“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are very different from you and me.” These words were pronounced by F Scott Fitzgerald, the American novelist famous for writing The Great Gatsby in 1925.
His observation was affirmed in the 1950s through British social discourses where different classes of people used different words depending on whether they belonged to the U class meaning upper class or old money, or non-U class meaning aspiring or wannabes.
One distinguishing feature between the two was in their use of language. On one hand, the non-U used terminology in an attempt to make them sound fancy, fashionable or refined; while on the other hand, the U conversed in plain and traditional words because they did not have the same need to seek a display of poshness. For instance, the U say napkin, while the non-U say serviette, graveyard not cemetery, lavatory not toilet, and spectacles not glasses, respectively.
The variance between the U and non-U class was epitomised this week when the latest member of the overnight Kenyan multi-millionaire club member was unveiled, after suspected corruption scandals were unearthed at the National Hospital Insurance Fund. He is a 39-year-old whose day job is a desk clerk earning Sh150,000 a month. What qualifies him as a non-U member was his lavish wedding, his number of upmarket houses, his chain of businesses, his taste of high end cars and to crown it all, his choice of transportation via a helicopter in a bid to escape the perennial Nairobi city traffic jam that the rest of us mortals have to daily contend with. Allow me to explain his non-U membership.
People with old money or those in the U class, consider public service as an obligation and honour that comes with inherited wealth. They view this as their way of giving back to society. However, non-U or new money views working for the government as an opportunity to enrich themselves using taxpayers’ money. Based on investigation reports, this receptionist was a member of the NHIF tender evaluation committee. He has been charged with not complying with procurement laws and procedures. It has been reported that shortly after he started serving on this committee, he acquired eight houses totalling Sh160 million in his first year of service.
It has often been said that ‘a man’s home is his castle.’ Homes for the U class are often baronial, and without exception, they are all hidden from public view, either by acres of forest or fortress walls. On the other hand, non-U homes are often glitzy and their owners have an insatiable itch to display their abode. It is no wonder that this receptionist’s home was featured in one of the national television shows for all the world to partake of its opulence.
It has also been said that ‘you are what you drive.’ The U class view cars as a means of basic transportation and not to attract attention. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, despite being wealthy enough to daily buy one Ferrari that costs $253,000, drives a car that is worth $30,000. However, the non-U class, buy cars to make a statement to society that they have arrived. That is why this receptionist drives top of the range vehicles such as Range Rover, and Toyota V8.
There is a popular British television series called Downton Abbey that depicts the lives of an aristocratic family. One of the most famous lines in this series is ‘your lot buys it, my lot inherits it.’ The U class values vintage furniture. Its handed down from generation to generation. It is sentimental, classy, ubiquitous and foliate. The non-U class prefer trendy commonplace furniture, which although is expensive, it is not memorable. In the television programme that featured the rich receptionist’s house, his wife told the show’s host that the value of their renovated furnishings and fittings cost Sh40 million. But a couple of months later, how many of us can recall what they looked like?
The U class enjoys entertaining their friends in their homes. They prefer home cooked meals and a quiet evening with social banter. The non-U prefer to dine out like the rich receptionist, who likes to dine at the Carnivore restaurant.
The U class have no need to display their wealth. In fact, they dislike talking about money unless they are making an investment. The non-U class on the other hand talk about, and display their new money at every opportunity. They do not know how to behave like they own the gold mine. Kevin O’Leary, who is one of Shark Tank’s television programme investor, has a net worth of roughly $300 million. He had a simple wedding where he invited a few of his friends to his house and served them beer and pizza. Our rich receptionist held a lavish wedding at one of the five star hotels in Nairobi, at a cost of roughly Sh25 million.
It is not in doubt that we all want to be wealthy. But we just don’t understand what wealth really is. And as elucidated above, having a lot of money is not the same as being wealthy. This is because money is an illusion. It is not what money buys that makes it valuable but rather how it is put to use that determines its value. If it is used to make more, its value undeniably becomes more.
While the U class become a steward of their family’s wealth and multiplies it for future generations through investments, the non-U class wastes it on lavish conspicuous consumption. The cost of hiring a chopper is Sh130,000 per hour, roughly equivalent to the rich receptionist’s one month’s salary. Parkinson’s law states that expenses rise to meet income. Therefore to maintain this lifestyle, the receptionist would have to earn a salary of Sh8 million per month. And that is only for the cost of the chopper alone. It is rumoured that the CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank Group earns roughly Sh7 million per month; and it is an open secret what kind of work and responsibilities he shoulders. So begs the question, what responsibilities would a receptionist have to undertake to justify this kind of monthly earnings?
Lastly, my unsolicited advice to the rich receptionist and his ilk is nobody buys a diet book from a fat guy. Likewise, you cannot dupe us with a multimillionaire lifestyle from your puny monthly salary.
And to the rest of us, the U class buy investments; the non-U buy liabilities. Which one are you?
I used to be poor, then I bought a thesaurus; and now I’m impecunious - Unknown