side comment on the last thing

so inevitably everyone near the conversation had to weigh-in on whether they were of the 'caliber' of J&J. I said that my family is of the 'caliber' of J&J but wasn't in it. The guy automatically assumed because of lack of money. I laughed at him. It wasn't on account of money. My family (specifically paternal family) is of the caliber of J&J, but it seems that my family is way too individualistic to join some social club to validate themselves.

I was also thinking that i was "above" J&J because J&J is so recent. My paternal family is traced back to pre 1800's and have been doing substantive things every generation since then. So my attitude toward Jack & Jill, Frats and Sororities is that since they were founded in the early 1900's, that they're a function of new money trying to validate themselves.

Taking that one step further, i wouldn't be surprised that if you looked at the rolls of the Skull-and-Bones (even the early inceptors) or other fraternities and sorrorities, you'll find that they were 'new money' (within two generations) and perhaps created these organizations to validate themselves in the face of the snobbery of older money.

I was talking to my dad a few years back and said that when i get rich i'm going to have a bumper sticker that read "old guard, new money"


he, he, like i'd want to be in J&J! New breeds!