Here is what they say “classy rich people do not like to talk about their money; actually, they rarely talk about it.” They are confident about their bank accounts and do not feel the need to prove anything to anyone. Do not get me wrong. Talking about money is not necessarily a bad thing. But there is a thin line between bragging about money and talking about money. Those who talk about money they do not have to feel good about themselves or gain some kind of superiority over their peers belong to a group of people I like to call ‘The Bragging Barry’.
On a drinking night when beer lands on the table, Bragging Barry likes to show his face. He is always one of our friends, and he likes to talk big. He will wipe your faces with shameless pomposity, but sometimes he hides it well in subliminal bitings of brag and comparative self-praise.
He is the guy who always has what many would call ‘First-world problems in a third-world country’. They range from a late cab guy, a lost expensive gadget, poor DSTV signal, car problems and such.
Bragging Barry does not Jav. He does not have a car either. He makes sure that you understand the reason he hasn’t bought a car yet is because driving is too tiring, and he can’t stand the extortionist that is fuel prices in this country.
He is the guy who will try put words in your mouth, completing your sentences because he knows a bit too much on that topic than you do. He has worked in that industry, he studied disaster management so he knows, his grandfather went to fight in Burma. Bragging Barry is knowledgeable. He has even been thinking of topping it up by going back to school, and it is not at the University of Nairobi.
He is not a manager yet, or a CEO. He is often the middle-level employee who goes to lunch with the bosses or represents the bosses in important meetings when they have a headache or when only a company appearance is required. Sometimes, Bragging Barry happens to be the guy in the HR office, given leverage by the fact that he receives CVs and calls people in for interviews.
Bragging Barry tweets big. He has DSTV and he does not miss a chance to remind you that. He checks in to Foursquare on selected locations, in which the Nairobi Bus Station does not qualify. He likes to start his conversation with “Like this one time, I had travelled to Australia…” Yes. Bragging Barry has travelled a lot. His job affords him that. When he can’t start the sentence so, he will start with “I am not bragging but…”
Other times, Bragging Barry happens to be the self employed guy. He will often plaster the figures of the money he is making on the table, trying to convince you that you need to quit your job and start ‘your own thing’. “I can’t stand corporates that try to boss you around,” he will say. I like doing things my way.
They say that the reason Bragging Barry does these things is because he feels the need to prove himself. They also say that in each of our circles, there exists a Bragging Barry; but this is just what they say.