> be me, move to Manhattan > thought rich people just had drivers and doormen > turns out there's an entire shadow economy catering to the ultra-rich: assistants, private chefs, security, manicurists, masseuses > meet a 24 y/o girl from some random Midwest state school > now a “family assistant” for an Upper East Side brownstone w/ 6 kids and 50 full-time staff > oh_shit_the_stories_are_real.exe > dad is a hedge fund billionaire > mom runs a fashion brand no one's allowed to critique > mfw each kid has a personalized on-premise team: nanny, therapist, tutor, butler > she complains “I have to spend every other weekend at their second Hamptons house” > like it’s a burden kek > “ugh, I have to coordinate the helicopter again” > girl shows me her Instagram stories from “work trips” to Aspen and Saint Tropez > meanwhile she’s wagecucking $70k and splitting a studio apartment in Bronx with two roommates > talks about “my boss’s driver” like she’s the one with a driver > assistants act like they’re auditioning to be adopted (copium) > they’re not just serving wealth, they’re trying to absorb it > mfw I realize half of Manhattan runs on people who desperately want to be rich but settled for being adjacent to rich > mfw the entire UES is just wealth theater with a supporting cast of thousands > tfw the American Dream is now just getting invited to rich people’s parties and talking about said parties > this city is Disneyland for class hierarchy > existental_crisis.gif

saving to ~/Documents/class_consciousness/proximitybecomesidentity.pdf