Posted by Jonathan Labaree on November 15, 2002 at 17:37:19 from 207.5.234.19 user JLabaree.
In Reply to: Re: HULLABALOOS posted by Duncan on November 15, 2002 at 16:16:13:
I’ll tackle a slightly different angle than Duncan’s excellent contribution, which I found very insightful. I’d like to question the term “preppie” for the Hullabaloos and suggest an alternative.
I admit to being a ‘preppie’, a term that derives from ‘prep school’, which in turn is a private high school designed to prepare students for a liberal arts college. I grew up in a college town, went to a private high school, private college, and private university. I still wear the classic preppie uniform – button-down shirts, khaki pants, turtlenecks, etc. But I hope I’m not “spoiled, noisy, uncarrying”. I may be deluding myself, but I like to think that “preppie” reflects less an attitude and more a style and, to some degree, an upbringing.
Perhaps the term you’re looking for is ‘yuppie’, which derives from ‘young urban professional’. This term definitely reflects an attitude, one that had its heyday in the pre-recession Reagan years and resurfaced in the market run-ups of the 90s. “Spoiled, noisy, uncarrying” would fit these folks perfectly who put prosperity for themselves ahead of most any other value and who appear to have little interest in greater social issues.
While many young preppies grow up to be yuppies, not all do. I don’t consider myself in the slightest bit a yuppie – my values do not coincide at any point with theirs.
Although I don’t want to drudge up the previous discussion about class in AR’s books, I do think of the S&As as more or less preppies of their day. I’m not sure they went to private schools, but something makes me think they did. They were affluent enough to spend holidays in lovely places in the country and had expectations, I assume, of entering professional careers. But they grew up respecting nature and fellow humans and did not have greedy, selfish, self-centered people as role models. They will certainly not grow up to be yuppies.
The Hullabaloos could easily be considered yuppies. We see their equivalent on the roads and waterways all the time, driving SUVs inconsiderately or ‘cigarette’ boats loudly. They share the Hullabaloo’s lack of concern for nature, and obsession with personal comfort. If they sail, they race snazzy boats, reflecting their competitive and showy inclinations.