Nouveau riche
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Nouveau riche (French: "new rich") is a term, usually derogatory, to describe persons who acquire wealth within their generation, and spend it conspicuously. The implication is that, being of lower- or sometimes middle-class origin, these individuals lack the taste to use wealth properly. Hence, this class of people is sometimes ill-regarded by the middle class, upper class and old money as culturally inferior, comparatively lacking in pedigree and subtlety.
The benchmark of the nouveau riche is their acquiring possessions which are touted to them as being the sort of things that rich people would possess. "Old money" in traditional European societies have inherited a large house filled with well-built furniture acquired over the centuries. Their cars are not necessarily the most expensive and capable, but have a bit of restraint, or else they disguise their social position in cars of the middle rank. During the Great Depression, Chryslers, for example, were sold to such people for this reason. They fit within a social milieu in which everyone knows everyone else and has for generations. The nouveau riche in essence try to crash this party by buying everything they need to show that they have money not merely within one generation but within a few years. Some nouveau riche are equally resentful of the old rich, for them being undeserving of their wealth. For example, many self-made millionaires rose from the middle class, and detest being looked down upon by someone who has not proven themselves to be worthy of their wealth, by simply having inherited it.
The concept of nouveau riche is exemplified by many celebrities. Notable examples are Elvis Presley and his Graceland estate, and personalities such as Victoria Gotti and her family. In the UK, the archetype of the nouveau riche is personified by the celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham, often referred to by the press as "Posh and Becks", whose ostentatiousness has earned them the attention of numerous satirists and social commentators.
Fictional examples of nouveau riche include Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby , Rodney Dangerfield's character Al Czervik in Caddyshack , and Jackie Mason's Jack Hartounian in Caddyshack II. An example of this term taken to the farcical extreme is Steve Martin's title role as The Jerk.
