This is a really hard topic for me. What I’ve struggled with for a long time is that I went to grad school, sat next to, performed the same or better than the ones who went into finance and ultimately move numbers around on paper for a living. I went to try to work in real businesses and create real things and be part of real disruption….the good kind.

These were among my very closest friends. But they’ve changed. They complain against entitlements but at the same time truly believe that “bonuses” are guaranteed. (Sounds like an entitlement to me)

We’ve landed in totally different places and don’t have much to talk about. It’s just too upsetting. Not because I’m upset at where I am — I’m cool with who we are and we are really very lucky people. I invested years in these friendships so it’s been very sad to watch it devolved in the last three from mildly uncomfortable to intolerable.

We cannot afford to live in NYC and educate our kids there. Fine, whatever. We moved to different towns vs. these friends because of different affordability levels. So we have the longer commute, which means less time with our kids. Over time, our kids — who were born the same year — don’t relate to each other very well, as they live a completely different lifestyle. Their kids are even rude to my kids. (e.g. asking why we have ‘such a small house’, they criticize our trips, etc.). Um, WTF?

Years ago we went on trips together, dinner together. We gave it up, it’s just not fun anymore. Several families each complain to us that they have no friends. They offer to pay for us to go on trips with them. My hub and I look at each other an are like, “OK, it’s ‘rent out the fun friends week”. On one hand it’s a nice gesture, on the other we’re like — wow, how degrading. And I can’t imagine a less relaxing vacation — e.g. listening to people who *fly private jets* (no joke), complaining about their ‘exorbitant’ tax levels, particularly since my husband and I pay A HIGHER RATE THAN THEY DO. And listen to them smugly talk about how awful public school is…for a whole week? Thanks but no thanks. Not in the mood. All the business discussions are about size. Not about quality. What I do is “quaint”, at best.

So we finally decided to decline these get-togethers. Gonna mosey over to our lane and swim in it. We like who we are.

That’s polarized wealth in action, coming from my front-row seat. Sad, but happening in neighborhoods near you.

And, no, I haven’t been down to OWS yet. Too busy trying to create jobs.

I don’t even like putting these sentiments of mine to print as I think jealousy is unbecoming and frankly destructive. I’m an incredibly fortunate person. But I don’t like the arrogance one bit and if I feel it, then I’m pretty sure that millions of Americans feel it too. I do wish they’d define their issues more tightly.