Educational content creator Lyqa Maravilla, RPm recently introduced in TikTok what she likes to call, the “rich person drawl.” But what does it mean and why are a lot of people agreeing to it?
@lyqamaravilla Ano yung ✨rich person drawl✨? 😅
♬ Relaxing Japanese-style piano song inviting nostalgia – Akiko Akiyama
“Rich person drawl,” a phrase she has coined, is a kind of stereotype towards wealthy people’s specific manner of speaking. They speak slowly and calmly. They take their time, far from most people who talk fast and are often rattled thinking that they should not be wasting other people’s time by talking to them. There is that familiar feeling—of not being worthy of attention, time, and space.
But perhaps, this goes beyond talking and speaking. More often than not, this difference in the way people talk is also seen in how they generally live their lives. A thing which translates to the Filipino term, “kilos mayaman.”
As the other one stays comfortable, able to decide when and how they want to do things, the other tries to make ends meet, working and moving fastly. Many TikTok users also shared their take on the “rich person drawl.”
Another one even pointed out one common scenario in shows.
It is also seen in how people study, especially in the Philippines. Perhaps, even with the programs they take in college as most people take programs that lead to high-paying jobs.
And maybe, that is why there is a thing we call, “time is gold.”
These sentiments pose unfortunate realities to many people. It affects how we view ourselves and our place in society. There is often that need to deserve the time and attention of others. A thought that we have to work a hundred times harder first to be worthy to be heard—something that is totally different from wealthy people. But this is not to shame them, because wealthy people have worked hard to be where they are now. This is more so, reminding you to step out of those ideologies, that you do not belong or deserve to be listened to.
Maybe, even if we’re not that wealthy, we can slow down too. If you ever feel like people are not listening to you, then you are only with the wrong people. The right people will give time and listen to you. So, “take up space. You deserve to be there.”
But then, sometimes, doing so is a challenge for many people especially when their focus is to just earn and feed their families.
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