Are we pretentious?

[Doug33]

pre·ten·tious

pri-ten-chus / Adjective

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.


Synonyms:

showy



I was talking to a co-worker of mine who mentioned that she owns a nice boat. Since I've known her a long time, I asked why she never told me this before. She said that she doesn't advertise it because it makes her look pretentious, as if she was bragging or showing off.

And then recently I was reading a thread here and someone mentioned that before they bought an RV, they thought RVers were pretentious. So my question is, are we? Does our zeal and our excitement for our hobby come off as looking like we are snobs or above others? When I mentioned to some people that I was buying a new TT recently, I got one reaction to the tune of "well, you must be doing well these days".

Are TT owners less snooty than owners of more expensive 5'ers and motorhomes? How about boats? On my last trip, a gigantic MH pulled up in the site next to us, and my immediate reaction was that whoever owned this RV had the big bucks (this MH had to cost > $200K). But to my surprise a normal, average looking and friendly guy got out of the MH, along with his normal, average looking and friendly kids. It's hard to think of someone as pretentious when they are hooking up a sewer line!

The irony is that while RVing, I spend 1/3 to 1/2 what non-RV owners spend on hotels and resorts. And I get to sit in my own chairs, use my own appliances, and sleep in my own bed all the time!

What say you on this topic?

[Reader1]

wrvond - A while ago we walked through a campsite and saw a TT that was sparkling clean all the way around about half from the top. The rest had obviously not been cleaned for a very long time. It was a total mess. DH & I envisioned ourselves - me saying - No we can't go until we finish - and DH saying we need to go now! No judgment from us - just laughing about how we would handle it.

[wrvond]

My bride and I stay exclusively at Myrtle Beach Travel Park because we think it is the best value for the money. We have also kept our TT stored at a facility in the Myrtle Beach area for the past eight years because it costs less to store it in an open field than it does to pull it. We try to get down there three to four times a year to enjoy the beach. Last year, we only made it once, and that was early in the season, so it sat unattended for about eleven months.
So, a few months ago, we had it delivered to MBTP. It was an absolute mess on the outside. Not only was it dirty, it had wasp nests all over it, grass from weed eating was stuck to it, and it even had moss growing on it!
Well, after driving nine hours to get there, then setting the camper up, I was too tired to do much more than go sit on the beach and watch the sunset. Later, my bride told me that two women walking between the bath house and their big ol' class 'A' just stopped, staring, and shaking their heads. Apparently they didn't know the window was open so my wife could hear their unkind remarks, or they just didn't care. I would call them pretentious as well as judgmental. BTW, my paid-for 1990 Gulf Stream still shines up quite nicely, and all the appliances work quite well. We have looked at new TT's but can't find one that we like better. It is also a source of amusement for me that those two women are quite possibly members of this forum!

[cbconway]

tspecs wrote:
...We are talking about attempting to impress strangers here. I wonder why? It's a state of mind, and not an attractive one at that.

Yup. I think it was the sociologist Vance Packard who differentiated between "inner-directed" and "other-directed" folks. (Of course, we all like to think of ourselves as "inner-directed". :W )

[SprinklerMan]

In my neighborhood , we have a bunch of sail boaters , they like to think of themselves as "sailors" . One of them asked me " Why would you want a camper payment for something you use 3 or 4 times a year " ........ The look on his face when I mentioned to him , I dont have a payment . How much do you owe on your sailboat?

(he hasn't used his sailboat once this year , " the weather has been bad"

[carmelo]

One word: NO

CCC

[tspecs]

In my travels and conversations I have encountered many "pretentious" individuals. The really funny thing is that many of them are pretentious about "roughing it", or sleeping under a tree somewhere and then eating some tree bark for breakfast in the AM. These folks could also be called "snobs", and what a useless mindset. Who cares if you are in a half shelter or a luxury motor home. We are talking about attempting to impress strangers here. I wonder why? It's a state of mind, and not an attractive one at that.

