There’s been a sentiment floating around online recently: some kind of frustration as popular things we once loved seem to lose their sparkle. It’s as though once-enjoyed treasures that held a place in our hearts have been unpacked, dissected, and redefined by the rich and powerful in a way that feels far removed from their once humble origins. In the raw, unfiltered world of internet forums, passionate dialogues of ordinary people have brought light to this trend.
1. Beaches
A day out at the beach should be pleasant, relaxing, and, most importantly, accessible to all. But when big money comes rolling in, the landscape changes. For instance, when wealthy individuals acquire prime waterfront properties, our once communal seaside hideaways can become exclusive enclaves.
Sure, as one user says, “the wet sand part of every beach is public access,” but that glorious sight? Hidden behind ocean-view mansions and private patios. Add to this the largely unknown monster that is sand mining, and our beloved beaches are under siege from billion-dollar industries vacuuming up their very foundations.
2. Housing Prices
Whether you’re looking to buy or rent, American home prices are astronomical right now. While various factors are at play here, most people point the finger squarely at the upper class. Wealthy people buy up cheaper properties to rent as Airbnbs or investment property, effectively taking an affordable home off the market.
3. Unique Parks and Neighborhoods
Call it gentrification if you must, but many people have the money – and influence – to physically change neighborhoods. One man recalls when his beloved neighborhood park, frequently full of life and energy, was turned into a soulless, gated, residents-only area due to “the rich people in town” constantly complaining about the noise. Wow, sometimes life isn’t fair.
4. Professional Sporting Events
Many sports team owners have priced out the common fan who would love to root for their home team in person to offset the cost of their state-of-the-art arenas and stadiums. “For a fun day out with you and a friend at an NFL game will run you around 500 bucks,” explains one sports fan.
“Or you could watch it on your big screen TV at home, which has better play-by-play and angles than being at the game where you end up watching half of it on a monitor anyway. Unless I get tickets for free, I don’t even bother going to sporting events anymore.”
5. Theme Parks
There’s a reason why many middle-class families scrimp and save all year just for a few days at a Disney resort: It’s too expensive. As corporations chase higher and higher profits as margins are thinner than ever, inevitably, some families can’t afford to visit some of the most famous theme parks in the world.
6. Collecting Anything
As someone who collected baseball cards as a kid, it pains me that commodity-focused professional collectors have ruined what was a hobby for all kids growing up. “In the past few years, the price of little collectibles and things of that sort have gone insanely high,” laments one man.
“Cards, action figures, you name it. just look up any hobby forums and marketplaces, and you’ll see people dropping their entire salary in one day.”
7. Music Festivals
Anyone who’s been to Woodstock knows the festival was secondary to the music. Now, thanks to corporate-sponsored music festivals designed to extract as much money as possible out of teenagers and so-called “influencers,” it’s not about the music anymore. Instead, a modern-day music festival revolves around consumerism, selfies, and the almighty dollar.
8. The Internet
Believe it or not, plenty of people think rich people have ruined the internet itself! “Back when the internet was just losers who had no other place in society, everything was cool,” one woman explains.
“You knew the only people online genuinely wanted to be part of the community and subculture. Then the rich people found out about it, and now it’s nothing but ads, subscription fees, data gathering, and rich people pretending to be hip.”
9. The Burning Man Festival
Once a beacon of counterculture, Burning Man has developed into nothing more than a slightly-weirder version of Coachella. “When Mark Zuckerberg is helicoptering in to stay in a billionaire camp filled with air-conditioned mobile homes, Burning Man has lost whatever counterculture standing it had,” explains one man.
10. Hip, Small Cities
The ultra-rich have the power to do anything they want – including turning formerly “cool” cities into plain-Jane suburban towns. Residents of cities like Asheville, North Carolina, Denver, Colorado, and Austin, Texas, won’t hesitate to remind visitors how cool their town was before all the money moved in!
11. Pickup Trucks
Gone are the days of people purchasing pickup trucks because of their utility. In modern times, most pickup trucks are now prohibitively expensive, catering to a high-income market with no intention of actually using them for their intended purpose.
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