Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Paid Friends: Weary of Genuine Relationships, Rich New Yorkers Hire Stand-Ins

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Paid Friends: Weary of Genuine Relationships, Rich New Yorkers Hire Stand-Ins

Click here to access article by Richard Kirshenbaum from The New York Observer.

After last Saturday's posting of an article about the rich, I am now determined to restart a practice I had a couple of years ago to examine the lives of the rich each Saturday. The purpose is to create better understanding of the trials and tribulations of the rich with whom we share this nation and planet. Because we live in a highly class structured society, it is easy to lose touch with others who live differently than we do, especially those among the 99 Percent who often live separate lives in guarded gated communities, travel by private jet, and hang out in places that we could never afford.

In this visit to the world of the rich, we learn that they often have unusual friends whom the writer refers to as "friends for hire", and sometimes these friendships can be problematic.

[They are the] innately personable service providers who are sought out to fulfill social obligations, provide companionship and offer court-like flattery masquerading as friendship to those who can afford it. Heartache, though, sometimes occurs when relationship demands and financial arrangements are at odds.

Also, when you are finished reading this article, you might be interested in a review from Maclean's (Canada) of a newly-published book entitled This Land Was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me) by Bruce McCall and David Letterman.