"Economic disparity," Quinn would note in her reporting, "has always made socializing awkward."
This awkwardness, her reporting detailed, can spoil even the most casual of encounters. Just going about "picking a restaurant to meet friends," Quinn related, can end up sparking considerable social static if some acquaintances in a group can easily afford a hot new dinner spot and others can't.
Wealthy people, once singed by such static, tend to take steps to avoid it in the future. They start, sometimes consciously, sometimes not, only "making friends with those whose economic profile is similar to theirs."
In the process, old social circles shrink and crumble. Daily life becomes ever more stratified -- and stressful.
Girls and boys who really do just want to have fun might be wise to keep all these dynamics in mind. The narrower the gaps that divide us, the better the chances that good times are going to be rolling.
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