These people really get to me, I need to think of a clever name for them, but got nothing so far. Toronto is really bad for them. I see it all the time, and just shake my head. You should hear the 'tude people shoot when you tell them their idiots for living like this.

http://www.freep.com/features/living/coddled15d_20050715.htm

July 15, 2005

BY MARK DE LA VINA
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- They find solace in $325 Christian Dior sunglasses, a shot of confidence in a $600 Louis Vuitton handbag. Never mind that they still live with their parents and earn modest salaries in service jobs.

For these working-class young adults, luxury is not just for the rich. Just ask Danielle Garcia, a receptionist at Kaiser Permanente who is in the midst of planning her lavish 24th birthday bash for 75 friends at the trendy Vault nightclub in downtown San Jose, Calif.

She and her pals don't know it, but they're part of a new niche that marketers say is growing: the gold-collar generation, blue-collar's glitzy counterpart.

"I'm really in awe of name-brand things," said Garcia, who moved back in with her parents to pay off credit-card debt. "I want to feel glamorous."

The appetite for designer labels and anything associated with celebrity has helped push luxury sales in the United States to $525 billion last year, up from $450 billion in 2003. By 2010, Americans are expected to spend $1 trillion on luxury goods, according to Michael Silverstein, co-author of "Trading Up: Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods" (Portfolio Hardcover, $26.95).

The gold-collar contingent, ages 18 to 25, is doing its part by downing $12 Kettle One vodka martinis and sporting the sleekest rims on their Lincoln Navigators. To sustain a lifestyle inspired by rap videos and pop culture magazines such as Us, they spend a disproportionate amount of their disposable income on expensive brand-name products and services.

For many, any interest in college and pursuing a career beyond retail or service industry is deferred, even abandoned, in order to maintain champagne tastes on a beer budget, said Ian Pierpoint, a senior vice president at the Chicago research firm Synovate.

"This is the best-dressed, least-able, least-equipped generation ever," Pierpoint said. "If you're 24 or 25 and you're still at home, you're not doing a lot of things, like paying your own utilities. They are in some ways very experienced, but they are more coddled than other generations."

There were about 20 million young people who could be categorized as working-class in 2003, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That's more than half of the 18-to-25 population. In a phone survey of blue-collar adults within that age range, Synovate found that more than a third are what they have dubbed "gold-collar."

Garcia has never heard of the term, but her lifestyle and spending habits fit the bill: She once exchanged $305 Chanel sunglasses for $325 Christian Dior shades because a friend had bought the same pair. The owner of more than 100 pairs of shoes, Garcia built the theme of her birthday party around the Al Pacino gangster film "Scarface." The invitations read "The World Is Yours," a reference to the catchphrase that inspired Pacino's character to embark on a crime spree rooted in entitlement.

Garcia said her taste for excess is part fashion sense, part love of glitz.

"I want everyone to look at me. I want to have a lot of attention," she said. "I realize how shallow it sounds, but you know what? It's just what I like. I can't help what I like."

Jason Leong, 24, a makeup artist at Stila Cosmetics in San Jose, said he's more charged by the thrill of a new trinket than the attention it generates. He holds up his right wrist to show off a prized find, a canvas Christian Dior bracelet.

"This one was $180," he said, "but it makes me happy, so it's worth it."

Leong has tried to cut back on his high-end purchases from a year ago, reducing his $1,000-a-month spending budget, which was 60% of his take-home salary, to about $400 a month. He now sets aside $25 a week toward the purchase of a house so that he can move out of his father's place in Hayward, Calif.

When he walked into the Hugo Boss store at Valley Fair on a recent shopping jaunt, three salespeople gave him a nod and acknowledged him by name.

"This," he said, "is where I go when I want to spend money."

On this day of assembling an outfit for a wedding he buys a $120 gun-metal gray shirt and an $80 black leather belt. Though Leong is more restrained than some of his gold-collar contemporaries, he recently also shelled out $55 on Osmotics anti-oxidant for his eyes and $250 on a pair of Dolce & Gabbana jeans.

