Folk #1: It was instructive. Undeniable. A bit intimidating & deflating. We went to a party last night and were confronted with unfathomable, unimaginable wealth. The kind of in-your-face, over-amped wealth that you just can't get your head around. How does anyone make this much money to to be able to inhabit such extravagance & luxury? Not exactly dictator-chic, too classy for that ugly Mar A Lago type grossness, but absolutely maximum luxury fortified with Hedge-fund mad money. Yes. Hedge-fund $$. An astoundingly large, over-built, mansion, sitting in a prime spot, right on the shore of Lake Michigan, surrounded by, hidden behind, an enormous impenetrable stone wall, almost castle-like, a vast front yard, and Olympic sized, outdoor pool. The house itself was super-sized, as if it was built for a extended family, or really, an unwieldy tribe of giants. You could comfortably fit our apartment in their
living room. Gorgeous art on the walls, sculptures, a grand piano, a woman playing classical pieces, jazz pieces and show tunes too. Servants walked around with fancy bites of food, a well-stocked bar with a smiling bartender. We were surrounded by very accomplished, prestigious folks. The kind of folks who sit on boards of major companies, folks who work at places like the Federal Reserve. Architects, Hedge Fund folks, Economists, Corporate Executives. These are all made, solid-gold people. Definitely "the Haves." We did not belong there. My partner and I are folks from the margins, the working stiff class. We were welcomed with open arms, but, no doubt, we felt a bit like
circus-people, you know fish out of water. These are our neighbors, we see them out on the streets and paths often, but this was a revelation, and a reminder, that the rich really do live in a different world. We think that in America we all somehow transcend class, and it is true, we were all in the same room together, speaking a common tongue but, for sure, economically, materially, worlds & realities apart. Some of our worries, you know, feeding, clothing, & housing ourselves, basic survival-type things, aren't really concerns for these folks. In many ways we are in totally different galaxies, that just so happen to be situated side by side in our town. I mean, we live blocks away in the "apartment living" part of town. We didn't talk politics, or current events, we stuck to dogs, music & literature. Safe harbor topics. These folks belong in a Henry James novel, or you know The Great Gatsby, we belong in a Samuel Beckett play. The party could have, but didn't, send us into a deep existential crisis, ok, maybe a little hint of an existential crisis, I mean, wtf, we didn't feel any envy, or ill-will towards these folks but we also couldn't avoid the idea that we are not on the winning side of the equation, we are on the outside looking in, still walking, talking & breathing, but, for sure, holding the short end of the stick. You can't really fault these folks for being super-wealthy & super-accomplished. They are truly the economic winners in our capitalist fanstasy-land. But it was overwhelming, & quite humbling for us to see all of this up close & personal. My partner & I, we both come from a long line of working-stiffs, folks who were lucky to just make it day to day, often paycheck to paycheck. We are clingers to the moment; common folk, not exactly have-nots, but, basically adequately-housed & fed peasants, American-variety lower-class, peasants, just one catastrophe from catastrophe. And, well, that's our reality, and it's ok. I mean, it has to be...
