Pinnacle moment of yuppie culture was ...

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... the movie 'Three Men and a Baby' or whatever it was called. The on w. Steve Guttenberg (how 80ies can you get?), Tom Selleck and Ted Danson.

And the defining moment of that movie was:

When Tom Selleck says to one f the other guys when it is his turn to change the baby's diaper:

"I'll give you a thousand dollars if you do it".

Agree?

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

sandinista!

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

1990

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

come on, guys, you can do better than that!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Everyone owning a mobile, obv.

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

"We Built This City on Rock n Roll"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Specifically the bit where the guy in the video playing the Lincoln Memorial stands up and lip sync shouts along.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

The yuppies' greatest contribution to culture is their cuisine, of course.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:25 (twenty-one years ago)

listen to the radio

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000OSD.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I think this is an interesting question, because it assumes, as the marketing machine would want it, that Yuppies appeared on the scene at a specific time and had certain unique traits. Allegedly in the early '80s. And that they were characterized by their purchasing of expensive, but small, and not really THAT expensive items. Like espresso machines. Or even just espresso. This is analogous to metrosexuals now. Like they organically appeared.

Of course Yuppies and Metrosexuals are one and the same. People with a degree of disposible income who spend it on relatively expensive, yet not TOO expensive, but very useless stuff. Except the espresso, of course.

The truth is, these groups were always there. They're created by ad agencies to send advertisers into panics. You mean we're not targeting Metrosexual Yuppies. OMG!!!!! What do we do? But a spot on Letterman, quick!

There have always been young, affluent urbanites who bought the latest thing. The trick is to spot the next catchphrase. Yuppie has lasted a long time, though.

― Skottie, Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Yuppies appeared on the scene at a specific time and had certain unique traits. Allegedly in the early '80s.

Of course it's true. That Newsweek cover by Garry Trudeau confirmed.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

There have always been young, affluent urbanites who bought the latest thing

Well, no, there haven't been. Maybe for last 80 years but even then.

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, certainly for the last 80 years. Okay, since the industrial revolution created a class of people, people who worked, but had money left over for espresso!

― Skottie, Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:44 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was a kid in the 80s and semi-conscious of what it meant for people to be "yuppies," I always thought of the Bartles & Jaymes wine-cooler ads.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

There have always been young, affluent urbanites who bought the latest thing

what about foppish dandys or dedicated followers of fashion? where do they fit into all this?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Yuppies are qualitatively different anyway, in their mode of thinking/tude, and also it does kind of specifically relate to the Killah stock market of the post-deregulated stock markets of the 80s

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

How is their mode of thinking different?

― Skottie, Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

when my father bought a BWM and started banging his secretary.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

But both BMWs and Secretary-banging existed before the 80s.

― Skottie, Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

How is their mode of thinking different?

they're cuntier, basically, they really are more agressive and hateful, and more materialistic. so yeah metrosexuals have taken much from them.

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

true

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.msu.edu/~rodri159/images/alf1.jpg

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Yuppies are qualitatively different anyway, in their mode of thinking/tude, and also it does kind of specifically relate to the Killah stock market of the post-deregulated stock markets of the 80s

Which isn't all that different from the dot.commies of the late 90s.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The cooking scene in Wall Street.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

*laughs*

I suppose it wouldn't be a surprise to any of you to find out that when I was much younger, I looked up to the yuppies I would see going about whenever my mom would have a doctor's appointment and take me along with her, so I'd go to this bright and sparklingly newer part of town where a lot of medical office complexes would be and where the '80s yuppiedom was more obvious, and I dreamed one day of being just like one of those yuppies, in a sharp and powerful business suit, highly styled hair and makeup, driving around a Buick Park Avenue and living in a beautiful and tasteful home in a well-heeled area of town and listening to light jazz and classical.

Oh yes, and I also idolized Alex P. Keaton from "Family Ties". :)

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, apologies galore if that first part made no sense to you.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

(well, d'oh)
http://www.petting-zoo.org/EM3Graphics/BookAPsycho.jpg

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Was that a pinnacle moment or a death-knell?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Both.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Yuppies hav crossed over, everyone is yuppieish now. They were pioneers.

― Enrique (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

What about Bobos?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

ah - bobos! the net crash took care of that meme huh?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

skottie> right you are, but I am thinking of the top moment for the 1980ies version of young, affluent, no-ties youth known as the yuppies. Suggestiuons could, for example, be http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/14362/200.jpg or http://www.willisdominion.com/duran_2.jpg

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 5 November 2003 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

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