Tony Rodriguez, an intervention specialist for Catholic Charities in San Jose, encounters gold-collar youth through his work with a young men's support group. He said it's no secret why they try to emulate celebrities.

"You might not be able to live the life of Sean (P. Diddy) (Combs," he said. "But for a day, you can wear his $200 Sean John outfit and have that glow. You can have that star shine wearing that."

As a result, many young adults, he said, are more interested in stocking up on today's hot accessories than in investing time in an education or career that will pay off down the road.

"It's not that going to school is too hard," he said, "it's that it's not easy enough."

I answered true to one of these, and it was my age.
Are you gold-collar?
You know you're gold-collar if you answer true:

1) You are 18 to 25 years old.
--True
--False

2) You live with your parents.
--True
--False

3) You passed on college and work full time in a service or retail job, such as at the cosmetics counter at Macy's.
--True
--False

4) Your pastimes include clubbing, shopping and pampering (pedicures and manicures).
--True
--False

5) You prefer high-end brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
--True
--False

6) You drink pricey cocktails made from top-shelf liquor (Grey Goose vodka, Hennessy cognac) instead of domestic beer.
--True
--False

7) You have a top-of-the-line iPod or the best-equipped cell phone, complete with camera, chirp function and assorted downloads.
--True
--False

8) Your idea of saving money is setting aside $200 for a new pair of Dolce & Gabbana jeans.
--True
--False

9) Your dream, spoken or not, is to become a celebrity.
--True
--False

10) Your primary source of information is celebrity magazines, such as Us and In Style.
--True
--False

"Work It! Understanding Working Class Youth in America," by Synovate research firm

I answered yes to one... but it wasn't my age. Damn Grey Goose...

He now sets aside $25 a week toward the purchase of a house so that he can move out of his father's place in Hayward, Calif.
$25/week? Wow. He's trying really hard, eh? What a dork.

Lol he should have a downpayment for a CA fixer-upper together in about 40 years.

Really how different is this from the kids in the 40's-50's with Greaser hair and hot rods?
Spent every dime on material possessions and lived with their parents. Then again the price of a 50k escalade was damn near close to a 3k car back then. Making .25$ an hour etc.. oh well. It just doesn't really seem like news to me. Happens every generation doesn't it?

Probably right. I, however, didn't live back then, so I have never seen it until now. These memebers of my generation piss me off.

I answered yes to one... but it wasn't my age. Damn Grey Goose...

I concur. :cool:

:D

$25/week? Wow. He's trying really hard, eh? What a dork.


Well he should have enough money for a house by the time he's 75 :rolleyes:


I BLAME THE PARENTS!!!! :mad: :eek: :(

Where does working full time while in school full time and living at home because parents couldn't afford to send me to school so I have to pay for it myself fall in there? Dad says "You get a roof over your head for your education. If you drop your education you can find your own roof." I also take care of the yard. :p

Really how different is this from the kids in the 40's-50's with Greaser hair and hot rods?
Spent every dime on material possessions and lived with their parents. Then again the price of a 50k escalade was damn near close to a 3k car back then. Making .25$ an hour etc.. oh well. It just doesn't really seem like news to me. Happens every generation doesn't it?


i THINK THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENCES:

#1 The shear number of people living like this is greater today...more excepted.
#2 Those greasers didn't hang on to that lifestyle as long without finding as way to support themselves. Back then there was a stigma to it......I don't think there is such a stigna no because of a general attitude in the public these days that is much more self-centered and quick to blame their problwems on anybody but themselves.

Why do people want to be so bling? I don't like the gold collared generation either. It seems that Pavlovian subliminal conditioning and destruction of self-esteem from advertisements has reached a whole new level. The advertisements have achieved what they wanted, to be a large part of the culture, and they are like that through E! and Us and bling, etc.

I do not get it. I wear cheap jeans (eddie baur), and gap tee shirts. In collage, I wore the same thing, but the jeans were levis. I get my suits at the mens warehouse. I wear timex watches. And I am happy. AND I AM A LAWYER and can afford to live stupid if I wanted!!!


