How does ‘class-passing’ actually work?
We love to talk about how being born a certain gender or a certain race shouldn&#x27;t hold you back from achieving anything you want in America. But what if you are unlucky enough to be born into a poor family, or in a backwoods, downtrodden region of the country?<p>My experience aligns with the author&#x27;s. In movies and feel-good stories shared on social media, we romantically idolize the humble rich person, who came from nothing yet somehow stays &quot;true to their roots&quot;. And that is a lovely, inspiring mindset necessary to keep people motivated...in theory.<p>In practice, in order to get ahead in life and to cross class boundaries, you will have to acknowledge that aspects of your upbringing and former way of life are &quot;backwards&quot;. You&#x27;ll have to reconcile that the rich will scorn you and think of your home as a &quot;shithole&quot;, and that you &quot;weren&#x27;t supposed to&quot; make it to the top. You&#x27;ll have to see things in a new light, and as the author notes, your social life and identity will take a hit (e.g. old friends who won&#x27;t come to your wedding, or dating prospects who are afraid of being associated with lower classes).<p>There is a moral failing in our country where the pursuit of money is seen as the objective optimal thing to do. But it&#x27;s very reasonable to look at how money changes people, and to turn away from such a lifestyle in disgust.