Last night I was again reminded why I don't usually go out in large groups. At the risk of provoking criticism by those who read this post and realize I am talking about them, what happened last night was an abomination, but also pretty f-ing hilarious.
A group of about 12 of us went out to a karaoke bar last night in Bellavista. First of all, for reasons unknown to me, crowds of gringos (at least this particular crowd) are loud as fuck and obnoxious as hell. We can't just converse in inside voices like normal people--no, we have to scream. Especially when the alcohol starts flowing, the voices start shrilling and my ears start ringing. We attract attention wherever we go. Not only do we look different, but we are rude and demanding and noisy.
Well, we all ordered a number of drinks, sang, screamed at each other, and had a merry good time. But when it came time to pay the check, all hell broke loose, which seems to be a general trend within this group of people. The bill came to around 30,000 pesos ($45) total, which wasn't so bad, considering the number of people. I owed 6,000 pesos but paid 10,000 because I didn't have change. I then handed the bill over to the other people, most of who proceeded to pay their share without complaining. However, what should have been a relatively pain-free process soon turned into a bitch fest, because two of the girls started yelling at each other over how much they owed. One accused the other of not paying enough, to which the other responded along the lines of "bitch please". Then another girl decided to join the fight, and they started screaming amongst themselves. They created a huge scene, and the Chileans in the room stared in amazement at us. I'm sure they thought we were spoiled bitches who couldn't negotiate a bill like adults. After a few minutes of staring on in horror as the girls verbally ripped into each other, one of them stormed off. Somehow the bill got paid, but only after we showed that gringos really are as spoiled and demanding as they say we are.
The conclusion I have drawn from this experience is that there is a disease called "rich people syndrome" which afflicts a large majority of Stanford and other Ivy League students who come from money. Those who actually have money refuse to pay their part, while those who don't have money pay without complaints. It seems paradoxical to me. My friend and I, neither of whom are wealthy, sat by in horror and watched while those who actually have the money to spend refused to do so. After the girls left, the Chilean bartender asked me what the hell had just happened. I explained to him that what he had just witnessed was a serious case of "rich people syndrome". He nodded as if he understood completely.
I must say I was pretty embarrassed by the spectacle. I imagine the managers of the karaoke bar hope to never see us again. Thank you, America, for harboring such a fine group of young adults.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have known many many people like this. It is not limited to Ivy League students. You sure do know how to "win friends and influence people". Have fun with the aftermath
ReplyDeleteThis might be a given, but I think it's more an issue of what their parents taught them as opposed to money itself. In high school I knew handfuls of rich kids who never batted an eye when it came to paying (sometimes even covering other people without expecting re-payment), although there was a caveat, but I will tell you about that in person.
ReplyDeletehey, who was that? write me an email
ReplyDeleteyou would know if you had come out with us jane! lol
ReplyDeleteyeah that night was atrocious. but to be honest, i'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner. ive seen many check splittings where ppl refuse to pay their part, and others who can't really afford to put in more just to avoid conflict.
and i agree with your friend ann marie, that its not limited to Ivy league types.I feel like its a very american thing, unfortunately. I wrote something very similar in my blog about tourists being obnoxious...