Most of these people seemed incapable of doing anything of real value. Replacing a washer in a faucet was a mystery - never mind anything more complicated. Many of them delayed starting their families in order to advance whatever wimpy "career" they settled on, and had to resort to expensive fertility treatments or adopt a designer baby - preferably from an Asian country, so everyone would be sure and know how open, charitable, and tolerant they were, and then dress the aforementioned baby from the racks of Baby Gap.
I don't recall any of them actually attending a church. For them, being "spiritual" was way more important than being "religious." All those pesky rules and such were not for them. You could almost guarantee finding a Buddha sitting somewhere in their house, or books on Zen gracing their bookshelves. Christianity was just another of a myriad of ways to attain nirvana, or whatever, and was best left to the lower classes.
Whenever they gathered, discussions were usually about wine or the latest running of the Vagina Monologues at the local theater. The ladies, who generally eschewed makeup, had straight hair (trimmed every 4 weeks at the latest and most expensive hairdresser), and adorned their feet in Birkenstocks or little-girl flats. High heel pumps were for trailer trash, doncha know. The men had on their perfect little golf shirts and khaki's or cargo pants from The Gap.
They bemoaned the rotten capitalists who were ruining the world, but still managed a trip or two per day to Caribou Coffee for their soy-based latte. Shop at a thrift store? Why no - not when you have Macy's or any number of cute little boutiques in the Grand Ave. area of St. Paul.
Being a Yuppie is not limited to a certain age group. Being a Yuppie is a state of mind, or as I like to say, no mind at all. Most of them are liberals, meaning, as my husband says, "people who hadn't thought things through." If you were a conservative, a trip to the Twin Cities during an election cycle felt like entering enemy territory. They loved Obama. He was "historic", and being such forward thinking folks, they wanted to be a part of history being made.
If it was mentioned that I lived in Idaho, the blank stares directed my way were astonishing. Many were not even sure where the heck Idaho was - another kudo for their over-priced college education. I would have to assure them that we did indeed have running water and flush toilets. Hell, we even have Starbucks, but sadly, no White Castle.
I don't miss Minnesota. I left when I was 17 and spent my most important formative years in Houston, TX during the boom times. I made a quick stop back to Minnesota in my early thirties and couldn't get out fast enough. The Muslim Somalis are making great inroads in conquering Minnesota. They're welcome to it...
Victor Davis Hanson, in his latest National Review Online article, gives us a wonderful definition of a Yuppie:
There were too many times to count that I sat and listened to these people who were so out of touch with reality, and in most cases, educated way beyond their intelligence, that I formed a pretty substantial picture of who they were. Mr. Hanson does a remarkable job of putting into words who these people are. Take a moment and read his article: Obama: Fighting the Yuppie FactorYuppism, remember, is not definable entirely by income or class. Rather, it is a late-twentieth-century cultural phenomenon of self-absorbed young professionals, earning good pay, enjoying the cultural attractions of sophisticated urban life and thought, and generally out of touch with, indeed antithetical to, most of the challenges and concerns of a far less well-off and more parochial Middle America.
NB - this post does not reflect my feelings for my wonderful Minnesota blogger "family" without whom I would surely lose what little was left of my mind...
Some others who have posted on What They're Against:
LarryD
Tom in Vegas
Angela M
Feel free to join the What I'm Against marathon meme. It's fun and relieves stress. Really!