[gon2dadawgs]

We are only as pretentious as you think we are. Keep these thoughts from in between your ears and the world will be a better place. Assumption is more harmful than pretention by far.

Michael

[69_Avion]

doxiluvr wrote:
We experience sort of a "class system" in the RV park that we are in Colorado right now. It is our first year and I love the RV Park but it does seem like the expensive Class "A" or extremely luxurious 5th Wheel people seem to stick to themselves and especially the people who buy their sites (or double sites) and can add outdoor kitchens, fancy patio sets and landscaping to them. I sometimes feel we have the "trailer trash" side and then their is the half million MH, upper class side. But then I figure if they are judging me by having a TT and not wanting to get to know me; it is their loss!!

I have a very nice 34' trailer that I never use anymore. I now take my small Avion C-11 camper/trialer because I can get it back to where I want to camp. In my travels I have met many great folks and for those who want to look down on me for my small rig, I really don't want to hang out with those folks anyway. Very seldom have I run across that kind of attitude, but it does exist out there. The main thing is to enjoy yourself and don't worry about what other folks think. It makes life much nicer.

[napadan]

skipnchar wrote:
I"d be VERY cautious in assigning little "labels" for a group of folks as large as RVers are. Rvers are nothing more or less than a cross section of the population. There are rich, poor, red neck and urbane, pretentious and forthcoming.

Skip has it right. Great response.

[JRS___B]

Owning an overpriced campsite is a sign of pretentiousness all by itself. It basically says they have so much money to spend it really does not matter to them if they got ripped off.

[doxiluvr]

We experience sort of a "class system" in the RV park that we are in Colorado right now. It is our first year and I love the RV Park but it does seem like the expensive Class "A" or extremely luxurious 5th Wheel people seem to stick to themselves and especially the people who buy their sites (or double sites) and can add outdoor kitchens, fancy patio sets and landscaping to them. I sometimes feel we have the "trailer trash" side and then their is the half million MH, upper class side. But then I figure if they are judging me by having a TT and not wanting to get to know me; it is their loss!!

[jamesu]

I'm sure there are some whom I care about (relatives especially) who think I'm pretentious to "waste money" on such a toy. My only wish is that they could/would "waste" some of their money, buy their own RV/TT so that we can go camping, hang out, and enjoy time together.

[HeyJude]

dclaarjr wrote:
If I'm pretentious because of my TT, then so be it.

I bought it because I want to see the country when I take my vacation. If I go to a popular area, a condo or motel room would cost around $1500 for a week.

Next week I'm going to Traverse City, MI. I found a campground for $165 for the week. Even with the cost of fuel towing my TT there, I'm still way ahead, and that's not counting I would have still had to pay for gas or air fare to get there.

As was stated earlier, we eat anyhow. However, I love cooking over the fire. That's fewer restaurant meals. More money saved. I'm beginning to think I can afford a longer vacation. LOL.

If this is pretentious, then call me Mr. Oretentious. I don't mind. I'm having a great time.

Make sure you get lots of cherries and buy a nice bottle of Michigan wine!

[HeyJude]

It's funny, I showed a friend that I haven't seen in awhile a photo of our new TT and our new (traded with someone else) lot. He gave me the impression that he was angry at me for doing well. I traded down the hybrid and bought the entry level travel trailer with a hefty down payment and very little monthly payment. Another thing, our lot is cheap and our yearly payment is only $400.
They bought their house during the housing boom, cannot sell it and they both have to work to make the payments. We did not, we live in an 850 sf house that is paid off. Is it wrong for us to have this place and for me to enjoy it most weekends? Was I bragging to him or being pretentious telling him? I don't think so, but I believe he will tell our other neighbors we are. He also saw our golf cart that my husband rebuilt from the bottom up (looks nice) and said that must be an expensive toy. It's sad that people can't be happy for you, especially when we are so much older and worked our tails off to get where we are.