It was supposed to be a fun time. Just a place for all the gun lovers to come hang out, and have tons of chances at winning different guns. Plus all the proceeds went to great causes locally.
But my friend, who is normally a super great guy, wanted to put on a show.
Instead of using the normal banquet hall that cost $1,000 he upgraded to a place that cost $5,000. He also raised the price of the tickets – which caused a lot of issues.
In addition, instead of supporting the community (which is the entire purpose of the banquet) and shopping locally, he bought 90 percent of the guns and merchandise to be raffled off from big box stores that were over an hour away.
He ended up spending a lot of money. He tried to convince everyone that he was doing this to improve the banquet but his motives were so clear to others: he wanted to impress people with a lot of money.
When Money Makes You Act Different
You see, I’ve known this friend for a while now. He’d give me the shirt off of his back if I needed it. But something changes when he’s around someone who he thinks has a lot of money. He’s a completely different person.
Instead of being the regular ole Joe he is, he starts putting on a front. His whole demeanor changes.
It’s sickening to watch. And I just don’t get it.
Why do some people act different around those who they think have more money?
Here’s what I could come up with:
Low Self Esteem – The biggest reasons I can see as far as people acting different around those who they consider rich is a low self-esteem. It’s as if they believe people who have more money are better than everyone else and are seeking approval.
Keeping Up the Joneses – I’m sure you’ve heard of keeping up with the Joneses – which is just feeling the need to buy more, upgrade more, and inflate your lifestyle as you see other people doing. In my opinion keeping up with Joneses is just a symptom of low self-esteem.
Networking – If you make friends with those who have a lot of money will bigger opportunities be presented to you? They might be. But I can’t see this strategy even remotely working when you’re not being true to yourself.
Upbringing – In the case of my friend (and another person I know pretty well) they were brought up dirt poor and now compensate by making sure everyone they deem important knows that they have money.
I’m not only annoyed when a person changes their entire personality to try and impress someone else but I’m also a bit saddened. You can never have real relationships by pretending to be someone you’re not.
People who have a lot of money are no better than those who have no money. And changing yourself to impress a select few will only alienate you from the important people in your life.
Why do you think some people act different around people with a lot of money?
Photo Credit: Kraifreedom