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Hi and thanks for reading.   I’m doing an experiment to see how people perceive social class.   Basically, I’m giving participates information about different sectors of my family.   I would love it if you participated.   It takes less than 3 minutes.

All you have to do is, given the different information about the different family groups, tell me what social class you would put that family in out of the five choices below:

A.  Capitalist Class (AKA Upper Class)
B.  Professional Class (AKA Upper Middle Class)
C.  Middle Class 
D. Working Class (AKA lower middle class)
E.  Underclass

Feel free to leave any explanations on your choices!

1.  My close family:
Has a total of 4 people to provide for.
Has an income of $120,000 a year.
Only one parent works.
One parent has a Bachelor Degree and one has slightly more than that.
Lives in a 2,000 square foot home with a 8,000 square foot lot (total value $230,00)
Owns a 2000 Honda Odyssey, a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, and a 1991 Class A Motorcoach (Total Value $40,000)
Spends an average of $500 a week on food and clothing.
Takes vacations to places more than 1000 miles away twice a year, and takes shorter road trips about once every 3 weeks.  We fly economy, and stay in mostly suite-type and luxury-type hotel rooms.

2. My Aunt and cousin’s family:
Has a total of 4 people to provide for.
Both parents has Bachelor’s degrees.
Has an income of about $90,000 a year.
Both parents work.
Lives in a 2,000 square foot home in a 13,000 square foot lot (total value $240,000).
Drives a 1999 Honda CR-V and a 2010 Subaru Legacy, (Total Value $28,000)
Spends an average of $300 a week on food and clothing.
Rarely ever takes vacations to places more that 1,000 miles away.   Takes shorter road trips about once every 2 months, and stays in economy-type hotel rooms.

3. My Paternal Grandpa and his wife:
Both have high school diplomas. 
Has a total of 2 people to provide for.
Has an income of $300,000 a year.
Are technically retired since age 50 (They hire an assistant to do most work), but does occasionally help with renovations on their properties and evict and move in renters.
Lives in both a 1,300 square foot condo and a 3,000 square foot house and also owns 26 apartment units in 4 complexes (Total value $1,250,000)
Drives a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, a 1998 Ford Windstar, a 2006 Ford F-250, and a 2003 Class A Motorcoach (Total Value $120,000)
Spends an average of $550 a week on food an clothes.
Takes vacations of more than 1,000 miles about once every 2 months, and travels to other continents about once a year.   Also takes shorter road trips once every 3 weeks. Rents luxury type hotel rooms, and flies business class.  

4. My Maternal Grandparent’s family:
One has a Bachelor’s degree, one has a High School Diploma.
Has to provide for two people.
Has an income of $75,000 a year.
Both members work.
Lives in a 1,700 square foot house in a 6,000 square foot lot (Total Value $120,000).
Drives a 2004 Toyota Sienna (Total Value $15,000)
Spends an average of $175 a week on food and clothing.
Takes vacations of more than 500 miles about once every two years, but takes shorter road trips once every 3 weeks.  Stays in economy type hotel rooms, and flies economy.

5. My Uncle and Cousin’s family:
The only parent has a Bachelor’s degree.
Has to provide for 2 people.
Makes $450,000 a year.
Lives in a 2,500 square foot house and owns a company worth $1,500,000.
Drives a 2005 Cadillac Escalade ESV, a fully restored 1967 Ford Mustang, and a 2008 Ford F-350. (Total Value $85,000)
Spends an average of $325 a week on food and clothing.
Takes vacations more than 1,000 miles away once every 3 weeks. Takes intercontinental vacations about twice a year.  Stays in luxury type hotel rooms, and flies First Class.

Thank for your help!

Hello Friends, I was sitting at home and something just came to my mind about people who are rich. This thought came to me while watching Teen Cribs, Secret Millionaires and How`d You get so rich?.
Those people have everything they wanted in life, i mean they do not even have to think twice before buying something. Not all but some Rich children and teenagers have very bad attitude, have you notice when they are out with their Friends they try to treat everyone as slaves, this is terrible right?. My original question is that even once in there lifetime do they know how it feels like to be poor and not have all these luxury items in life. Life is not all about money right?. Say one day they had no money, god took everything away from them - How will they life, What will they do ?

Thanks in Advance.