Were the hell do everyones common sense go? I want to slap a whole generation in the face. Thank god for rotarian SC..at least I know there will be one person from his generation who is a success.

ANd someone pleas explian coach handbags..they are ugly. I do not get it.

Junior is going to be in for a rude awakening when mommy and daddy decide enough's enough.
I was raised in an upper middle class family and we were always taught the true value of hard work and education.I could have had mom and dad buy me everything I wanted but chose to earn it myself. I think Paris Hilton is a good example of the so called "gold collar" generation. I wonder what this chick would do if mommy and daddy lost it all or chose to cut her off? How would she survive? She has little or no education and common sense is virtually nonexistent. I guess she's always got her porn career to fall back on. :D

A friend of mine has a $180 belt. A frickin' belt! And it's not even a belt you'd wear with a suit or anything...you wear it with jeans!

WTF is wrong with people these days.

Were the hell do everyones common sense go? I want to slap a whole generation in the face. Thank god for rotarian SC..at least I know there will be one person from his generation who is a success.

ANd someone pleas explian coach handbags..they are ugly. I do not get it.

Yes, hopefully we will all look back at this someday like people look back at some of those 70s fads. Whoever invented flannel pants should be shot.

There are plenty of people in my generation who will succeed (you know Feras will) and I'm definately not the exception. You don't see all the people not seeking the attention. I wonder if the gold collar disorder happens because you have things handed to you, because the blue collar parents want to provide for their children what they themselves didn't have.

What are you talking about, "coach handbags?" Don't you mean man-purses. I don't understand that either, but you might know a little about it with your "any port in a storm" philosophy :p.

Hey, this thread synchs nicely with my new avatar too.

I work full time in a retail job and I resent the inference that it's because I lack ambition or talent. I make more than ALL of my friends who graduated with degrees from high powered schools. I will have my 8 paid off by the end of a year and have over 28k in the bank ready for a house next year....and I'm a beer and vodka snob and I'm 23. What does that say about me?

I work full time in a retail job and I resent the inference that it's because I lack ambition or talent. I make more than ALL of my friends who graduated with degrees from high powered schools. I will have my 8 paid off by the end of a year and have over 28k in the bank ready for a house next year....and I'm a beer and vodka snob and I'm 23. What does that say about me?


I do not think anyone is saying you are part of this. these are people who are making nothing, and spending ever cent on crap. You are saving. You have a good head on your shoulders..

ok, I thought that this was a shot at my generation as a whole, which is what I took exception to.

It is a shot at a segment.

Maybe it's the gold-collar generation that's responsible for the rampant identity-theft problems... at least, Citibank seems to think so. "I just HAD to have it!" (http://daryld.com/citi-ads/outfit/) (I love all those commercials, btw.)

Then I agree wholeheartly, there are many of them that I see who are exactly like what the article described. Trust fund babies are like that too, depending upon others for their cash flow. I can't imagine living with my parents now, and anyone who lives with their parents when they are 24, like the example in the article, are having their wings seriously clipped

I love those commercials too! hilarious!:D



Maybe it's the gold-collar generation that's responsible for the rampant identity-theft problems... at least, Citibank seems to think so. "I just HAD to have it!" (I love all those commercials, btw.)

The only thing I don't agree with in that article is the whole living with your parents. I'm sure a lot of people live with their parents because they can't afford anything else. However, what people forget about is some families (french, italian to name a few) tradionally prefer their children to stay home before getting married. My family is like that, I live at home however somethings i would like to mention before everyone says "you can only afford an 8 because you live at home!!"

Both of my parents are on disability, my fathers kidney has failed(he has one because his other one was donated to my uncle 15 years ago), my mom has one knee which has been rebuilt and the other will be rebuilt later this year. I actually make more money then my parents so I help them with THEIR mortage.. I went to uni for 4 years, lived on my own and paid for everything.. So you see, people shouldn't automatically hate on ppl living at home. I'm only doing it to help my parents out financially and i guess emotionally (they won't be around for to much longer unfortunatley)

But, i'm getting sick and tired of commuting so I'm going to move out at the end of the year (against my parents wishes :)

I do agree with Blueyes tho, theres a lot of gold collar assholes in Toronto.. But it doesn't bother me at all, we'll see where they are in 15 years!


