People Are Sharing The Most Shocking Instances Of Privilege They've Ever Witnessed

Over on Quora, tons of people answered the question, "Have you ever met someone really privileged who shocked you?" Let's face it, we've all noticed this stuff ourselves, too — so, at the very least, it's good to know we're not alone:

1."When I taught at a private school in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, several students had wealthy parents. They were (mostly) very nice, but what shocked me was how oblivious some of them were as to how privileged they really were — like the boy who liked to write about his weekend trips with his parents, the girl who would spend three to four hours after school most days training as a competitive swimmer with a former Olympic medal winner, or the girl whose grandfather purchased over 150 new MacBooks and charging carts for the school."

—Matthew B., Quora

2."I was in a trendy women's clothing store. I was 22 years old and an older woman approached me and asked me to help her find outfits for her daughter who was about my height and size. I said sure and put together a number of outfits for her. She ended up liking them and said she’d take them all. As I walked away, she followed me and asked me to take them up to the counter so she could pay. I told her I didn’t work here, so she’s on her own now. She huffed, said I was being lazy, and she’d make sure I didn’t get my commission. I repeated that I didn’t work there. Her face softened for a second, and she asked me why I spent all that time helping her if I didn’t work there. I replied, 'Because you asked.'"

—Earth Angel, Quora

3."The summer was a tough one in Calgary this year. A major water main exploded due to old age, and the city was without half its water supply for five weeks. Restrictions were in place governing water use that eliminated watering gardens and washing cars and limited showering and doing dishes and laundry. I went to a barbecue last week in a wealthy neighborhood, and the yard was gorgeous, with beautiful flower beds and large pots full of cascading greenery and flowers. I asked the host how he had managed to have such a lovely garden with our water restrictions. He responded, 'Nobody tells me where and when I can or can’t water.' That was pretty shocking."

—Joan V.B., Quora

4."Yes — Prince Charles! I spent eight years as a professor at a university in Busan and was registered with the British Embassy in Seoul. One day I got a phone call summoning me and my wife to an Ulsan factory to meet Prince Charles, so my Korean wife and I dressed up and waited forever outside a massive factory. Eventually, the great man comes out and starts talking with every single one of us. The lasting impression is of the sheer professional focus of the gentleman. It was at the time when he and Princess Diana were going their separate ways, but when you talked with him, it seemed as if you were the one person in the world he had been dying to meet since birth!"

—Peter A., Quora

5."I was in college, and I was working on putting our college newspaper to bed. One of the editors asked me if I wanted to go to Dunkin’ Donuts and get coffee with her. We got into the car, and she quickly confessed that her car needed gas and that she didn’t know how to do it and needed someone to pump it for her. I offered to teach her, but she was quite indignant and said she didn’t want to learn to pump it and get her hands covered with gas, she just needed someone to do it for her. I explained that she could learn to pump it without getting gas on her hands, and if she wanted to drive a car, she would have to learn. She told me if I didn't pump for her, she wouldn’t buy me a coffee. I just laughed and got out of the car and walked back into the newspaper office."

—Alicia D., Quora

6."When I was a kid, I attended a summer camp popular with the upper crust. One of them invited me to visit her house for a weekend. It was a giant mansion. The blankets had eyelet lace coverlets, there were Jaguars in the driveway amongst other cars, and a long dining table with a buzzer at the dad’s end to call the maid. The maid actually served the food, and I had to watch the family to see what fork or spoon to use. The third floor was full of clothing racks with garment bags containing mom’s designer wardrobe. I went shopping with her to the fanciest stores in the city and she never looked at price tags and rarely tried things on — she just had them sent home in assorted colors and sent back whatever she didn’t care for, or didn’t fit. She’d get home from camp and her mother would essentially toss out the contents of her trunk while my trunk held most of my routine wardrobe I’d be wearing until I outgrew them."

—Mary G., Quora

7."My boss had $7 million paintings and got mad at my coworker when he asked him to bring him his car keys, and he brought the keys to the wrong color Mercedes. Most shockingly, we were once talking about weekend plans, and he said he was going to Switzerland to play golf. He had his own airplane, owned part of the airport, and had his own private entrance."

