Jive S**t for Rich (or at least Affluent) White Folks

A number of years ago, a wise soul left this graffito on the gate of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur: “Jive Shit for Rich White Folks.” 

I can empathize.  Too often, I find myself shaking my head at the tastes of people with too much time and money on their hands.  So, in the spirit of skewering their penchant for fads, expensive pastimes, and belief in bunk, I’ve made my own list of jive based on observations from living in a resort town populated with folks who are well-off and (mostly) white:

Self-branding

Playdates

Being a “foodie”

The Secret

Cocooning

Kombucha

REI

Helicopter parenting

Wearing tie dye, dreadlocks, and peace symbols while majoring in business and voting Republican

Loudly proclaiming one’s environmentalism while creating a larger than necessary CO2 footprint by taking ski vacations in Switzerland and making “spiritual pilgrimages” to Nepal

Probiotics

Following one’s bliss

Adventure travel

Ecotourism

Mindfulness

Life coaching

Life hacking

Radical forgiveness (Believe it or not, this is actually a thing.)

Anything advertised as “organic”

Reading anything by Joseph Campbell

Watching anything with Joseph Campbell

Tai chi

Feng shui

Gap years spent doing anything but charitable work or earning tuition money

Jungian psychology

Being an anti-vaxxer

Yoga

New Age philosophy

Artisanal products

TED Talks

I’ll probably come up with more later, but these are a good start.

© 2015 The Unassuming Scholar