MrJynx

I work full time in a retail job and I resent the inference that it's because I lack ambition or talent. I make more than ALL of my friends who graduated with degrees from high powered schools. I will have my 8 paid off by the end of a year and have over 28k in the bank ready for a house next year....and I'm a beer and vodka snob and I'm 23. What does that say about me?Wow, you're one of the lucky few that can do well without an education. Wait 10 years until all your "friends who graduated with degrees from high powered school" pass you financially.

ANd someone pleas explian coach handbags..they are ugly. I do not get it.

Correction- they USED to be ugly- but they've been glammed up a bit in the past 5 years. However, Coach is kinda out- Kate Spade is a bit more in fashion now :P

And with that said, I find this really disturbing. Yes, I could choose to spend all my disposable income on junk like this, but instead I throw it into savings and 401k, etc. What are these kids thinking? And how can their parents let them get away with it??

that means that people my age will be much better off if we have money saved, so we arent declaring bankruptcy multiple times in one lifetime.

Seriously putting $25 a week for a freaking house? Thats a total of $1300 a year, I spend more on gas than that.

I think we've found the real reason Social Security is going to shit.

yeah, too many baby boomers retiring and too few of my generation paying a decent amount of taxes to support 'em.

Wow, you're one of the lucky few that can do well without an education. Wait 10 years until all your "friends who graduated with degrees from high powered school" pass you financially.


That’s not always the case....what about people who work on the rigs in the oil patch? Some of those guys make huge money and retire before the age of 35. I know a few guys like that.

Also if you have a good trade like a carpenter or plumber; chances are you are making great money right know if you live in Alberta.

I agree that the level of education you have does in many cases dictate your economic status down the road but there are other factors that are even more important...like drive (ambition) the ability to set and attain goals, networking (not what you know but who you know).

My Dad and many of his friend immigrated to Canada with little education and almost no money. They were very successful.

Nothing beats hard work.

That’s not always the case....what about people who work on the rigs in the oil patch? Some of those guys make huge money and retire before the age of 35. I know a few guys like that.

Also if you have a good trade like a carpenter or plumber; chances are you are making great money right know if you live in Alberta.

I agree that the level of education you have does in many cases dictate your economic status down the road but there are other factors that are even more important...like drive (ambition) the ability to set and attain goals, networking (not what you know but who you know).

My Dad and many of his friend immigrated to Canada with little education and almost no money. They were very successful.

Nothing beats hard work.Look at the statistics. More education = more $. That's all I'm saying.

I hate when people say "But I know some guy who dropped out of grade 9 and is now a millionaire". All you're doing is spreading rumours and encouraging kids to try to follow in his footsteps. Sure it's possible, but is it the right message to send?

I appreciate your concern for me khtm, but so far I've done quite well for myself without the benefit that my friends have got, plus I'm not in debt like them with school loans.

What I'm saying is getting a higher education goes guarantee anything. Statistics can say anything you want them to say. It’s easier to measure school vs no school compared to measuring determination.

Some people didn't do to post secondary intuitions but have made a shit load in real-estate.

I don't think the message is get an education, rather figure out what you want to do in life and put in the effort to succeed.

There are so many ways to make a good or above average living these days. People just don't want to put the effort into doing it.

I appreciate your concern for me khtm, but so far I've done quite well for myself without the benefit that my friends have got, plus I'm not in debt like them with school loans.Congrats. My point is that you're a rarity.

Also, you're only 23 (my age as well, ironically). It takes time for college/university educations to pay off. Typically you start out in entry level jobs that pay shitty, and have to work your way up. But your friends' earning potential should be higher than yours. That's just how it works.

I'm saying all this without knowing what you or your friends do. It's just a generalization so take it with a grain of salt. :)

Look at the statistics. More education = more $. That's all I'm saying.

