I want that deep, 95" wide, comfy couch too! I want to drive a BMW instead of a Ford!

Still, it seems like “yuppies,” as the dictionary definition goes, are a relatively recent phenomenon. The urban upper middle class of the 1970s – pretty much old money, and older professionals.

I think there’s a dictinct difference between the first generation of yuppies (“Reagan yuppies,” which are still being created) and the second (“Dot-com yuppies”). A few general observations …

Reagan yuppies
BMW, Mercedes, Lexus
New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington
Single malts, cigars, steak
Sharper Image
Robert Palmer
Anthony Robbins
This Old House

Dot-com yuppies
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, Toyota Land Cruiser
San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Portland
Microbrewed beer, Whole Foods, basalmic salad dressing
Restoration Hardware
Kenny G
Martha Steweart
HGTV

12

I agree since nothing else really makes sense. What is there really to hate about a yuppie? What did one ever do to you? I don’t see how someone else’s pursuit of luxury goods directly affects anyone else (unless they somehow push you down on their climb up). Maybe you don’t like that personality type in general but hating that class of people is really no different than hatred of any group (minority, religious, whatever) simply because they exist.

Even if 9 out of 10 yuppies are people you didn’t particularly care for you should hold off judgement on that odd 10[sup]th[/sup] person who may be swell in your view. Anything else and you’re actually cheating yourself.

Let’s face it, most people would join the ranks of the yuppies in short order if they could. Sure, they might lie to themselves and think they are somehow different because they worked for their money or previously despised yuppies but in the end they’d become the same luxury consuming person they so claim to hate.

(If you’re Mother Theresa or her equivalent then I apologize for lumping you in with the rest. However, in my view, that would make you the exception that proves the rule.)

13

Jealousy? No, I don’t think so.

There seems to be a certain exploitative yuppie mentality that makes me uncomfortable. This is not shared by all yuppies; I think all yuppies get tarred with this trait accidentally when only a minority are perhaps guilty. Even if none of them are guilty, as long as they are perceived to participate in the below worldview, they will continue to be hated.

Full disclosure first.

I am in my mid 20s, and I live in New York City. I am white, and live in a rapidly gentrifying area. I would by lying if I said I were truly concerned about my ability to remain in my offbeat, way uptown university neighborhood. I can afford the rent, provided that I live with a roommate.

Since I work for a political nonprofit, my income is far below what my age, race, and the quality of my college degree would normally dictate. I don’t own a car. I dislike coffee. As far as I am concerned, smooth jazz does not have a moral right to exist.

So here is the yuppie mentality, according to Maeglin. For sake of argument.

Yuppies are exploitative. All of their social and financial interactions with the world are for the furtherance of their own personal, material goals. They are particularly unscrupulous in the pursuit of their careers, their acquisition of de rigeur material goods, and their amplification of a successful image. Interacting with people with such an alien, and in my opinion unhealthy, set of values makes me uncomfortable. They are not interested in anyone’s time for its own sake. Unable to think beyond themselves, their friends are but feathers in their hats, threads in a complicated, contrived tapestry of self-image. Unless they present the image of acceptance into a community, their self-esteem will plummet. Hence the yuppie community consists of distant, materialistic, and selfish people who don’t actually like each other but must remain together in order to appear to be liked.

When Reese Witherspoon and Christian Bale break up in American Psycho, Reese’s character is immediately concerned not with the emotional implications of the impending failure of their relationship, but with “who will get the friends.” If she loses her friends, and thus is perceived as a social isolate, her self-worth will erode and disappear.

I do not hate these kinds of people because they are successful or because they have material goods. I have material goods. I am satisfied with the goods that I have.

I dislike them because they don’t listen when people talk. I dislike them because they would use you, stick the knife in your back, and twist in a moment if it served them. I dislike them because they believe that their success justifies their unscrupulousness. I dislike them most of all because they think they can get away with it.

MR

14

I think that to a certain extent true yuppies in the original sense of the word (acronym) were an eighties Reagen/Thatcher phenonemen and as such don’t really exist any more. This is almost definitional: yuppies were desperate to be zeitgeisty and you can’t be zeitgeisty if you’re out of date.

The modern equivalent don’t to my mind quite have the sheer American Psycho-style raw emptiness of the original. Though there are many who still try to capture eighties yuppiness, they’ll never really be one because the social context has changed. They’re yuppie-wannabies and somehow seem even sadder and shallower than their heroes.

I glean this from my own context: I’m in my twenties, earning somewhat less than $100K but heading that way rapidly and about to move into a house on the grounds of a mansion that has been converted into a swimming pool/gym facility. But my main influences have been during the nineties backlash to eighties consumerism and as such I’m as far from the original yuppie as can be imagined. My concerns are social and environmental, not monetary or status. I simply don’t know anyone who fits the true yuppie mould, only a few neo-yuppie wannabies.

pan

15

I can’t believe that we’re trying to find a definition for Yuppies and nobody has mentioned the key characteristic, they’re S.M.U.G.

16

They have a fascination with the last-name-as-first-name thing when it comes to naming their kids. There’s little Hunter and his best friend Connor, while next door you have Parker and the twins, Tyler and Taylor.