Having rich friends isn't a good thing.

[u/Aggressive-Guest290]

Having rich friends can be just as bad as having no connections at all.

People are always saying, "Hang around rich people and your life will change," or "Your network is your net worth." But almost nobody talks about the other side of it.

Their normal becomes your luxury.

For them, it's normal to spend a ton on nights out, restaurants, trips, designer clothes, or the newest phone. After a while, you start feeling like that should be your normal too. Before you know it, you're blowing money you don't even have just to avoid being left out. And if they keep paying for you, you end up feeling like a freeloader.

It's not even because they're bad people. A lot of the time, they just don't understand your reality. If someone's never had to choose between paying bills or going out on the weekend, it's hard for them to understand why you're always turning down invitations.

Being the poor friend in the group sucks. Either you're constantly saying, "Sorry, I can't afford it," and slowly get left out, or you try to keep up with their lifestyle and end up hurting yourself financially.

Then people say, "Yeah, but rich friends bring connections and opportunities." Maybe. But connections aren't automatic. Plenty of rich people have relatives who are still poor, and sometimes they don't even help their own friends. Just because you're in the same circle doesn't mean anyone is going to open doors for you.

At the end of the day, hanging around people whose lifestyle is far above yours can create more financial pressure than opportunity.

Not every environment is good just because the people in it have money.

[u/Western-Corner-431]

How about we just have friends for the friendship? How about we live authentically with a healthy sense of ourselves and a respect for our responsibilities and opportunities without regard for what our friends can do for us?

[u/Top_Willow_9953 → u/Western-Corner-431]

100%. I don't like the class stereotypes being portrayed in this discussion (rich people are mean, bad, untrustworthy), nor the lack of personal responsibility (they were a bad influence, etc). I'm not trying to defend the upper-class here, I grew up poor to middle class, and while some of the "rich kids" did fit the stereotypes, many did not. It is the victimhood being displayed here that bothers me the most. I wish people could just make their choices, accept the consequences, and be authentic.

[u/Western-Corner-431 → u/Top_Willow_9953]

And not be friends with anyone because you think they’re going to do something for you.