Sry tht I’m reposting this-
Ok so over the summer I became deeply in love with a boy a year younger then me, at first he didn’t like me well as a friend he did, anyway he’s friends with my brothers and they always tell me that we shud go out and we r perfect for each other, but he started seriously stalking me at the fair! And then we had to take down decorations out of the swine barn together and he started flirting and this ten year old (who likes me And keeps asking me out but I keep saying no) anyway he says what r u doing Kevin?? Flirting with her? And Kevin goes of course! Y wouldn’t I? And I didn’t know what to say, but I’m like what?? And then he smiled and about five guys heard the whole thing and was looking at me waiting for an answer, but I was so happy yet embarrassed ?? So I walked away, I wanted his number so bad but Nvr got it( didn’t even try:() I wish I did try tho, cus that was 7 months ago:( so now there’s a party coming up and he’s going (he came last year and my friend sayed he was) so anyway i have a few questions
1. What shud I wear?? He’s a country guy, I was thinking jeAns and mayb a hollister or Aeropostale shirt, then what for shoes? It’s a dance so. Was thinking tennis shoes?? Idk if there’s a country guy out there what do think country girls look best in? And how do u like there hair??
2. We really don’t ” talk” so how cud I get his number??? Like I don’t want to find out from other people I want to get it om him personally
3. Country guys- do u like light or dark hair?? And how do u like there hair- up or down curly or straight???? Oh and how do u like makeup??

I really like this guy and I have horrible acne, I have tried everything to get rid of it, I’m going to the dermatologist in march but the party is before then:/ so what is a way to make it less noticeable and stuff????

This party is in a month and half away
27 minutes ago - 4 days left to answer.
Additional Details
Oh and I pretty much know the reason he didn’t ask me out at the fair, he had a girlfriend but she was a. B**** and always bossed him around he always tolled me he was going to stop dating her after the fair so he wouldn’t ruin the rest of her time at the fair, and I know he did, I’m actually friends with her ( she doesn’t boss me around tho??) and she was so depresed that he dumped her:/

Plz help me
23 minutes ago

For starters I am a 28 y/o mother, and I do not live with my dad. But the last 2 years my dad has been through a lot with my mom divorcing him for another guy (who is equally a jerk) and then having angioplasty from peripheral artery disease (caused by his risk factor of smoking which he hasn’t quit). So I’ve been there for him a lot, for a long while I’d spend the night every other weekend with my daughter with her getting bored there and doing it all to keep him company and make him feel better. well now that he’s kind of getting back on track he’s been really rude to me lately and not just me but my brother and other ppl too. His coworkers dislike him as he’s always telling me about them and now I see why.
On Christmas day for example we went down to see my brother about 2 hrs away (he came down for thanksgiving) and his 2 kids and wife. My dad was grouchy the whole time and snapped at us at different times. When my partner did something that irritated me I exchanged a glance with my dad, who always gets these inside glances and used to encourage them, and he said “don’t look at me for affirmation”. what??
Then tonight he invited himself over and we had mutually agreed to return the bike my dad got for my daughter for christmas and exchange for a smaller one. We did and then he was suddenly very hungry and drove to mcdonald’s. Now I didn’t want or need anything, but he knows i’m really broke (and how mcdonald’s is a luxury for me lol since i can never afford fast food anymore) and he didn’t offer me anything. He said grumpily “I know you ate but I didn’t”. Then he wanted to eat it in the parking lot and I told him I’d like to get home as it was getting late and my 3 y/o daughter was at home with her father, and she is used to me putting her to bed (not fair I know but it’s just how it is). He said “he (about my partner) can watch her for 1 min” sarcastically and then decided to eat in front of my apartment instead. It’s not so much I wanted to relieve my partner of caring for my daughter as he’s her father, but it’s just rude that my dad would make me sit there and watch him eat as well IMO. So then we got to my apt complex and he is chowing down on the food. I said “did you want to come up again?” and he said “don’t bug me, I’m eating”. Then when we got out of the car I was getting out this heavy bike in a box and my dad said “don’t scratch my car” without even offering to help me. He has gotten over a broken foot and he is 60 but usually he at least pretends he’ll help me…this was all grumpy and all about his car which isn’t even that nice.
So as we were walking, he had the nerve to make a sarcastic passive aggressive joke (half serious joke btw) that I was “crabby” or “crabbatha”. I said “what?” and then I said, “you know what? you can just go home then” and he began to walk to his car, cane in tow. Then I said “no I’m sorry” and he followed me back in.
My dad has done a lot for me financially such as buying my daughter that bike as an xmas gift (he says he WANTED to) and also helping me out in different ways like paying for certain fees etc. now and then (he offers, I don’t ask). I do appreciate that, but I am still bothered by this behavior.
I have a couple theories over why he is suddenly acting this way again (as he did many years ago while with my mom that I’d forgotten about but now remember) . One is I’m not married to my daughter’s father and we don’t plan on it for various reasons…he has always pushed for that. (I actually might be leaving him soon but that’s a different story). Another is bc he’s slowly getting over my mom he’s slowly getting his confidence back, which means he thinks he can act how he wants to.
How should I deal with this behavior from my dad? do you think he’s rude? How would you deal with it?
Also he wants me over there for new year’s eve he INVITED us and I suggested crackers and cheese as a small “party o’deurve” and he said “I’m assuming I have to pay for it” when he knows our financial situation that our partner just lost his job etc.
dr. insanity: I’m sorry but I digress. I don’t think age should affect how people are “allowed” to treat others.

