Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan: The lifestyle of the Not Rich at Penn

I still can't believe I spent my winter break in London. Why? Because until recently, traveling overseas belonged in the mysterious realm of "what other people do," along with dining at Le Bec-Fin and not having to wait for a jacket to hit the clearance rack before buying it. In short, it's the sort of thing that falls under the domain of the rich.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm in no way claiming to be poverty-stricken -- I'm just Not Rich. But in a place like Penn, being Not Rich can make one feel like a decided minority. And when you're surrounded by Gucci bags that weren't purchased from a shady street dealer and passports with stamps from Tahiti to Timbuktu, it's hard not to be a bit envious.

Sad to say, that envy can translate into a bit of contempt for the classmates that so blithely enjoy such good fortune, who hemorrhage $50 bills oblivious to the fact that not everyone shares their circumstances. We're all incredibly fortunate to be at Penn, but to borrow from George Orwell, some are more fortunate than others.

I truly don't begrudge you your wealth, security and financial peace of mind. All I ask is that you recognize just how lucky you are, and that there are some of us here that live in a different world when it comes to money. That tuition payments sometimes represent months of struggle. That the work-study kid behind you in line at Wawa really hates overhearing how your parents bought you a Lexus for Christmas when you clearly told them you wanted a Porsche.

I know that all people claim to be middle class -- and maybe they are, if seen in the proper perspective, i.e., compared to Bill Gates or God -- but for the real members of the middle-and-anything-under classes, it can seem like a hearty section of Penn kids belong to an exclusive club: a wondrous club where Daddy actually does pay your credit card bills, where your wardrobe is refreshed every season to the tune of hundreds of dollars, where you don't have to balance academics and extracurriculars with a part-time job and you won't be repaying your college education for the next twenty years. It's not that these monetary paradise-dwellers overtly snub anybody, but for those who come from a very different sort of background, reality might seem slightly unfair.

That's why there's always humor in poking fun at the rich kids, why we love laughing at Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson and any stereotypical trust fund baby -- it's easier to bear this sense of unfairness if the upper-crusters are at least wimpy. Or stupid and only got into this school because their parents bought off the admissions office. Or polo-playing dandies who whine and spend recklessly with no appreciation for the value of their possessions. Even Bob Dylan got in on the joke when he wrote he was "helpless like a rich man's child." It's a defense mechanism, really.

But it isn't right to judge anyone on such a shallow basis. Money shouldn't really play such a role in social relationships, and bitterness among the Not Rich is pointless and self-defeating. But I think I speak for others too when I say that it sucks when you have to turn down a great unpaid internship because you have to work two jobs all summer to afford your next semester here, or you have to choose between buying books or groceries, or any other little sacrifice that you think is unimaginable to some of your peers.

And when you watch an acquaintance squander good fortune without even a second thought -- when someone doesn't ever go to class because, hey, he's not paying for it, or takes her parents' money and snorts it all up her nose -- you get a little angry.

In the end, there's no need for ill will. I'm sure that everyone with a healthy bank account earned it in some way, and after all, we're all much, much better off than the majority of the world when it comes to standard of living. But in the interest of understanding each other better, for the subtle reconciliation of the haves with the have-a-little-lesses, I wish everyone would truly appreciate his or her blessings. We'd all do well to be grateful for what we have, and to not take our little comforts for granted. By simply realizing that not everyone has the same advantages and respecting that, maybe we'll begin to erode the ugliness of envy and contempt.

Sounds awfully nice, huh? Sure, but be careful. If you keep whining about having to drive that Lexus, I'm going to slap you.

Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is a senior communications major from Wheaton, Ill. Six Feet One appears on Tuesdays.

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