I hate when people say "But I know some guy who dropped out of grade 9 and is now a millionaire". All you're doing is spreading rumours and encouraging kids to try to follow in his footsteps. Sure it's possible, but is it the right message to send?

Sure it is, leave more white collar jobs for me ;). Kids gather round, Steve Jobs (Apple and Pixar CEO) and Bill Gates (Microsoft CEO) both dropped out of college and are now billionaries, and we wouldn't have Apple, Microsoft, or Pixar if they had stayed the course, so kids you know what to do :p.

Hard work really is what does it for success, so I don't see telling kids that they can work really hard and make a lot of money from it as bad. They just have to work less and have more fun if they go to college. The advantages college offers is sometimes research, business connections, and a standardized way to judge how smart someone is. You can teach yourself all the info that you would get in courses.

What I'm saying is getting a higher education goes guarantee anything. Statistics can say anything you want them to say. It’s easier to measure school vs no school compared to measuring determination.

Some people didn't do to post secondary intuitions but have made a shit load in real-estate.

I don't think the message is get an education, rather figure out what you want to do in life and put in the effort to succeed.

There are so many ways to make a good or above average living these days. People just don't want to put the effort into doing it.I agree. Nothing is guaranteed in life.

There's no way you could deny that the earning *potential* is higher for the average university grad than the average highschool grad. Look at the top CEOs of, say the Fortune 500 companies. How many of them have degrees?

People that bash statistics usually have never taken a stats course ;)

Congrats. My point is that you're a rarity.

I'm saying all this without knowing what you or your friends do. It's just a generalization so take it with a grain of salt. :)

I agree totally with the fact that I am a total abberation. I have been very blessed to have a job that I am extremely good at, and that doesnt really require anything as far as physical labor requires, but the hours do suck ass.

Sure it is, leave more white collar jobs for me ;). Kids gather round, Steve Jobs (Apple and Pixar CEO) and Bill Gates (Microsoft CEO) both dropped out of college and are now billionaries, and we wouldn't have Apple, Microsoft, or Pixar if they had stayed the course, so kids you know what to do :p.

Hard work really is what does it for success, so I don't see telling kids that they can work really hard and make a lot of money from it as bad. They just have to work less and have more fun if they go to college. The advantages college offers is sometimes research, business connections, and a standardized way to judge how smart someone is. You can teach yourself all the info that you would get in courses.Yep, hard work is important, but there's other things:
- genetics (ie. brains)
- family (look at G.W...if you think he worked his ass off, you've gotta be smokin' something)
- luck (winning the lottery)

No matter how hard you work, if you have an IQ of 80, you'll have a tough life . Similarly, no matter how hard you slack off, if you're a Hilton, you'll have an easy life. :)

I don't think the message is get an education, rather figure out what you want to do in life and put in the effort to succeed.I missed this earlier.

Good quote. I agree.

I'm not saying education is the answer for everyone, I was just saying that the earning potential is generally higher if you go that route. I have a (dumb) friend I grew up with that's modelling in France now. I thought it was funny at first until he told me how much $ he's making. :eek:

I agree. Nothing is guaranteed in life.

There's no way you could deny that the earning *potential* is higher for the average university grad than the average highschool grad. Look at the top CEOs of, say the Fortune 500 companies. How many of them have degrees?

People that bash statistics usually have never taken a stats course ;)

I agree with you totally on this one..

Yes, there is a bill gates and a steve jobs.. but that's less then .01% of the population of people who dropped out of school early in life and hit it big..

education isn't a sure thing, but it definitley helps in the long run..


MrJynx

^then you started to cry? I'm sure I would

I agree. Nothing is guaranteed in life.

There's no way you could deny that the earning *potential* is higher for the average university grad than the average highschool grad. Look at the top CEOs of, say the Fortune 500 companies. How many of them have degrees?

People that bash statistics usually have never taken a stats course ;)


I have two words to shoot down your arguement:


RAP ARTIST :D

I agree. Nothing is guaranteed in life.

There's no way you could deny that the earning *potential* is higher for the average university grad than the average highschool grad. Look at the top CEOs of, say the Fortune 500 companies. How many of them have degrees?

