Snobs, and their lack of breeding: what's your worst experience?

Dostoevsky · 21-06-2013 10:51AM #1

So, two days ago our neighbour decided to approach another neighbour. The other neighbour, a couple, are absolutely sound. We have never had any problems with them in all their years here. However, recently he has lost his job and has started a new job. That new job entails his driving a ... van.

Our complaining neighbour (who doesn't work, but whose husband has a so-called prestigious job) decided that this van was, as she put it, "lowering the tone" of the neighbourhood. We were trying to be nice to her and discouraging her from saying anything, as we've known her for decades and she "has her ways" (to put it euphemistically).

Nevertheless, she approached them and told them she'd prefer if they didn't park that van in this area. She told us yesterday morning about her approach, and we fell out with her especially when she, by her own admission, said to the couple "the neighbours have been saying...". We went next door and said to them that we had nothing to do with this. We just felt so sorry for that couple (who, as it happens, are not Irish) and so ashamed of what our neighbour (who, as it happens, is Irish) had done. The fact that they weren't Irish made us feel more guilty for some reason.

I'm at a loss to understand why people do such things. My personal impression is that such people are usually women of a certain type - not working, living financially off the work of a close relative, and usually have attained very little personal achievement so try to live their "success" and sense of self through the achievements of people connected with them. This is perhaps a bad generalisation, but it is my experience.

What's your worst experience of snobs?

enfield · 21-06-2013 10:57AM

I know of a person like this, would it be in The Cloisters area?
Cheers.
Tom.

Celticfire · 21-06-2013 10:57AM

This thread is lowering the tone of After Hours, I'd appreciate it if you'd move it somewhere else......:pac:

caustic 1 · 21-06-2013 10:57AM

My mother is a snob. The last day she proceeded to tell me about a sibling who had taken my niece to see a specialist with a problem she had. Fair enough I thought till she had to add, " she went private", I mean wtf had that got to do with things. I had no need to know this whatsoever and I just know that everyone will get the same story as if it's some sort of great thing going private.

SEPT 23 1989 · 21-06-2013 11:03AM

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

HurtLocker · 21-06-2013 11:06AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

Keep looking they exist alright!

patmac · 21-06-2013 11:08AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

Utter bollix, I would imagine that there are more Dublin snobs in D4 than anywhere on the planet. The best thing about this recession is that it's brought these people down a peg or two.

SEPT 23 1989 · 21-06-2013 11:09AM

patmac wrote: »

Utter bollix, I would imagine that there are more Dublin snobs in D4 than anywhere on the planet.

And a lot of their parents are country folk

Fratton Fred · 21-06-2013 11:10AM

Ate you referring to woman who think they are better than you because they managed to get a guy who earns enough to tax their Discovery and keep them supplied with non stops skinny de-caf lattes and designer sunglasses?

Most of them now don't have a pot to piss in and this sort of petty snobbery is the only thing that makes them feel superior.

patmac · 21-06-2013 11:10AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

And a lot of their parents are country folk

You know this how?

Viper_JB · 21-06-2013 11:10AM

During the Boom times I was reading about a number of estates in Cork where they didn't want any car older then 2-3 years to be parked in the estate as it would lower the "profile" of the place, horrible brainless eejits.

bnt · 21-06-2013 11:12AM

My first thought on reading that was "property values": someone's trying to sell a house, and is worried that the van will make the area look cheap.

Fratton Fred · 21-06-2013 11:13AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

Definitely.

By far the worst ones in Dalkey are blow ins from the sticks.

The Backwards Man · 21-06-2013 11:15AM

I know a fella, who after two years in the US, asked in the local post office for directions to his mother's house, the house he lived in for twenty years previous.

ASnailInMyNose · 21-06-2013 11:15AM

i just squashed a fly into my monitor what do i do

Ush1 · 21-06-2013 11:15AM

If she called to my door asking me to move my van as it was lowering the tone, I'd quickly bring her back down to earth.

I'd laugh in her face and tell her she should be embarrassed, go find purpose and focus in her life.

Mocha Joe · 21-06-2013 11:16AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

I can scientifically confirm this to be utter horsesh*t.

Fratton Fred · 21-06-2013 11:19AM

It can often backfire though.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/owners-have-no-right-of-way-to-their-1m-homes-26305869.html

wolfpawnat · 21-06-2013 11:19AM

See any and all posts referring to my MIL. From a small farming cottage in West Clare (nothing wrong with it, a typical rural Irish background) and thinks she is the fécking queen of Ireland, all on her hard working husband's back!

PinkLemonade · 21-06-2013 11:20AM

Im not a snob but I was pretty embarrassed when my brother bought his neon boy racer car, I don't think a single person called to the house that didn't comment on it.

was handy for giving people directions to the house mind!

tritium · 21-06-2013 11:22AM

Meh, in my experience snobbery takes many forms. Those who think they're better because they're working class are just as bad, whining that folks have "airs and graces" because they have a bit of ambition. One relative of mine is interesting because she can play both the airs and graces snobbery and the working class snobbery to suit her circumstances - complete and utter b1tch of a woman

Zebra3 · 21-06-2013 11:22AM

OP,

Someone needs to tell that bitch that she is one.

