We all know that society is full of double standards. There are many reasons people get preferential treatment or just get away with basically anything because of what they have, how they appear, or their status. Let’s dive into ten things that are classy if you’re rich but trashy if you’re poor.

Of course, these are just stereotypes that you may have heard throughout the years; by no means are these things facts. So with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek attitude, let’s get to it…

Related: 10 Obscene And Ridiculous Things The Rich Do With Their Money

10 Choosing When to Work

This is the dream, right? Most of us work hard to afford the luxuries of relaxing and choosing how to spend our time on evenings and weekends. I’m sure many of us would love to be able to choose when we worked and be able to go lunching on a Wednesday or play golf on a Monday morning. That feeling of freedom is something we could all get used to.

However, it’s not something we can all get away with under society’s watchful eye. The wealthy can spend as much time as they please relaxing or on vacation, and people aspire to it. If you’re a little tighter on cash, society is quick to call those that don’t work (or those that don’t work full time) lazy and that they must be living off of others or off the system.

We are quick to judge those who are not working, even though we don’t have any context or know the circumstances.

9 Retaining a Lawyer

This is a great one because I’m sure it’s something so many of us think about without even realizing it.

So, I bet we would all assume that a wealthy person would have a personal lawyer—because they need one, right? We imagine glamorous high-rise offices and huge hourly billing, and it all seems very corporate and rich (let me know if anyone else is picturing Suits).

But when you aren’t as financially well-off and mention that you have a lawyer, the same thoughts don’t come to mind. It’s automatically “I wonder what they’ve done?” or “How much trouble have they got themselves into?” The blame is turned straight on the individual because, I mean, surely they can’t afford the luxury of a lawyer unless they need one to help them out of a hole? This is funny because if Suits has taught us anything, the wealthy can get up to the most questionable things out of all of us, and yet we rarely—if ever—assume it’s their fault.

8 Not Cleaning Your Own House

Now this one is so true. No matter what house you live in, the size of your family, or what job you have, cleaning an entire house is a lot of work, and sometimes you just don’t feel like doing it.

Society is quick to brand those who don’t have much money as lazy, or their house is dirty if they don’t clean it themselves. For the rich, if they don’t clean their own house, it’s because they must pay someone to do it, which isn’t only perfectly respectable but also looked up to.

In society’s eyes, the poor are the cleaners and the maids and should keep their houses clean and tidy, and the rich are the homeowners that shouldn’t lift a finger. Talk about double standards.

7 Minimalism

We probably all imagine minimalism as beautiful; white houses with carefully curated decor and open space. In reality, minimalism is just being conscious about your purchases and not owning unnecessary belongings. People who struggle with money have been doing it forever. The poor are more money-conscious, and so, of course, they spend their money cautiously and choose things they need (for the most part). They also tend to be extremely resourceful in making things last.

Yet minimalism has become a trend for the rich. It has become popular for people with lots of money or high-profile people to have minimalistic homes and styles, and so all of a sudden, it’s all the rage.

If you can’t afford to buy lots of things, it’s looked down on, but it becomes a trend if you purposefully choose not to buy lots of things.

6 Living in a Hotel

Living in a hotel sounds super glamorous, doesn’t it? Well, regarding societal views, it depends on which hotel you’re living in.

If you live in a five-star luxury hotel, then you’re living the dream and have the best life ever, right? But if you’re living in a motel, then you’re looked down on, and it’s considered trashy. If you think about it, both are the same situations, just at different price points, so it’s funny that people’s perceptions vary so much.

If you think about it, living in a hotel does make sense. You get housekeeping, cable, internet, sometimes luxuries like a pool. It can be at an affordable price if you choose the right place. You also don’t need documentation like proof of employment or good credit history, so it makes sense why it’s an option for people of all incomes.

5 Debt

The majority of people have some form of debt, whether that be school fees, a mortgage on a house, or a loan for a car. Whatever the reason for the debt, most of us have it.

When you’re poor, the idea is to be debt-free, and the money you owe feels like such a burden, and people look down on you for owing the money. But when you’re rich, you can borrow left, right, and center, and no one seems to bat an eye. If anything, you’re being strategic and clever with your money, and wealthy people want to have debt.

If you have debt and are poor—even a small amount—that’s your problem. If you’re rich and have huge amounts of debt, that’s the bank’s problem.

4 Having Other People Raise Your Kids

Having other people raise your kids when you’re poor is considered trashy, and people look down on it. They assume that you can’t take care of your children or don’t want to. Regardless of your career or choice to hire help.

It’s socially acceptable when wealthy people have other people raise their children, whether sending them off to school or having a live-in nanny look after them. Of course, the rich would need help raising their children; they have such busy and important lives that they couldn’t possibly have the time to raise the children as well. Doesn’t every parent have a busy and important life outside of the family!

3 Having a Wedding at Your House

Having a wedding at your house is smart, isn’t it? You don’t have to pay exorbitant prices for a venue, and you don’t need to travel early in the morning or book somewhere the night before.