People that bash statistics usually have never taken a stats course ;)



I took statistics in University as well as symbolic logic as part as working towards a philosophy degree. I eventually woke up and dropped out. :)


Statistics can be used to state whatever you want them too.

Yep, hard work is important, but there's other things:
- genetics (ie. brains)
- family (look at G.W...if you think he worked his ass off, you've gotta be smokin' something)
- luck (winning the lottery)

No matter how hard you work, if you have an IQ of 80, you'll have a tough life . Similarly, no matter how hard you slack off, if you're a Hilton, you'll have an easy life. :)

yes but IQ doesn't necessarily equate to higher education.

there are three types of liars; liars, damn liars and statistics.

I missed this earlier.

Good quote. I agree.

I'm not saying education is the answer for everyone, I was just saying that the earning potential is generally higher if you go that route. I have a (dumb) friend I grew up with that's modelling in France now. I thought it was funny at first until he told me how much $ he's making. :eek:



so you just contradicted yourself.

I took statistics in University as well as symbolic logic as part as working towards a philosophy degree. I eventually woke up and dropped out. :)


Statistics can be used to state whatever you want them too.Well I took a stats for engineering course and a couple logic courses. And this was in the last 5 years so I remember a lot of it :)

My Dad's a philosophy major so I always give him a hard time. His big rebuttal is "Philosophy was the first science!". Mhuhahahha...

But again, you give "RAP ARTIST" as an example...I'll counter that with "JANITOR!".

I'm talking about over ALL the people in (I'll qualify it) Canada, there's more earning potential for university grads than non. Not sure how else to put this. If you don't agree, then that's your choice and I could probably never change your mind, but you must have some messed up *logic* ;)

so you just contradicted yourself.How??

I would maybe go as far to say that for an average Joe getting a higher education would be an advantage. Some places won't even look at you if you don't have a degree. It can even be in a different field of study...so long as you have that piece of paper.

For a bright motivated individual...it isn't going to matter. Another big thing to consider is what kind of risk taker the person is. I notice this from some of the people I've hired and some people I've worked with. People are chicken-shits!

They get "comfortable" in a job and don't want to change that. You only get out of life what you put in so if you don't go after it...you won't get it.
I've been fired, laid-off and quit a job. They are all the same...no difference. One thing they do is renew your ambition. I worry about people who stay in one job for to long. The business world is not like when our parents grew up.

These are the same people that seem to think that the company they work for owes them something. They always find something to bitch about that the company isn't somehow meeting their needs yet don't have the balls to do anything about it.

[QUOTE=khtm]But again, you give "RAP ARTIST" as an example...I'll counter that with "JANITOR!".QUOTE]

LOL


My whole point is you can't just take higher education as being the pinnacle for success. There are just too many other important factors.

...and another thing. All lower education guys seem to know that you take GIRLS" with you camping not BOYS....and you don't take pictures of them running into a mountain lake in their underwear and post it on a car enthusiast's board.

check mate. :D :p :p :p :p

I dont get it

this thread has turned into a battle of the canadians!!

NHL should be back on this upcoming year :)

My whole point is you can't just take higher education as being the pinnacle for success.
I never did. I realize there's other factors. I already listed some of them in another post.

I just said that higher education = (on average) higher wages.

Yes, there are counter examples, but those are specific cases...I'm generalizing.

How's this:
Take 100,000 random Canadians that have university degrees and 100,000 random Canadians that don't. Everyone is 40 years old. Add up the gross annual income of each group. Which group will be higher?

That's it! That's my entire argument. Done and done.

I dont get itYou aren't supposed to. Rotten just keeps describing these sick dreams he has of me :p

I'm too busy being undereducated to post on this thread :)

Sure it is, leave more white collar jobs for me ;). Kids gather round, Steve Jobs (Apple and Pixar CEO) and Bill Gates (Microsoft CEO) both dropped out of college and are now billionaries, and we wouldn't have Apple, Microsoft, or Pixar if they had stayed the course, so kids you know what to do :p.