3rdDegree · 21-06-2013 11:22AM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I know a fella, who after two years in the US, asked in the local post office for directions to his mother's house, the house he lived in for twenty years previous.

I think you're mixing up snobbery and utter stupidity!

Remmy · 21-06-2013 11:24AM

I can agree with that. I know a spouse that I can't remember ever working but has a new car and all the crap paid for by her husband. She is quite pretentious and always seems to prattling on about buying the latest car or bag or whatever. The funny thing is the husband is the most down to earth blue collar guy you could ever meet and a bloody hard worker.

Red Kev · 21-06-2013 11:25AM

I rented a place in a posh part of Dublin 6 for a few years. Got made redundant and set myself up, so brought a Hiace van for the job. One woman used to complain about me bringing down the tone of the place with the van, that it was "a decent area, with decent people" etc etc. She used to stick little yellow post it notes on the van saying "no commercials allowed here by law" and "no parking without a permit", (both of them untrue).

Anyway, one morning about 3 years ago I left the house on the bike, got to the junction at the end of the road where a Garda stopped me and told me to wait, I looked aroudn the corner and there are a few Garda cars and vans there, seems CAB were doing a raid on a house there that belonged to an business man, his house always had a 4 year old X5 and a three year old S-Class in the drive. Mrs. Nasty neighbour shows up and I asked her her opinion about people taking the tone of the area down. At least she stopped the post it notes after that.

Some people in that street looked down at me, others would come knocking at the door if they needed any work done, asking me if I knew any plumber, electricians etc. I wasn't working in construction but was happy to oblige, just goes to show that not everyone in posh areas are snobs.

Peregrine · 21-06-2013 11:25AM

ASnailInMyNose wrote: »

i just squashed a fly into my monitor what do i do

Get the snail out of your nose, then we'll talk about the fly on your monitor

COYW · 21-06-2013 11:28AM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I have found that the worst snobs in Dublin are the country people who came up from the sticks and settled

never met a true blue snobby dub

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Definitely. By far the worst ones in Dalkey are blow ins from the sticks.

Totally agree with both of you. Galway and Mayo seems to breed the worst of them, from my experience. Women from the Gaeltacht areas are the worst of the worst.

patmac wrote: »

Utter bollix, I would imagine that there are more Dublin snobs in D4 than anywhere on the planet. The best thing about this recession is that it's brought these people down a peg or two.

Hate this anti-D4 stuff. Lived there for years and I only met one such person, who was a female recruitment agent from the 'Weist'. Complete an utter moron, suitably attached to estate agent who was dangerously stupid. He tried to do some plumbing in his apartment and ended up flooding it and then one below. I lived in Ballsbridge and found the locals to be really decent, quiet people. Loved it there.

getz · 21-06-2013 11:29AM

two years go I was on holiday in Ireland,with the wife and my English bully,we went into a shopping centre in Kilkenny,the wife as usual went into pennys,and I stayed outside with the dog,as he is a bully he gets a lot of attention,a old shopping centre cleaner came over to pat him and asked me [being English]am I enjoying my holiday,up walked a large man in a black suit and said to her she should not be talking to me she should be cleaning and walked away,i felt very sorry for her and asked was he her boss,she said no he doesent work in the shopping centre,and she gets a lot of people like him about,they think they are better than everyone else,ireland is full of snobs like him.

21-06-2013 11:30AM

Sort of related, I love this, I know of multi-millionaires, who will slum it with anyone, they will be in the dirtiest, alcoholic pub, drinking with the smelliest of vagrant, when they are home.
Then come work they will fly around the world doing multi-million pound deals.

I love when I am with them in local bars and people talking absolute crap these people should be snobs but they are salt of the earth. I will tell you why as well. They came from nothing, got educated, saw drug / alcohol addiction in short they worked hard to get were they are.

kylith · 21-06-2013 11:32AM

I know a guy who lives in an estate in which there is a rule that trade vans to park inside the gates of the estate overnight, so if you live there and you're a plumber you have to park your van outside the estate and walk to your house from there. Bunch of snobs who want to pretend that only bankers, solicitors, and doctors can afford to live there and are pissed that during the boom tradesmen were able to afford to move in, imo.

BrensBenz · 21-06-2013 11:35AM

When the Irish fishing industry was healthier, a trawlerman bought a house in a newly-built, up-market estate. Some of the neighbours called and suggested he might be happier living somewhere else. He looked at each individual eye to eye and offered to buy their houses instead, there and then, with cash.
Being in a small community, those neighbours never regained the levels of respect they had known.

Snobs, and their lack of breeding: what's your worst experience?

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