People & Places: Yuppies in UK & US

The Docklands is a modern development of houses and offices in East London, along the river Thames, built mainly during the 1980s. It includes the tallest building in the UK, Canary Wharf, and the London City Airport. Some poeple think that the old working class character of the East End has been spoiled because of lot of yuppies have moved into this part of London.

Yuppie (short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional") is a 1980s and early 1990s term for financially secure, upper-middle class young people in their 20s and early 30s. A yuppie is a young person in a professional job, with a high income, especially one who enjoys spending money and having a fashionable way of life. In Britain, yuppies are seen as young people who earn a lot of money without necessarily working very hard, usually on the financial markets in the City. They typically drive Porsche cars and use car phones, personal organizers, and other modern expensive goods and are more concerned about enjoying their lifestyle and than having a family or helping others in society.
In the US, yuppies are thought of as being slightly older and as being insensitive, ambitious and too interested in material goods. Orange County, a county in Southern California, is supposed to be the most yuppie place in America.

Cool Link:

Yuppie Jargon

A collection of the Yuppie terms that make up their lingo.