You say that in jest but there's an important truth there. They dropped out because what they were able to think for themselves and realize that what they wanted to do and were interested in wasn't being taught in classrooms. Why are people thinking "oh geez, we don't want to send THAT message to kids"? It's an important message -- Learn to THINK for yourself!! Whether your choice of education is a classroom, or elsewhere, that is the most crucial thing.

independant thought > joo

You say that in jest but there's an important truth there. They dropped out because what they were able to think for themselves and realize that what they wanted to do and were interested in wasn't being taught in classrooms. Why are people thinking "oh geez, we don't want to send THAT message to kids"? It's an important message -- Learn to THINK for yourself!! Whether your choice of education is a classroom, or elsewhere, that is the most crucial thing.

good point. but let's think about this

Some people would prefer to be mechanics, janitors, tradesman(they make a ton of money), garbagemen, etc.. if you want to do this DON'T GOTO UNI. IT IS A WASTE

If you want a job in the engineering, computer science related jobs, rocket science, pure business, or be a doctor, etc. you'd have to goto school for that. For instance I don't think I know of a single business analyst who does not have a uni education..

So it all depends on what your end goal is.

You say that in jest but there's an important truth there. They dropped out because what they were able to think for themselves and realize that what they wanted to do and were interested in wasn't being taught in classrooms. Why are people thinking "oh geez, we don't want to send THAT message to kids"? It's an important message -- Learn to THINK for yourself!! Whether your choice of education is a classroom, or elsewhere, that is the most crucial thing.For myself, I've known what I wanted to do before going to uni, but I needed the finances to get there (parents are broke) and something to fall back on in case the shit hit the fan (ie. my business failed). I'm guessing this may be the case for others as well. A degree can also be a backup plan in case your own ideas aren't as successful as you had hoped.

For myself, I've known what I wanted to do before going to uni, .




....a lumberjack?! :D

....a lumberjack?! :DMhuhahahahha :rolleyes:

I dont get it

Here you go. Here's the thread:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=58941

and here is one of the sick pictures. :confused:

^^ your right, that's a weird pic.. lol

LOL, that is super different.......weird..........mildly exciting......

Yeah, it's a weird pic...but at the time of posting I thought it was funny. $20 to go swimming in water that had ice floating in it. Not your typical polarbear swim!

I didn't know there was so many homophobes (read: rotten42) on this site that would blow everything out of proportion ;)

I even try to redeem (http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=54494) myself but still get harassed. So no more pics other than my car from now on! I've learned my lesson you jerks! :p

I would reccomend posting pics of you not drunk with girls, the beer goggles thing just throw everything right out the window

I would reccomend posting pics of you not drunk with girls, the beer goggles thing just throw everything right out the windowWell, that was in a Calgary Stampede thread...I don't think there was a time in those 12 days that I was sober ;)

But yeah, I'm done posting pics. No more.

Yeah, it's a weird pic...but at the time of posting I thought it was funny. $20 to go swimming in water that had ice floating in it. Not your typical polarbear swim!

I didn't know there was so many homophobes (read: rotten42) on this site that would blow everything out of proportion ;)

I even try to redeem (http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=54494) myself but still get harassed. So no more pics other than my car from now on! I've learned my lesson you jerks! :p


OMG..is he crying in his blankie? :D

"Homophobes" isn't this issue....posting a picture like that on this forum could not be let alone without ridicule. Posting a pic with a girl where you didn't have to feed her twenty coolers will end this discussion. Besides, you posted the photochopped version...here is the REAL pic. :D


can you see the way in which KHTM is looking at BlueEyes....eeeeuuu!!!! :( :eek:

^lol, the pwn3age that would come from the rx7club is so much worse than it is here, i would be glad to be flamed on this board. much less emotional damage

I answered yes to one... but it wasn't my age. Damn Grey Goose...
I love Grey Goose and Cranberry or OJ. It was the only one I answered yet to as well.

I shop mostly at Banana Republic, not quite high end but just as much as I can justify.