First off, I am a 17 year old Junior at a competitive public high school. I was and am the captain of both hockey and lacrosse, and am a division 1 prospect in both sports. I have generally good grades (3.4 and 4.1 unweighted and weighted, respectively) and have high SAT and ACT scores (2150 and 34, respectively). However, I do smoke marijuana during the weekends. No, I do not drive high. No, I do not go into public high, and yes I smoke with my friends recreationally. I usually never buy my own weed, however my best friend’s older brother had a good deal for me and hooked me up. Anyways, my parents found an eighth and a pipe and took all of it and are now drug testing me and keeping me locked up in the house. And, I really do value my social life so this is taking a pretty big toll on me. I have thought about how to explain to them how they really can not stop me, as I have a car and they can not really control what I do, and that they just need to trust me. But, they are so shocked and disappointed that they won’t even listen. I was thinking about writing an extended research paper for my father, and just talking to my mom (varying parenting styles). Any advice as to how I can explain that it is normal (I know it may not seem “normal,” but literally everybody I am associated with does it) and that I enjoy it.

Since I’m asking this at three in the morning I’m not really expecting too many answers before the date tomorrow, but I thought I’d give it a try, regardless.

Alright, so here’s the set-up: I have a date with a girl I’ve known for some time now; close to a year, I suppose. We’re not particularly close, but we’ve gone out casually occasionally and have had a few college classes together, so we’re friends in the sense that we’ve spent enough time together to be perfectly comfortable with each other in a platonic atmosphere.

It’s fun to make her laugh and I enjoy watching her smile, and she’s intelligent enough to be both engaging and provocatively intimidating. However, it wasn’t my immediate reaction to expect a romantic relationship with her, and I haven’t deeply contemplated the possibility for a while. She’s certainly attractive enough to provoke the idea, and contrary to how I thought, several people have suggested that she may feel more strongly. This was during a time when I was still in a relationship however, and I didn’t give myself the luxury of fantasizing about women while I was invested in someone else. There just always seemed to be something restraining me from asking her out.

Perhaps one of my main concerns is that she’s an international student. I love that she comes from a foreign country and her unique perspective on things can be enlightening, but I always thought that I didn’t want to become emotionally invested in someone who was inevitably going to move away. Regardless of the fact that she’s likely going to move back to her home country eventually, we attend a community college, and her last quarter at the school was this past fall. With her intelligence, trilingual skills, and flat-out staggering GPA, she could transfer to any university in the country. There’s a college nearby that she was looking into, but sooner or later she would have to move on with her life.

Her international status was actually the catalyst for our date in the first place. With one of the most crestfallen looks I’ve ever seen on her face, she told me how her host family would be traveling during the holidays, leaving her alone during Christmas. It just didn’t really sit right with me, so I decided that I would give her a Christmas that she could enjoy. Which is why I’m taking her out tomorrow.

So, with the background explained, I’m writing this because I’m not entirely sure where I want the date to go emotionally or how I should behave. A date is, naturally, something that implies romantic intentions. I think she may assume that this is the case, and I’m not entirely sure if she’s wrong for doing so. However, the holiday makes it easy to pass this off as an outing for friendly companionship, so it doesn’t have to complicate our relationship if I decide not to. I realize it may seem arrogant of me to assume that she has feelings towards me, but at this point I think her position has been made fairly clear.

Which places me at a very critical point. I could acknowledge our meeting as an actual date, cave to potentially suppressed romantic intentions and behave like a gentleman courting a woman, nudging our relationship to a more intimate understanding, possibly initiating a series of events for eventual heartbreak. Or, I could keep it as a friendly holiday outing, giving her a great Christmas day while still acting like a (less flirtatious) gentleman, and allowing the romantic tension to settle on a bittersweet, unrequited note.

This also determines whether I give her flowers and a teddy bear for Christmas or a particularly chubby, dancing Santa-bot. (Okay, not really.)

