ADVERTISEMENT

When we start talking about money, a whole bunch of double standards start popping up. How people in authority positions treat you. What you're allowed to get away with both socially and legally. And how, suddenly, some of the things that were trashy when you're poor become classy when you're rich.

Well, it's not only us who've noticed the trashy/classy divide and the massive shifts in our perception that happen when we become aware that someone's rich. Entrepreneur Morgan, aka Cajunventures, posted a video on TikTok asking people to share the things that are considered trashy when you're poor but classy when you're rich.

She kicked things off by pointing out that the most expensive thing that you own being a really old car perfectly fits this category. Her video quickly went viral and others started sharing their own examples. Check some of the best ones out below, upvote the ones that you agree with, and let us know in the comments if you have any examples of your own.

Bored Panda had a chat with Morgan, who goes by her nickname Cajunventures online, about the importance of money, the American Dream, as well as financial independence. You'll find our full interview with the self-made millionaire below.

More info: TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Website

@cajunventures

What is trashy if you are poor but classy if you are rich? ⬇️ ##poorpeopleproblems ##stitchthisvideo ##millionairemindsets ##oldcarsoftiktok ##poordaddy

♬ original sound - Helping You Make 💵 For FREE

Morgan pointed out that money plays a pivotal part in our lives: from giving people power and security to providing access to the experiences that we want, as well as being our way of valuing things.

"I think some people have nothing better to do with their time, and when people see someone living a different lifestyle than their own or doing better than them, they judge out of anger or jealousy. We should try empathy and understanding over criticizing and judging," the entrepreneur and financial independence advocate said about the trashy/classy divide.

The entrepreneur opened up to Bored Panda that she "grew up broke in a trailer park." However, this didn't stop her from starting her own company from scratch and becoming a millionaire by the time she was 30. "I am proof the American Dream is still alive and well," she said.

#3

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

cajunventures Report

Add photo comments
POST
milanasierra avatar
Toko Danganronpa
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I personally find old cars really cool but this one is true.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#4

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

sammishade Report

Add photo comments
POST
dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends where you live, though. In Croatia, back when I was growing up, speaking 3 languages was very common, almost normal. Speaking 4+ usually means you're working in tourism, which, given it's a large sector there, again - it's considered normal, but people will think you're skilled and will find it a virtue. In Korea, speaking English is still considered great skill, although it's socially recognised as a necessity, and if you speak a language they haven't heard of, they'll have no particular feeling about that. Speaking Korean with a non-korean face will be very much appreciated, but there will be some people who will try and patronise you, forgetting you can speak 4 languages while they barely struggle with their 2nd and only foreign language. As for my European circles, we all go "wow" at merely the number and we have a common saying "the more languages you speak, the more people you're worth".

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

"The internet has an insane amount of opportunity, and I have been able to help thousands of people make money online for free. I started a million-dollar company with only $1 at Goodwill flipping books. It's possible if you are willing to put in the work," Morgan shared that hard work and perseverance really do pay off. And creativity and flexibility never hurt.

ADVERTISEMENT

Like many other entrepreneurs, Morgan was hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. "During the pandemic, my small business was struggling so we had to really adapt to survive. I learned a lot and decided to start sharing how I was able to quit my corporate job I hated to work for myself online for free."

She continued: "As an Amazon seller and a real estate investor, I have been able to share various side hustles and help thousands of people make money online. It won't be easy, you won't get rich quick, but if you put in the work you can definitely become financially independent." she said that slow and steady wins the race and that nobody should expect to rush into wealth at the drop of a hat.

#5

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

bewitchinglybold Report

Add photo comments
POST
bp_10 avatar
WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tiny houses aren't always build on trailers, at least not in my country.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

blondie_boo82 Report

Add photo comments
POST
wandiledludlu avatar
Sum Guy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one doesn't make sense... if you're rich and not have a job sounds like a dream to me.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Morgan, who's behind the Cajunventures channel, is a full-time seller on Amazon, a real estate investor, and helps “women sell weird stuff online.” Having been self-employed for 4 years, her main goal in life is helping people learn all the different ways that they can make money working from home. The entrepreneur also claims to have made 7 figures selling things, so naturally, she's a bit of an expert when it comes to finance-related topics. Even lighthearted ones.

ADVERTISEMENT

Economic inequality is a sensitive subject in the United States. The Pew Research Center points out that in 2018, the highest-earning fifth of families made more than half of all US income. “Over the past 50 years, the highest-earning 20% of U.S. households have steadily brought in a larger share of the country's total income,” the Center highlighted the trend.

What's more, data from the OECD shows that income inequality in the US is the highest of all the G7 nations. Not only that, but the black-white income gap in America has remained more or less steady since 1970.

#7

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

flora.hearth Report

Add photo comments
POST
susangreen_2 avatar
Susan Green
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a single parent raising two sons, I always bought them brand new clothes. After doing that, I couldn’t afford to buy myself new clothes, so I always bought everything from consignment, or thrift stores. No big deal. Now that I can afford nice new, expensive clothes, I have never forgotten those times, so I still do shop in consignment and thrift stores some times. I will never feel that I’m above that.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#8

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

mermaidfishing Report

Add photo comments
POST
susangreen_2 avatar
Susan Green
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No biggie! I sometimes do this too, if I don’t feel like cooking. It’s not trashy, and has nothing to do with how much money you have, or don’t have.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

“The difference in median household incomes between white and black Americans has grown from about $23,800 in 1970 to roughly $33,000 in 2018 (as measured in 2018 dollars). Median black household income was 61% of median white household income in 2018, up modestly from 56% in 1970—but down slightly from 63% in 2007, before the Great Recession,” the Pew Research Center explains that the situation hasn't improved much.