It turns out it’s only smart and a beautiful idea if you’re rich. You have to be rich to have a nice enough home where it’s socially acceptable and large enough for a wedding. It becomes a lovely idea and a meaningful wedding spent somewhere that you love.

If you’re poor and choose to have your wedding at home, many consider it trashy because your house isn’t massive with perfect grounds that it sits on. Planning something budget-friendly is always looked down on when you do it because you have to and not just because you want to.

2 Tax Evasion

We aren’t condoning anyone doing illegal things no matter how much money they have. However, as we mentioned earlier, the rich often get away with creeping just over the line when it comes to the law.

We know the wealthy like to avoid taxes. It’s probably because they owe massive amounts of it, and we just assume they want to keep their wads of cash in their own pockets. Now, when a poor person wants to avoid paying taxes, that’s tacky and low-rent. If you think about it, it makes more sense for a poor person to want to keep the little money they have in their pockets. And we are not even going to talk about taxes regarding large/rich companies compared to small/poor companies.

1 Addiction

Listen, I don’t think anyone is condoning or advising addiction to anyone, no matter their status. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the rich and powerful can be more upfront about these things, and people often turn a blind eye. People generally expect the wealthy to drink, do drugs, gamble at high-end casinos—especially if there is a bit of fame attached to the person. It’s all just part of living the high life. If you’re poor and do these things, people make you feel like you need to get your life together.

I don’t think any kind of addiction is classy, no matter what your status, but unfortunately, the wealthy do have a habit of glamorizing taking part in these things. And when the rich become clean, they have been deemed a saint. And when they relapse, it is of no fault of their own. Yet, the poor are often blamed and shamed for relapsing or even having an addiction in the first place.

There’s a saying that goes “fake it till you make it” which basically means if you can’t do something or don’t know something, you can still have success by at least lying about it convincingly. It’s oddly optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. And there are real world examples of it apparently working out. But just as often there are cases of people faking it and not making it at all because they really forgot that “convincingly” part. Let’s take a look at some of the worst examples.

10. There Was Once an Attempt to Pass Of Molasses in Haiti as Crude Oil

The world still runs on fossil fuels, despite how bad they are for the environment and the fact the supply is finite. The world uses over 90 million barrels of crude oil every day. Some predictions suggest we have enough crude oil to meet demands until 2050 and then things start getting tight. So it makes sense that we’d want to make use of any new sources we could find, right?

Back in the 1960s, Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed had managed to convince some British business associates, and those in Haiti, that he was a sheik from Kuwait. He had been contracted by Haitian President Papa Doc to help rebuild Port-au-Prince and, as part of that effort, he tried to convince the British that Haiti had oil reserves.

The British, before willingly investing in Haiti or its oil, needed it analyzed, so they asked Al-Fayed for a sample. The oil they received was not crude of usable quality or even pool quality because it wasn’t crude at all. They tried to pass off low-grade molasses from French plantations as crude oil. The only thing more remarkable than that weak attempt at fraud was the fact it happened in the 60s and Al-Fayed still went on to have a long and prominent career. His current fortune is estimated at just shy of $2 billion.

9. Zoos Have a Bad Habit of Poorly Faking Animals

Many zoos in the world operate on the idea that they can help educate the public about animals and also engage in conservation and protection. Many species would be far worse off than they are if not for zoo-backed breeding programs. So there’s something to temper the ire of things who feel zoos are exploitative and that the animals should be free in the wild. If not for zoos, many of those animals would no longer exist. But that doesn’t mean every zoo is noble all the time. 

In 2013, a Chinese zoo made headlines when a lion was easily identified as having a serious issue. Namely, it wasn’t a lion at all, but a dog. The fake lion was a Tibetan mastiff with a furry mane-like haircut. Apparently it was one of several dogs in the park being passed off as other animals. The zoo itself said that the real animals were removed for breeding programs and they just put in the substitutes temporarily, as one does.

This is far from the only case of animal swap fraud, too. An Italian circus that claimed to have pandas was caught out with a pair of chow chow dogs that were dyed black and white. 

In Egypt, another zoo was caught trying to pass off a donkey painted black and white as a zebra. Despite the fact that there are pictures of the color smudging on the animal’s face, the director of the zoo refused to admit it was fake.

8. Chinese Media Tried to Pass Off Top Gun as Real Military Footage

The sad truth of the world is that every country needs a military to defend itself because war is a reality and always has been. So many countries take pride in their military might and that includes innovations. New technologies and new weapons to ensure their dominance on the battlefield. 

Oftentimes the military will show off new tech as part of propaganda programs meant to either boost morale at home or maybe even subtly intimidate potential enemies. But it only works if it’s legit. Otherwise, it backfires badly, like it did for China in 2011.

Chinese state media aired footage supposedly of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in an air combat exercise. In reality, they were scenes from Tom Cruise’s Top Gun (the original from 1986). In fairness, decades later those scenes are still amazing. But they’re also not Chinese combat exercises. One source claimed that this happens sometimes if an editor is being lazy or if the footage is just too good not to use, but the channel never made any statement that the footage was taken from a movie and not real. 

