Skip to main content

The Prevalence of Fake Rich in the Philippines


Back in 2022, I wrote about why it's deadly to believe someone is rich based on their lifestyle. During my childhood to teenage years, I used to think someone was wealthier because of reasons like:
  1. Their parents spoil them with generous allowances. 
  2. They're driving a luxury car everywhere they go.
  3. They have expensive parties every year. 
  4. They have a lot of luxury brands.
  5. The children have so many toys. 
The list can go on and on, and I believe I might type too many words from there. I grew up with people bragging about how rich they are, even if the claims are preposterous. It's common among children to brag about what they don't have. Unfortunately, some never outgrow that dangerous habit and grow up with a fake rich lifestyle. This is the lifestyle where one wants others to think they're rich, even if they're not rich.


The rule of fake rich reverses the advice above. Instead, the fake rich lifestyle says, "Buy a USD 500.00 bag never mind you have nothing in it. Don't buy a USD 75.00 bag with USD 425.00 in it. Never mind being broke as long as you look rich." Unfortunately, so many Filipinos have this mentality going on (read here). In fact, it was already shown several times over. One would choose the applauses of fair-weathered people over the balance in the bank. One would want to have people say, "Oh, he/she must be so rich to ride a plane every weekend!" This reminds me of the types of people I've cut contact with. In fact, that's why I ended up saying, "If I had children, they would only have what they need. I will not be a miser, but I will not be an overspender either." It's all about living a balanced life. Be thrifty, not stingy! 


Here's a classic example. There's nothing wrong with being a fan of One Direction. However, some people have put too much priority on the One Direction concert, as if One Direction knew them. If they could afford it and still have food later, why not? However, this incident is incredibly hilarious. It seems to go like this, "I don't care if I don't get to eat later, as long as I can watch the upcoming One Direction concert." Wow, talk about that. If you can't eat anything now, can the One Direction concert (which I believe came several months later) pay for your expenses? This incident shows the problem of the fake rich mentality. The fake rich have their priorities set wrong!

Besides, I also avoid the fake rich for another reason. They tend to judge a book immediately by its cover. These are the type of people who can also be the fake nice people. The fake rich are only nice to people if they know who they are. Otherwise, if you're not some important person, you can forget them treating you well. They would judge you by the car you drive (although Dhar Mann's videos can go overly exaggerated since no self-respecting CEO will ever drive a rust bucket), the phone you use, the color of your skin, etc. In short, if you fall short of the standard of the fake rich, you're definitely going to be treated badly! They will start to bootlick and beg for forgiveness if they know you've got lots of money hidden. I don't need people like that in my life.

When it comes to fake rich people, I say forget it. I can let them look down at me for all I care. These fake nice people are not needed in my life.  
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Is Jollibee "Invading" South Korea Now as It's About to Acquire 70% of Shabu All Day?

I must confess that I find this new rather hilarious . It's because the word shabu is often associated with drugs. All the while, shabu shabu is a Korean delicacy! Well, I'm going to say that Jollibee Foods Corporation has now become a multinational buyer . Jollibee acquired 70% of Compost Coffee back in 2024 . This year, Jollibee as a multinational corporation is now acquiring Shabu All Day for PHP 5.1 billion pesos. Is Jollibee checkmating South Korea or is the Philippines conquering South Korea not just by OFWs but als through Jollibee? The answer is still no. From GMA News , we can read this article by Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas: Under the deal, Shabu All Day will be consolidated into Jollibee Foods Corp.’s (JFC) financial statements immediately upon completion of the acquisition for a total consideration equivalent to KRW127 billion. Completion of the transaction is subject to closing and financing conditions. The acquisition is expected to lead to a 2% jump in revenues, incre...
Read more

[UNPOPULAR OPINION] Why People Power Anniversary Should Be a Special Working Day Instead

  As a blogger, I shouldn't turn on the PC in hopes of becoming popular . It should be to turn on the PC and blog to make a difference . Right now, I think about the controversy when President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. declared the 1986 EDSA Revolution's anniversary as a working holiday . The call for some of the "minority lawmakers" is that they want to return the People Power Anniversary to a regular holiday once more. There are times I feel like, "Should we let it be a regular holiday again, so as not to repeat the Marcos dictatorship?" Sadly, the real answer is that the Philippines has been relying too much on EDSA , so it's practically ending up like Nokia . I was thinking about the reality of February being the most hectic month. February only has 28 days (and February 25 is near the month's end ). I thought that the Philippines also has too many national holidays more often than not. In fact, the Inquirer article written by...
Read more

Why I Believe Economic Cha-Cha is Needed to Curb Exodus of Filipino Nurses

I was looking at the Facebook feeds and I found an interesting feed. It's from the Inquirer's Facebook page and I'm finding some interesting comments here . I'm really thinking about the economic ignorance of some of the comments. I won't be naming them out specifically. If I did, I'd probably have too much to mention. The level of ignorance can go with subsidies, wage increases, and better healthcare systems, but for some, when I mention  open economies-- it seems that somet of them are more than willing to say, "But foreign investors will invade us!" type of talk. I'm getting fed up with such kind of talk. I would like to explain how economic charter change is badly needed if we expect more Filipino workers to stay in the country. One article I wrote some time ago was the myth of invading other countries through labor export and foreign investment . The proof that it's a myth is that the Philippines has been sending nurses abroad. If my estim...
Read more

Helping Others is Good But Not to One's Own Expense

I advocate for helping others. I believe in helping others but there were times I overdid it. One time, I gave up so much that I had to be stopped. I was told, "If you gave everything now, how can you help others later?" I would donate some sums here and there, without thinking much. I'm not going to write them all. Some of them left me good while others left a bad taste (and a bad record) for me to endure. Sure, I want to help people but I tend to overlook the consequences. Some of the bad habits I had in the name of helping others are like: Being too generous with buying with credit. Eventually, I lost a lot of money which was never recovered . Some seasoned entrepreneurs may admit their own falls including the credit trap pitfall. Being too willing to give a discount without thinking about how it'd affect profits. Sure, a cheap price can draw people near. However, there are times when the prices of goods and services need to be raised to keep a business running. I ...
Read more

The Socio-Economic Cost of Pinoy Pride Economics

Tomorrow is what's commonly referred to as Philippine Independence Day (although the Philippines really became independent on July 4, 1948 ) which falls on a Sunday. Granted, some people will either be in church (or at least online church) so I decided to write this article a day before tomorrow. I feel like writing this article because some people want to achieve "economic independence". I feel this article is badly needed. I may no longer be taking my MBA classes (since I graduated last October 2014) but I feel like writing these essays after recovering (in part) from the disaster known as Typhoon Odette).  I read some stupid people on Facebook have said that the Philippines may become richer without foreign investments. I read the posts of protectionist thought leaders of people from Bayan Muna, IBON Foundation (which claims itself to be an economic think-tank), Kabataan Partylist, League of Filipino Students, and the like. It even made me laugh to see how one of the L...
Read more