It was actually a buddy of mine who first came up with this theory, and I was shocked by how immediately I agreed with it, and how consistently I'd recognized the trend in life. I grew up in an area that always seemed to teeter between middle and lower-middle class. As is the case with most neighborhoods like that, the bordering towns and areas were upper class and slightly wealthier on one side and distinctly lower class and much shittier on the other. And I noticed without exception that, if someone started most of their anecdotes with "My cousins and I" or "I was hangin' out with my cousins" or "Down at the shack where my financially unfortunate cousins live," you could tell instantly whether they came from the wealthier neighborhood or the poorer neighborhood (especially that third one).

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I will never know why this is.

I have a bunch of cousins, and I get along with them great, but I have very few stories that start with "I was partying with my cousins when ..." and neither do most of my friends.

My Best Guess:

I know a big stereotype regarding white trashy rednecks is that they're all having sex with their own cousins and siblings, but I don't know if that's related in any way. Honestly, I have no idea on this one. I don't even know if it's a common observation, because there's no way to Google it.