I’m not sure what I’m asking for here, but any advice or input at all would be appreciated. Actually, I’d be happy if you just read everything. In any case, even if you only read this last sentence, I hope you all have an amazing, warm, and merry Christmas.

Sorry this is long…
So my issue is for the past year now, I have been developing this relationship with a co-worker of mine. Made out a few times, had a few drinks after work, we do a lot of sexting and we are really good friends. Basically, I can talk to him about everything pretty much. He knows my past, my past relationships, everything about me almost. And I truly do love him. Issue with him is, he tells me that he doesn’t know what he wants or how he feels. I believe he does know but is afraid because we come from two different cultures. He is Russian, a virgin, and was brought up with his family values and all. Which I respect all of this but I think it plays a huge toll on his decisions in life. But I know that he did decide to want a relationship with me, he be great as a bf and a future husband.
But now there is this guy who I have known for about the same time. I sort of dated this guy in the past. He is not a virgin and has a child. I myself have 3 kids from a past 8 year marriage. This guy lives at the same property as I do and so I see him all the time as well. He has made a few comments to my sister and brother as well as my mom, how he is really into me and even bought me a xmas gift which I heard from my mom who can’t hold water. Anyways, I really like him too because he treats me good and is really good with my kids and at one point when we were dating back then, I fell for him too. But he wasn’t ready for commitment then like he is now. And I see he has changed and he told me yesterday how he wants to settle down with me. Now I am confused… Because I am in love with the Russian who is absolutely great but I have been waiting for almost an entire year now. And then I like the other guy, who now wants a relationship with me but I am afraid I will get hurt again. But with both men, I find comfort, and someone who can have my back, protect me, wants kids, and can give me the world. I need help plzzz!!! I don’t want to hurt either one. But I know must make a decision!

Well I got a dwarf hamster yesterday and he has this cage: http://s1.hubimg.com/u/135964_f260.jpg
He is a boy he is a winter white dwarf I got him at the swapmeet and his name is Snowball. I have another one named Chester that I got in April from the same place and he was already used to his house in a snap and he has the same cage.
Snowball has lot of food. Lots of bedding in his cage. Water, wheel, toys and lots of goodies ! And so does Chester. But all Snowball does is go on his wheel, rarely. eat and sleep. He wont even answer or stick his head up when I pet him or knock on his cage. He is very sad I suppose. But I talk to him and tell him that its ok and u have a good owner and a new friend ! Chester likes Snowball but always follows him around when I let them out and sniffs his butt. Any ideas ? I love snowball and chester ! both boys and seperate cages livin the life of luxury ! thx !!!
im 13….
merry Christmas also.

Luxury new homes
High quality shops
Yachting marines

From Duk of Yahoo Sports…

The story was terrifying. Back in Oct. 2010, an eight-year-old Long Island boy was repeatedly stabbed in the back by a 24-year-old stranger while playing video games at a Dave & Buster’s restaurant.

But though the unnamed boy is still suffering from the after effects of such a shocking attack — he constantly looks over his shoulder and refuses to visit public places — he also just received a nice pick-me-up from a compassionate and well-connected Nassau Court judge named Jerald Carter.

During the public sentencing of assailant Evan Sachs to 14 years in prison in September, Carter inquired about the boy’s favorite athlete. When told it was New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, the wheels in Carter’s mind began to turn as he told the boy’s mother that her son would grow up to be as big as Jeter himself.

Anne Givens of Newsday has the whole story :

What Carter did not say at that time was that he had played college baseball with the Yankee shortstop’s father, Charles Jeter, at Fisk University in Tennessee, and the two had maintained a relationship.

A few weeks later, a package arrived at the boy’s home … In it, there was a signed baseball, an autographed photo of Jeter, a Yankees teddy bear, a magnet, and a copy of “Derek Jeter’s All-Star Manual: 10 Life Lessons,” DalFonso said.”He was overwhelmed,” the boy’s mother said. “He was so excited, he called his dad right away.”

The story gets even better. When the boy’s family contacted Carter to thank him for the thoughtful gesture, they received another surprise: An invitation to sit in Jeter’s luxury suite at Yankee Stadium — and a presumable meet-n-greet with his hero — at a game next season.

Though Jeter and his father is obviously the hook for Givens’ story, I’m really awed by the commendable actions of Carter that are also contained within the article. Not only did the judge use his personal connections to bring a much-needed smile into the boy’s life, he also went above and beyond to demonstrate to the boy that his attacker will be locked up for a very long time and that he can feel like he is safe. It’s a heartwarming thread in an otherwise horrific story.