'Don't hate me because I'm rich' student: Is she real?
It's tough being rich these days. The President picks on them. The media calls them the driving force behind the destructive growth in inequality. And movies like "Elysium" and "Blue Jasmine" paint them as the greedy takers who have broken off from the rest of struggling America.
But one woman of privilege has had enough.
Kate Menendez, a self-proclaimed wealthy grad student, writes on Thought Catalog that "I'm sick of feeling ashamed for being privileged."
She says her parents worked hard to get her where she is—a student living in a high-rise apartment, with a closet full of nice suits, a bank account full of all the cash she needs and no student debt.
(Read more: Top 10 signs you are super rich)
She says she didn't choose her parents or her wealth. "So stop making me feel like I've done something wrong," she says.
The vitriol against Menendez's piece was predictable. Jared Keller at Al Jazeera America tweeted a link, along with "ban Thought Catalog, ban it and burn it."
Charles Clymer writes sardonically on Huffington Post that he too suffers for being wealthy. "For example, the car service my parents bought me for my birthday will occasionally be late because of traffic, and I'll have to use the subway if I can't find a cab in time."
(Read more: When to tell the kids they're rich)
Others tweeted "cue the world's tiniest violin," and "I don't hate you because of your privilege. I hate you for your ignorance."
But there's a more fundamental question: does Kate Menendez actually exist?
There's very little proof, if any, of her online existence. When I emailed Thought Catalog for more information about her, I received no response. Many tweeters are already saying she's fake.
It's possible she and her sentiments are entirely real. But given the class climate, I would be surprised if Menendez—as someone who understands the sentiment against wealth—would also go public with her complaints.
—By CNBC's Robert Frank. Follow him on Twitter @robtfrank.
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