—
“Yeah life here in the trailer park is fine,
you know that we’ve been living it every day,
I got me a good looking woman, I got me some indoor plumbing,
and I wouldn’t have it any other way”
– Pat Green
My daughter, Angela Luhys, now has a first-rate fiance, but when she was dating she developed a concept that she called the “trailer park test.”
When a man tried to impress her with material items, she imagined if she would still like him if he lived in a trailer park instead of a nice house.
If she decided that she would, he stayed. If she decided that his money played into how she viewed him, he went.
Angela, wants (and deserves) full and total credit for coining the phrase “trailer park test.”
We realized that the “trailer park test” is not just a dating tool; it is a way to measure how people interact with anyone with money.
You frequently see professional athletes and lottery winners develop a “posse.” For Elvis’ case, it was called the Memphis Mafia. The posse is a group of hangers-on who tell the wealthy person what they want to hear.
The posse also is the reason that an estimated 90 percent of lottery winners and a majority of professional athletes are broke within five years of earning their money.
A person who gets a large sum of money should do a “reverse trailer park test” on his potential posse.
Ask whether the “friends” or new “romantic interest” would still be in his life if he lived in a trailer park.
Probably not.
Some people have a healthy relationship with money. They view it as a tool to provide for themselves and their families and live a comfortable life. They are not interested, like Will Rogers used to say, “in spending money they don’t have to impress people they don’t know.”
Recently, a professional woman told me she wanted to marry a rich man at one point in her life. I asked, “Why?”
She makes a high income and made the money herself. She put herself through years of school doing menial jobs and has a strong sense of independence. She has a balanced life, no material needs or wants and no desire to show off.
I told her that she would never give up her independence for any amount of money. The money would make her less happy, not more.
She would rather live in a trailer park with someone she loves than a mansion with someone who brought angst, unhappiness and complication.
Angela hopes the “trailer park test” becomes a national standard on how people relate to those who have more income or possessions than they do.
It won’t solve the world’s problems, but the “trailer park test” is a pretty good place to start.
Don McNay is a columnist for the Richmond (Ky.) Register.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition.
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
