Everyone Is Allowed To Know How Much A Dishwasher Earns But As You Climb Up The Ladder Suddenly Discussions About Money Become Weirdly Taboo And I Would Like To Talk About It Anyway

I find the weird taboo around discussing money in upper middle class circles to be obnoxious.

The higher you go, the blurrier the rules get. At a wage job, everyone knows you make $17.25/hr. In white-collar roles, pay is a moving target. You’re expected to negotiate, which quietly screens for social fluency. Others don’t know what you’re earning and there is a stigma around speaking about it.

There’s a reason this rule exists, and it’s not about politeness.