<p>I agree with oldman and kirmun. While I - who have been nominated for human rights awards, have worked in prisons and other places for the marginalized, etc. etc. - would seem to be someone who would automatically admire your parents, instead I fear a reverse prejudice and an inability to to distinguish necessary connections.</p>
<p>This is hard for some people to hear, but there is NO NECESSARY CONNECTION between wealth and bad morals and values, and NO NECESSARY CONNECTION between being poor or lower-middle-class and great values!</p>
<p>I have seen wealthy people who are very discreet about their wealth and who live by ethical and moral principles that would make most of us ashamed of how little we've done, and I have seen wannabes who are vicious in every sense of the word - especially in the sense of "the opposite of virtuous."</p>
<p>Yes, of course there are spoiled wealthy people, and fine, moral upstanding poor people. But this view of your parents just sounds like pure and simple prejudice to me.</p>
<p>EDIT: BTW none of the extremely wealthy old money families I know have children who wear trashy status symbols like Jimmy Choo shoes - they see that as low-life behavior. I believe, as others have said, that ostentation is more a new-money thing - something insecure people do.</p>