7. Russia Has Called Video Game Footage Real More Than Once

You can decide for yourself if this is better or worse than trying to use footage from a movie as combat footage. In 2018, Russia was called out for reporting on the war in Syria using footage not from the actual war and not even from movie war but from virtual war. In covering the story they included a scene from first-person shooter Arma 3.

More embarrassing for Russia is that this was not the first time it happened. In 2017, they posted an image from AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron claiming it was proof that the US was aiding the Islamic State in Syria. In both instances, Russia claimed it was simply a mistake that the footage was included. 

6. A Woman Tried to Use a $1 Million Bill to Shop at Walmart.

There probably aren’t too many people who couldn’t find a good use for a million dollars. Whether you use it to help others or help yourself, there’s always a way to make money do some good. The key to this is making sure it’s real money.

In 2004, a woman in Georgia tried to go shopping at Walmart with a $1,000,000 bill. She attempted to purchase just under $2,000 worth of stuff and fully expected her $998,000 in change. She had two more of the bills on her when police picked her up. 

The woman said her estranged husband, who collects coins, gave her the bills and that you “can’t keep up with the US Treasury,” in regards to why she may have thought they were real. She said she never tried to pass it off as real at all, despite the cashier saying the woman asked for change. She ended up being charged with forgery.

5. A New Hampshire Drive Tried to Pass Off a Cigarette Box as a State Inspection Sticker

In New Hampshire your vehicle needs to pass a state safety and emissions inspection to be legal on the road. You get a sticker to put in your window that proves you’ve been inspected. However, some people either forget to do this or maybe they just don’t pass inspection. It’s unclear which was the case with a driver who tried to pass off a fraud as the real deal back in 2019.

Making a fake sticker may not be that hard to do if you put in some effort but this driver did not. Instead, he wrote some numbers on a box of Camel cigarettes and put that on the car, maybe hoping no one would notice the whole Camel background. 

Regardless of their expectations, police did notice, and the driver was cited for it.

4. Would-Be Pot Dealers Tried to Pretend Vegetables Were Marijuana

Now that marijuana is legal in a number of places you don’t hear quite as much about crimes related to sale and use of it, but they do still happen. It’s unlikely many like this story from 2016 will happen again, but you never know.

In this case, a pair of men selling pot were involved in an assault after their would-be customer realized he wasn’t buying weed from them at all. They were trying to pass off shredded vegetables as marijuana. When the cat, or maybe cabbage, was out of the bag they hit the buyer with a BB gun and stole his money. 

3. Scammers Tried to Commit Insurance Fraud with iPad Made of Ice

Fraud is a dicey game to play and there are many systems in place to detect it at pretty much every level. Committing postal fraud, for instance, is not an easy task at all. And if you were to pull it off, you’d have to do a much better job than the guy who tried to defraud the UK Postal Service in an iPad scam.

The plan was simple and not very good. The scammer filled a box with ice that weighed as much as an iPad. They’d take it to the post office and have it insured as an iPad with the weight of the packaging backing up the claim. Then the ice would melt, and when the empty package was received later, they could claim it was stolen in transit and claim the $4,000 the packages had been insured for.

There were several issues with this scam. First, the guy showed up wet from the already melting ice. He said it was rain, but it wasn’t raining. Then he claimed he couldn’t remember his return address. An hour later, postal employees noticed water pooling around the package and investigated, discovering it was just a box of ice. 

The package was delivered knowing full well what was going on and as soon as an insurance claim was filed, the man and an accomplice were charged with fraud.

2. Chinese Media Posted a Story About Aircraft Carriers That Included Battlestar Galactica Imagery

We already saw Chinese state media play with Top Gun footage claiming it was real, but things didn’t end there. And give that earlier one credit for at least using footage from a highly regarded film that used real pilots and real jets to make convincing action sequences. This story has less going for it.

In 2013, the Japanese language version of a Chinese media site ran a story about trends in the design of aircraft carriers showing off what the future had in store. While the article covered a variety of aspects on technology and advances, the images that were included made use of a design schematic from Battlestar Galactica. Another image was just a concept piece for a floating city by a Dutch designer. There was no reason given this time around or whether or not this was also just chalked up to a mistake.

1. A Man Sold Crack to An Undercover Cop That Turned Out to Be Crushed Pop Tarts

Dealing drugs is a risky business at the best of times, but especially when you get caught up by undercover cops who can use the evidence of the deal to get you prosecuted. So what happens if the evidence isn’t technically of a drug deal?

A North Carolina man was arrested in 2014 after arranging to sell crack to an undercover officer. Instead, he smashed a Pop Tart in a bag and sold that to the cop. The cop tested it and found no traces of drugs but they did arrest him two months after the deal.

Turns out selling fake crack, even if it’s tasty, is still illegal and he was charged with both selling and creating a counterfeit controlled substance.