I'm 24. It's no surprise that this article came from the Bay Area, specifically where I am, San Jose. I know a lot of people that would fall in the Gold Collar generation, but I don't hate them. I just don't understand their lifestyle. Most of the examples I could point could also apply to the older generation:
- Rolex. Give me an Fn break. A watch tells the time no matter what brand it is. A more expensive watch isn't going to change how time operates nor does it make you look less worse than you were born with.
- $500 hand bags. Stupid... nuf said.
- Brand name Shoe collection. Idiotic.
- Expensive jewelries. They tell me that it appreciates over time. But really now, you buy jewelry to blingbling your looks, not to acquire money in the future.
- Shopping at Nordstrom. You pay extra to see a sales person in a Tux? Same shit is sold elsewhere, and cheaper.
- $500 shoes. When you're walking around with them, unless the tag stays, nobody would ever be able to tell how much they costed.

One time, I bought $20 shades from Mervyn's coz I lost my sunglasses and it was too bright on our way to Tahoe. I liked how they fit me and the coverage it gave me, so I decided to keep wearing them. My friends and co-workers noticed me with them on and they were like "You must have spent at least $200 on those shades." I said "$20," and the awe shifted into ridiculous smiles.

IMO, people who spend too much time and money for their looks really feel ugly inside and out.

You don't get it. I could sit here and say the fact that you spent 30k on a car is stupid. It's a car, goes from point A to point B. The point is not to justify the item, but rather the ability to afford that item. If you can afford a rolex, go for it. If you can afford a 500 dollar hand bag, all the more power to you. If you can afford these things because you live in your parents basement, you're lame lame lame lame lame.

^true. but lames like that do worse things than spend beyond their means

My parents don't even have a basement.

^ What's worse is when those two things come together. I was going to skip college and go for what I want to do, but I figured that a lack of degree would be a potential road block up ahead. Going full time in school, work, and apartment became my path. Work paid for school, and finished my degree debt-free :D If you're in college, you're not really living on your own until mommy and daddy aren't spending a dime on your life and lifestyle. That would still fall into this Gold collar generation.

$25 for the RX-8 BTW.

Just to demonstrate: You could buy many many Rolex's for the price of the watch below. You may think that's foolish, others may, I don't. To me, as an engineer, as someone who seeks to understand and use the natural world to our advantage, there is a certain romance about a watch like this. It's a triumph of ingenuity, a demonstration of the elegance of our universe. If I could afford one, I would surely buy one, and there are many others I would enjoy too. I know it probably sounds cheesy, but, I think it's a beautiful thing.

If I lived in my parents basement so that I could afford this watch. I didn't save a penny except to pay for it. That would be so incredibly stupid, I can't even fathom it. Any yet, my reasons for wanting it are not out of vanity. When people are trying to get things like this just to impress other people, while at the same time leeching off of others, well, it just blows me away.
Some pics and readings:
http://www.thepurists.net/Patrons/members/felipe/ResonanceReview/Review.html
http://www.thepurists.net/Patrons/members/felipe/ResonanceReview/Dial1.jpg
http://www.thepurists.net/Patrons/members/felipe/ResonanceReview/Movement7.jpg

^ Engineers :D There's always something out there that steams your fancy. Me and my Dad could get into this Rolex debate forever, and he's an engineer too. I'm an IT/Business person. I have the need to justify the cost and benefits for everything. I keep telling my GF that my RX-8 hobby is also a research platform and potential business inspiration investment for me. All the things I have acquired in the name of fun/hobby, has rewarded me the skills and knowledge to produce income (ie. computers, art, and soon automotive). No fun goes to waste for me.

I want one. how much?

This one is relatively cheap compared to others I fancy. Somewhere betweent 35-50K USD

Ouch! A vette costs around that range and can go 0-60 faster than the Rolex could finish a minute.

4 seconds in a Vette could give you an everlasting smile, while 4 seconds in a Rolex could give you... 4 seconds more?

nice downpayment on a house

This one is relatively cheap compared to others I fancy. Somewhere betweent 35-50K USD

that's the most expensive watch i've ever heard of :eek:. holy shit, that's messed up.. But it is a beautiful watch..



MrJynx