When it comes to socioeconomic status, there is only room at the top of the pyramid for two types of people; the lucky and the innovative. The fortunate ones who fall under the category of “lucky,” are those, who, perhaps inherited or were born into wealth, thus granting them a position at the top of the social pyramid. The innovative ones, however, are those individuals who find ways to arrange the building blocks of the pyramid in such a way that their own personal success is guaranteed. Those individuals at the bottom end of the pyramid have it the hardest as they have very few economic opportunity and their chances to elevate to the top are slim. Throughout history numerous negative terms have been used to brand individuals of the lower class, this essay will look at how one such term has been used, and why this term is inaccurate for describing an individual’s socioeconomic status. The word “Riff Raff” is a very derogatory term which is used to relate to the less fortunate persons who reside at the bottom social pyramid, it is time to put an end to the use of this word because of the negative connotations attached to it. The term “Riff Raff” came into existence during the medieval French period. Back then the words were a set expression “rifle et rafle”. These words originate from the French verbs “rifler” which means to spoil or strip, and “raffler” which means to carry off, back then the phrase referred to the plundering of the dead on the battlefield and the carrying off of the booty. The French phrase crossed over into the English Language in the forms “Riff” and “Raff”, which, at first meant every scrap. As time progressed the term adopted a series of meanings, first referring to one and all, or everybody, and then later taking on the idea of people with no special social standing (Shumak). One online dictionary database defines the term “Riff-Raff” as “people who are not respectable: