Am I the Jerk? | Too Rich for My Blood
Description
Too rich for my blood: The phrase "too rich for my blood" is an idiomatic expression meaning that something is too expensive or beyond one's financial reach. It conveys the idea that the cost or price of something is more than what the speaker is willing or able to pay. This phrase is often used in social or economic contexts to indicate that a particular item, activity, or lifestyle is financially out of reach for the person using the expression.
Transcript:
Jack
Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase.
Jack
And if you.
Jack
Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to.
Jack
Talk with social.
Jack
And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app.
Jack
Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are going to do an MI, the jerk episode and here's the situation.
Jack
Uh, social you and a group of your friends have a tradition of going out for dinner every Friday night. Everyone in your group has generally similar financial situations, and you typically all choose moderately priced restaurants. One Friday, you suggest a new upscale restaurant that just opened in town. The menu.
Jack
Is significantly more expensive than your usual spot.
Jack
Two of your friends expressed concerns about the cost, saying they can't afford to spend that much on dinner.
Jack
You respond by saying, come on, it's just one night you can skip it. If you can't afford it. This statement causes tension and the group ends up splitting with some going to the upscale restaurant and others opting out entirely. Question, are you the jerk for suggesting the expensive restaurant and making the comment?
Jack
About affordability.
Jack
Hmm.
Xochitl
No, I don't think so. I think if I couldn't afford something and my friends would going to do it, I would be like.
Xochitl
You know to have fun. Uh, tell me what it tell me. If it's good, I'll save up and maybe next time we can all go together.
Xochitl
Because, you know, sometimes people are at different points and yeah, you have. Uh, you may make the same income, but you might have different responsibilities or people might be starting different projects or have different things they need to take care of, like student loans, rent. You know, you can make the same amount of money and have vastly different expenses.
Xochitl
Also prioritize.
Xochitl
Guys. Uh, what? You spend your money on very differently. So someone might say, you know, I don't like spending a lot of money on dinner. I'd rather spend it on a hobby or, you know, I I'm saving up for a trip. Coming up in a couple of months or something, you know? So I wouldn't be upset.
Xochitl
You know you can skip it if you if you can't afford it. I wouldn't take that.
Xochitl
As a comment, you know calling me broke or trying to, like, hurt my feelings. I would just think, yeah, you know, I I can't afford it. Or maybe it's not my priority to spend my money there. I might respond that I might be like, well, I can sort it, but I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. But, you know, you guys have fun and enjoy it and tell me if it's any good.
Xochitl
And then maybe we can go together next time. So yeah, I don't think this person is a jerk. Maybe they could have.
Xochitl
Uh, avoided that comment just because it could hurt a few people's it it could potentially hurt someones feelings, especially if they're already sensitive about maybe they have other expenses and they're stressed because they don't get to go, but I don't think it it was. It will. And so I wouldn't hold it against them. So I I don't think.
Xochitl
They're the jerk.
Xochitl
How about you, Jack?
Jack
UM, yeah, I I'm thinking the the the most like jerky point of the of of the part of the of the uh situation is when he says come on, it's just one night. You know, it's like what is, what does that have to do with anything like it's still money like though.
Jack
You know, it could be one night, five nights. Whatever. It doesn't matter.
Jack
And UM. But the second part of his comment where he says you can skip it if you can't afford it. I think that's that's OK, you know, like, I I don't think like everyone has to be. It's it's really like it's an odd situation when you get older, when you go from your 20s to your 30s.
Jack
You know, sometimes some of your friends are like graduating from medical school or get becoming lawyers or something, and they're moving into this, like, higher.
Jack
Their income bracket and all of a sudden the things that they like to do are not exactly the same as the things you like to do, like a barbecue in the backyard. They like that, but they also might like going to the fancy new restaurant in town that cost, you know, 2 or $300.
Jack
For a.
Jack
Here and you're you're just like 2 or $300.00 for a dinner that that pays for my child's braces, you know, or something like that, you know, you know, like, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna throw $300.00 away for, you know, cold Robbie or something, you know, like, I'm not going to do that. So.
Jack
I I I, but I think your your answer is the best answer is that gracefully decline.
발표자
And.
Jack
Don't make. Don't stop your feet and go like it's not fair. You know, like, you know what lifes? Not fair. You know what I mean? They have a right to go to the fancy restaurant if they want to. And you have a whole. You have a total right not to go and. But if you if you, if you make a big point out of like you know only everybody should only go to places that all of us can afford.
Jack
I don't think that's a fair request. I think you can just say like opt.
Jack
Out.
Jack
Say hey, tonight you guys, I'm just gonna hang at home, but I hope you have a good time and I'll catch up with you next week when we go to, you know, Burger King and watch a movie. You know, whatever.
Jack
What's wrong with that? I I don't know why you have to be, you know, hurt feelings over over over, uh, over that, you know?
Xochitl
I think potentially if it started migrating to the point where the group was.
Xochitl
Spending more on outings and you you couldn't really afford to see your friends at all anymore, then that would be a good time to bring it up and say, hey guys, you know.
Xochitl
I'm kind of.
Xochitl
Getting priced out of our get togethers and I was wondering if at least a couple of times you know every other time. Maybe we can go to a more affordable place.
Xochitl
Umm.
Xochitl
And you know, if your friends care about you and want you there, I'm sure that they won't be willing to meet. I'm sure they'll be willing to meet you in the middle at some point.
Jack
Yes, I think that's that's a really fair point. I think it you know you you can say like hey at least like couple times a month, can we go to a place that's like affordable that everybody likes.
Jack
You know, and then I can participate as well because, you know, I'm friends with you guys, but you know, you earn a lot more money than I do. And I think that in in that case, a lot of times they don't even think like that. You know, some most people think like, oh, if I have this much money, everybody has this much money, you know, you just you you're not you, you're not thinking.
Jack
Clearly about like what other people are might be earning.
Jack
You know, maybe your friend works for like an NGO or something like that, you know? And so they're, they're their income. They're they're doing something that they love giving back to the community, but they're not getting paid, you know, high salary as opposed to, like a lawyer or a Doctor Who's making a lot of money. It's it's totally fair.
Jack
Just say to them, hey, can we?
Jack
Can we go to, you know, the the the burger joints or the the pizza place? You know once in a while like the old days and they probably be happy. They probably love it you know like unless they're, you know, really stuck up people they they probably would enjoy going you know back to their roots and doing doing some of the stuff that you guys did when you were in college or.
Jack
When you were in your 20s.
Jack
So.
Jack
Yeah, I think your advice is is excellent. Yeah. And yeah, I would guess we're, you know, we're we're curious what.
Jack
What you guys think? Social. Do
United States
