The Rich Drink Differently From You and Me (2024)

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Matt Yglesias, apparently as bored during the August recess as I am, posts a chart today showing that highly educated people spend a lot more on alcohol than poorly educated people. Why is this? James Joyner, who has a PhD to hone his analytical skills and (presumably) also likes to drink, takes a whack at this:

Increasing levels of education correlates with increased income and, presumably, more disposable income. As people attain more education and income, they’re likely to switch from cheap beer (Miller Lite) and cheap booze (Seagrams gin, Jim Beam bourbon) to better and more expensive beer (say, Dogfish 160) and booze (Bombay Sapphire gin, Macallan 12 Scotch). Also, they’ll drink wine that comes in bottles not boxes. Additionally, they’ll be more likely to drink at bars The Rich Drink Differently From You and Me (3)and pricey restaurants, thinking nothing of paying $6 for a pint of beer, $9 for a glass of wine, or $12 for a co*cktail.

James’s PhD and alcohol swilling ways have served him well. As this chart from a 2000 paper produced by the BLS shows, weekly alcohol expenditures increase strongly with income. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • Expenditures on beer double between the lowest and highest income quintiles.
  • Expenditures on wine quintuple.
  • Expenditures on “other” (mostly mixed drinks, I assume) also quintuple.
  • Expenditures on alcohol consumed at home go up 170% while expenditures on alcohol consumed elsewhere go up 600%.

So yeah: wealthier people might drink more alcohol than poor people, but probably not by much. Mostly they just buy more expensive stuff at home as well as more pricey drinks in bars and restaurants. Now you know.

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The Rich Drink Differently From You and Me (2024)

FAQs

What is Oscar Wilde's most famous quote? ›

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

What was Judge Holden's best quote? ›

War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”

What kind of alcohol do the rich drink? ›

As people attain more education and income, they're likely to switch from cheap beer (Miller Lite) and cheap booze (Seagrams gin, Jim Beam bourbon) to better and more expensive beer (say, Dogfish 160) and booze (Bombay Sapphire gin, Macallan 12 Scotch). Also, they'll drink wine that comes in bottles not boxes.

What is a famous love quote by Oscar Wilde? ›

"When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance."

What did Oscar Wilde say before he died? ›

11 'My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go' – Oscar Wilde. Witty to the end, the Irish playwright and novelist is reported to have spoken these words to friends in the weeks leading up to his death in 1900.

What is Wilde's message? ›

While the pursuit of beauty and happiness in life is always Wilde's ideal, he also implies that the consequences of one's actions must be thought out and the impact of one's decisions, beyond oneself, must also be carefully considered before acting on any impulse.

What is the most classy drink? ›

Classy co*cktail recipes
  • Raspberry & passion fruit martini. A star rating of 3 out of 5. ...
  • Bourbon co*cktail. A star rating of 3.5 out of 5. ...
  • Cranberry sours. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Tropical coconut rum punch. A star rating of 4.4 out of 5. ...
  • Cucumber martinis. ...
  • Clementine martini. ...
  • Sloe royales. ...
  • Winter Pimm's punch.

What is the fanciest alcoholic drink? ›

D'Amalfi Limoncello Supreme: $44 million

Priced at $44 million, the world's most expensive bottle blows all other spirits out of the water. British designer Stuart Hughes, known for customizing luxury items, crafted the bottle.

What is the most gangster drink? ›

Among gangsters, scotch and whiskey were always popular choices, particularly the whiskey brand Cutty Sark. And they had their own way of ordering, as recounted by undercover FBI agent Jack Garcia: “Mobsters always order drinks by a brand. Never just a scotch and water, it would be a Cutty and water.

What is the greatest love quote of all time? ›

Finest Philosophical Love Quotes Of All Time
  • "In love, one and one are one." ...
  • "The greatest pleasure in life is love.” ...
  • "At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet." ...
  • "One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. ...
  • "Love is the beauty of the soul."

What is on Oscar Wilde's grave? ›

What did Oscar Wilde say about life? ›

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde.

What was Oscar Wilde's quote wise? ›

I can resist everything except temptation. The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal. Give me the luxuries and I can dispense with the necessities.

What happened to Oscar Wilde's children? ›

After 1895, when Wilde was convicted of the charge of "gross indecency" and imprisoned, Constance changed her surname, and those of their sons, to Holland. She forced Wilde to give up his parental rights. She moved with the boys to Switzerland and enrolled them in an English-speaking boarding school in Germany.

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