—태준 김, Quora

8."When my daughter was in college in the mid-2000s, she went to a friend's house in San Antonio for the weekend. Her friend's dad, stepmom, mom, and stepdad were surgeons. The home was overlooking the city and had a huge pool that actually went under the home. The lower part of the house had a swim-up bar and grill area, like something you'd see in a resort. They had a flat screen in every room mounted on the wall. There was a large picture over the dad's office desk of the 1927 Yankees, signed by everyone on the picture. I can't even imagine what that was worth. It shocked my daughter because the friend never acted like she had money. In fact, she seemed almost embarrassed by it."

—Alan W., Quora

9."I dated a guy a couple of years ago who was incredibly privileged. His parents were very wealthy and owned a rustic, three-story house with 15 rooms, two of which were his. He had a full bedroom and a smaller bedroom that doubled as a video game room. On the top floor, they had an additional game room with a huge television. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a TV in someone’s home that was as big as that one. He was given items just so that he’d stay quiet. He was a spoiled-rotten brat. When he wanted something in our relationship, he was determined to get it. If he didn’t, he’d throw an adult-sized temper tantrum: unwarranted verbal abuse, yelling, crying angry tears, etc. I’m still slightly self-conscious because of some of the awful things he’d say to me. I’m very glad that I know what to look for now when it comes to entitled people."

—Isabella C., Quora

10."I knew a girl whose dad had finally had enough of paying for everything. I overheard her on a borrowed phone shouting at him, 'IF YOU GAVE ME A PHONE THAT ACTUALLY WORKED, THIS WOULDN’T BE HAPPENING!' It made me laugh, because her phone worked just fine — she was finally learning that you need to pay for service for it to actually work. I’m glad she was getting some much-needed tough love."

—Sean K., Quora

11."When I was in college, I had a part-time job in my dormitory’s cafeteria. The richest person I ever knew was one of my fellow student employees. His father was the chairman of the board at a major multinational corporation, and his mother was a major stockholder in a US communications giant. They owned a Learjet and a chalet in Switzerland. When they came to visit my friend in the dorm, he needed other students to help sign in the entourage of two assistants, two bodyguards, and a driver. I found out that when he’d arrived on campus, he had no clue how to run a washing machine. His roommate had to teach him. He told me, 'I knew we had them at home; I’d just never seen them.'"

—Robin M.W., Quora

12."I once knew a young woman like that. She lived in a very nice apartment in Manhattan, traveled frequently, had expensive hobbies, ate at pricey restaurants, and didn’t have a steady job. Her parents had inherited a thriving business, so she never had to work or worry about money. She was a pleasant enough person but entitled in a naive sort of way. She once threw a party at her apartment and told everyone she had a surprise for them: ‘home movies’ of her last vacation. She was exasperated and hurt when some said they had to get going; others stayed to watch, but the mood had deflated, and most left quickly."

—Dee D., Quora

13."I had a boss from a very privileged family in the Philippines. She told me about a time when her daughter asked to eat at McDonald's, because her classmates talked about it all the time and she wanted to try it out. So her husband picked up the phone, called the local Mickey D’s, and asked to make a reservation for 7 o’clock. He couldn’t figure out why the people at the other end of the phone were laughing at him."

—BruceGee1962, Quora

14."My aunt at one point was married to a very wealthy man. For my cousin’s 16th birthday, she was given a Mercedes. She proceeded to crash it into a tree. She wasn’t wearing her seat belt, and her face hit something and got torn up. My uncle had a plastic surgeon flown in from a nearby city to stitch her up so there would be no scars. I am still astounded by that. First, you have to know who a good plastic surgeon is; then, you have to know where he is; then, you have to convince him to come to a small town for this; then, you have to be able to fly him in and convince the local hospital to let him operate. Then, of course, he bought her another Mercedes."

—Lisa N., Quora

And finally...

15."Having been to a university where the vast majority of students are much richer than me, I've discovered a new world where people have no idea how valuable money is. It was a world where they discussed what plastic surgery they want to get during lunch, bragged about branded purses, and so on. But the person who stuck out the most to me was a close friend of mine who came from a particularly wealthy family. She was incredibly sweet and friendly, but sometimes she'd say things that had my jaw dropping. One time she told me, 'I hate that my father observes what I spend on his credit card.'"

—Salma M., Quora