#9

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

weird_el Report

Add photo comments
POST
milanasierra avatar
Toko Danganronpa
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a bit too specific to be accurate in my opinion

tokyozelda18 avatar
Emma Perkins
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I disagree. Ramen can vary in price/quality greatly. When I was still in college I would eat the stovetop/microwave ramen to survive, but now I can go to a nearby city and get some fancier, more expensive ramen from a restaurant, and it seems that a lot of people seem to be finding Asian food (even the Americanized varieties) to be trendy and popular

Load More Replies...
lance-dboyle avatar
Lance d'Boyle
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you have ramen in your cupboard they are instant noodles and have zero nutritional value. Ramen in a restaurant is fresh and nutritious and delicious. There is no comparison.

ikcollins1 avatar
kittibarna avatar
Kitti B.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imo having an instant ramen and having a nice bowl of freshly cooked ramed soup with fresh noodles, shrimps, eggs, vegetables aren't the same things.

mintyminameow avatar
Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s because ramen from a plastic pouch isn’t the same food as ramen from a restaurant.

kayrose avatar
RoseTheMad
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Instant noodles in a pot/packet isn't really the same as real actual ramen at a restaurant, though...

roadkillthebrave avatar
Roadkill The Brave
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You know you're on the poor side of the Ramen spectrum when you get excited you can afford Manchuren. Top Ramen to me is like the Always Save of Ramen, I've yet to have a good experience with the stuff. For those outside of the U.S., I don't know if you have Always Save but it's bad. I've lived off Always Save stuff, it's like the floor sweepings of factories sold in the packaging that was the end of the industrial roll. Edit: Y'all need to call me out for spelling Maruchan wrong. I don't know why I call it Manchuren but yeah I'm talking about Maruchan.

dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in Korea and, well, ramen (ramyeon) here is.... very various, both price and quality wise, and none of it is a necessary indicator of your wealth. Unless you literally live off cup-ramen, but that's not only for the poor - student life style can pretty much resemble that too.

Load More Replies...
View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#10

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

cynthia.666 Report

Add photo comments
POST
demi_zwaan avatar
Demi Zwaan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, circumstances matter. If you can't afford to pay your bills, can't better your life because you're always high and spend every cent on your next hit, you can't compare that to a rich person (who don't always just inherit their money...) who occasionally does recreational drugs.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

It's not just a minority of Americans who think that there's something wrong with the massive financial divide in the country. A whopping 61 percent of Americans believe there's too much economic inequality. However, Democrats (78 percent) are more likely than Republicans (41 percent) to hold this belief, meaning that there's a party divide there.

#11

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

ryan_finance Report

Add photo comments
POST
milanasierra avatar
Toko Danganronpa
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hot take here. Yeah, sure, Elon Musk named his kid a weird name but let's be real: he was always weird to begin with. The guy is totally bonkers and has done all kinds of crazy things but people really care about the name of his son. 1. How does it even affect you? 2. You can name your kid whatever you want and still get the same amount of criticism as a rich person would.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#12

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

antony_n_ Report

Add photo comments
POST
bp_10 avatar
WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "stone-washed" jeans comes to mind as another example of fools paying a shedload of money to some conman for a pair of torn jeans.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Or, to put it bluntly, Democrats are nearly twice as likely to believe there's too much economic inequality than Republicans. What most likely won't surprise you either is that upper- and middle-class Americans with greater incomes are more likely to believe that there isn't much of an issue.

#13

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

osselivanova Report

Add photo comments
POST
demi_zwaan avatar
Demi Zwaan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being able to buy things because you have money is a privilege? I mean, everyone should be able to get basic housing, food and other necessities, but it's not privileged to be able to live a good (better?) life when you have money. That's what it's for.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#14

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

ajima36 Report

Add photo comments
POST
malagotelli avatar
Eslamala
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a huge difference between going to a city famous for its casinos on a weekend or a holiday just to gamble, and spending your kid's food money on the slots every day, though...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

According to the analysis done by the Pew Research Center, the wealth gap between the US' richest and poorest families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. Not only have the 5 percent richest families grown their wealth from 114 times the median in 1989 to 248 times in 2016, but they were also the only ones to increase their wealth after the recession that started in 2007.

ADVERTISEMENT
#15

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

blue_haired_lesbian Report

Add photo comments
POST
rkalligas avatar
Friday
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Marrying a family member? Rich or poor, that should be a hard no.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#16

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

essgeecie Report

There's a shrinking middle class as well. The number of middle-income households decreased from 61 percent in 1971 to just 51 percent in 2019, highlighting the growth of the divide between the rich and the poor.

#18

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

elisse.01 Report

Add photo comments
POST
bp_10 avatar
WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, but you keep complaining how awful the US is, yet nearly 50% of the votes in the last election were for an an orange baboon who just killed 500 000 US citizens by sitting on his hands and refusing to admit that there was a pandemic going on. The same guy also changed tax laws so that the richer you are, the less tax you pay. And let's not forget the millions he squandered on a useless wall, just to calm down his xenophobia.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Over the same period of time, the number of people in the upper-income tier grew from 14 percent to 20 percent. While the share of adults in the lower-income tier grew from 25 percent to 29 percent. In other words, if something doesn't change soon, we'll be seeing even more trashy/classy videos on social media as economic inequality continues to thrive.

#19

Trashy-Poor-Classy-Rich-Tiktok

dysalexiaa_ Report

Add photo comments
POST
camlynn1234 avatar
Miss Frankfurter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For so many people they aren't trashy. They're a necessity because of whatever oral condition you may have, it's a necessity to have all Of your teeth removed. And it's not always from poor oral care. If you check it out the term dental implants like are advertised these days they're still dentures ie fake teeth. They're simply snapped in instead of glued in.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda