# Explain status symbols to me **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789 "2012-03-05T05:34:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/41 "2012-03-06T17:55:56Z")
As crossposted by the OP: > [@grude](#): > > The implicit question hidden in the OP is why someone on such a low income doesn’t save the money they spent on rims for more “worthy” things, like savings so they can attempt to claw their way out of the ghetto or something. The position the ghetto resident is in is unquestionably not ideal, but that is a matter of perspective. I’ve heard that the roots of bling, particularly that related to cars and clothing, is in housing discrimination. Being locked out of a housing market until recent decades, African-Americans couldn’t use their money to buy a house or rent in a nicer neighborhood. They could buy cars, clothes and jewelery, though, and they did, almost as a symbol of defiance, and to send a signal to their peers that they were financially stable. In other words, the reason we see box Chevys rocking 24" rims cruising Eight Mile today is because nobody would sell nice houses to blacks 80 or 100 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/42 "2012-03-06T17:59:21Z")
While I understand status symbols on an intellectual level, in that I can identify them and see what people get out of it, I don’t really understand why it’s something that’s so important to people. In fact, I had dated one girl for a considerable length of time and one of the things that ultimately showed how incompatible we were was that while I wanted some nice things simply because I liked them, she was very interested in the social impact of things and would spend money on items simply for the impression they gave. That said, when I think of a status symbol, I think of something where the purpose in ownership is to impress others. Obviously, something like a $10,000 watch is almost always a status symbol since there’s seldom a real function that adds that kind of value. In the case of a car though, that may or may not be true. For instance, having a higher end car to impress people or show off how much money you make is a status symbol, but if you spend a lot of time in your car or you have particular interest in cars or it has features you need, then that it may or may not impress people is incidental. And, as others said, there’s also the sort of ironic status symbol, where the impression you’re giving isn’t “look how rich/sexy I am” but rather “look how smart/frugal I am”. Like the South Park goths who would constantly talk about all the things you have to be to be non-conformist, which was ultimately still conforming, just to a standard that was more or less opposite to popular culture. If you may a big deal out of NOT owning something, that you don’t own it is as much a status symbol as owning it is to others. If you’re frugal or not really into something that’s popular like TVs or smart phones or whatever, that’s fine, but the moment you start making a point of it, it is basically treading in the same territory. That all said, there’s not really anything wrong with it. We all have things that we use to define our status to others to some extent. Oddly, we have a way of deriding how others define their status if its something we don’t do ourselves. We might consider it shallow if someone has a lot of expensive things, or pretentious if someone has a lot of frugal or intellectual things, or odd if someone has a bunch of collectibles, or whatever. But I’m really more interested in how much thought I give into why I have or do things. If I’m doing it because it’s something I need or want then I’m generally okay with the impression it gives off, though I am aware that sometimes it gives off an incomplete or contradictory image. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/43 "2012-03-06T18:03:37Z")
That’s the thing, though. Nobody thinks their status symbols are status symbols. To you, your status symbols are just quality items that you happen to like. But the other guy’s status symbols- those are mindless crowd pleasing purchases made by people with no perspective and poor priorities. The guy who buys the pricey after-market rims probably isn’t thinking “Now this is an item that will make me look good in front of other people!” He is probably thinking “Wow, those look really nice. That’s the sort of thing I would like to own.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/44 "2012-03-06T18:22:11Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Thanks for the great responses so far. > > Things I’ve learned (I think): > > 1. It’s more about fitting in than showing off, except when it comes to purses and service > 2. The lack of certain objects is itself a symbol (definitely guilty of this… I have friends who’d outright shun me if they caught me wearing designer clothing or carrying luxury manpurses) > 3. Usually people are at least slightly attracted to their own status symbols, and it’s not just for others Then its still about fitting in, not NECESSARILY showing off. Its about communicating that you are “the type of person who may purchase something here” or “the profile of someone who will buy this car and isn’t wasting your time.” For a money manager, that $800 suit is about communicating “I am successful at this and you can trust me with your money.” The young guy with the really nice car is communicating “hey, I look hot in this car and you will too.” The woman with the eyebrow ring is communicating “I’m an edgy sort of person.” These things are not necessarily TRUE and like all communication, the message is not always received, but status symbols are a form of communication that can change the behavior of the receiver. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/45 "2012-03-06T18:32:04Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > The guy who buys the pricey after-market rims probably isn’t thinking “Now this is an item that will make me look good in front of other people!” He is probably thinking “Wow, those look really nice. That’s the sort of thing I would like to own.” The underlying message of impressing others, or at least not presenting yourself in a bad light, is always there, though. One might buy expensive clothes because you like the quality or fit, or because it suits your personal sense of fashion, but would they buy a article of clothing they know won’t have a positive impression on others in their peer group? As for rims, when I visit a large city, I’ll occasionally see a car that not only has huge rims, but also a decal in the window bragging about their size, kind of like [this](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mYR6dxvWc1s/SoZz15oHyKI/AAAAAAAAAEg/xYrloxFw9nU/s1600/mcdonalds-fan-car.jpg). If they just liked the way they looked, why brag about their size too? Many that are into the import tuning/modding scene will fill their windows with decals showing the aftermarket part brands. If they just wanted the benefits of improved performance in some respect, why the decals? It can’t just be because the decals “look really nice.” On the other hand, my car has factory-equipped aluminum rims. I think they look nice; they’re not at all flashy. One of my best friends can’t stand them, because he equates them with bling and the misplaced priorities of inner city culture. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/46 "2012-03-06T19:02:48Z")
And everyone who buys an Apple product gets three Apple stickers and puts them all over whatever. Same deal. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/47 "2012-03-06T19:52:40Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > The underlying message of impressing others, or at least not presenting yourself in a bad light, is always there, though. One might buy expensive clothes because you like the quality or fit, or because it suits your personal sense of fashion, but would they buy a article of clothing they know won’t have a positive impression on others in their peer group? Well, sometimes. For instance, there are days where I’m going to sit on my butt in my house alone. And on some of those days I sit unshowered in my jammies and watch TV. But often, I get dressed. Sometimes I even dress up. I do my hair and put on makeup, throw on clothes more appropriate for a nice dinner out than hanging in the house - and watch TV. I’m not doing it for the dog, or the cat…so sometimes there must be an internal motivation at play. And I’m far too old to think I need practice putting on my eyeliner. So while there is certainly an external component to - oh, say expensive clothes - I don’t think there is ONLY an external component to it. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/48 "2012-03-06T19:59:20Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > This. In the progressive town where I live, the hippie/crunchy crowd has status symbols of their own. Maybe they’re not outwardly recognizable, but they establish a pecking order within the community, and they definitely serve as a signal to others within the community that you belong to it. They’re also a subtle sign that you’re financially stable; “subtle” being the key in a community that generally shuns open displays of wealth. For example: > > - Everybody has a membership at the co-op. Having a CSA share, though, not only tells your peers that you’re “keeping it real”, but that you also have the $50 to $200 to spend on doing so. > > - You might tell others that you drive an old, rusted Volvo because it’s a statement against rampant consumerism and waste, and that the environmental cost of manufacturing a new car is far greater than the smoke that belches from your elderly 240. Maybe, but the cost of keeping that old Brick running isn’t that much less than a payment on a newer car. DIY skills are also highly valued in the community, so you’ll have plenty of friends if you can fix that pesky blower motor in your driveway for far less than the $100/hour shop rate charged by Sven’s Autowerks or Olaf’s Garage down the street. > > - Live in a beat-up house in town with a “natural” front yard, peeling paint, 1970s kitchen, woodwork that has been painted over 15 times, and so on? You’re not only down-to-earth, but it’s also a sign your herbal medicine practice or Tibetan handcraft importing business is bringing in enough to pay for the mortgage and taxes on a $250,000 house in the “hippie neighborhood”. Ironically, the cohousing developments and rough-around-the-edges neighborhoods preferred by the crunchy crowd has far higher prices per square foot than other better maintained or more conveniently located neighborhoods in town. Supply and demand is still the economic law of the land, even among the crowd with anti-capitalist leanings. > > - Don’t own a television? That’s all fine and good, but because you own one or two thousand books on a variety of esoteric topics, prominently displayed in the living room of your drafty turn-of-the-last-century house, you’ll get both intellectual street cred, and the respect for having a library that cost as much to acquire as 10 to 20 high-end large-screen 3D LED sets. Or five to 10 1989 Volvo 240 wagons. Oh no, I might know where you live. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/49 "2012-03-06T20:10:10Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > - Don’t own a television? That’s all fine and good, but because you own one or two thousand books on a variety of esoteric topics, prominently displayed in the living room of your drafty turn-of-the-last-century house, you’ll get both intellectual street cred, and the respect for having a library that cost as much to acquire as 10 to 20 high-end large-screen 3D LED sets. Or five to 10 1989 Volvo 240 wagons. I am SO guilty of this one. > [@even\_sven](#): > > The guy who buys the pricey after-market rims probably isn’t thinking “Now this is an item that will make me look good in front of other people!” He is probably thinking “Wow, those look really nice. That’s the sort of thing I would like to own.” I’d argue, quite often, that he’s thinking both. “Man, those rims are really ballin’. We’ll see if Roberto cracks wise about my bitchin’ El Camino after I install these babies.” It’s the same with everyone: For example, I’m sort of looking for a new car to replace my current commuter car. No matter what I get, I’ll be paying around $30-40,000 for a car that pulls something better than a 6-second 0-60 time stock, because that’s the feature that _I_ value, but the choice between a Mustang (and further, a Mustang GT vs. a Boss 302), a Nissan Z, a Charger, and a used Infiniti M37 hybrid is going to be based almost entirely on what I want myself to appear as–which is the very definition of status symbol. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/50 "2012-03-06T21:27:21Z")
I really try to avoid buying anything that could conceivably function as a status symbol. Do you know how hard it is to find a freaking colored t-shirt that _doesn’t_ have some stupid logo on it? Running shoes that _don’t_ have some big, stupid logo-tastic design element? I have some t-shirts that have graphics on them, but they tend to be for friend’s bands (I’m 51, so no, this is not some “hipster” thing - I help my friend’s bands, they tend to give me shirts). The only high status item I have is a really nice video camera, and the only reason I have that is because it demonstrably produces a better than picture less expensive video cameras, and has capabilities that less expensive video cameras do not, like XLR inputs. But that falls into a special area of a craftsman and his tools. Does the carpenter with a Bosch drill acquire more status than the one with a Hitachi? Is it a status symbol if it is genuinely better, or is it a status symbol only if it is not actually better? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/51 "2012-03-06T22:13:20Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Status symbols do not make sense on any \*intellectual \*level. But they have a lot to do with the social hierarchy. Given that humans are such social creatures, there’s nothing to boggle over here. Exactly. It really is about your status. A status symbol sends the messages: 1. I’m an integral part of the community and I know what the community thinks is valuable. 2. I’m so good that I set community values. I do things and other people do it in imitation of me. 3. I am successful enough to afford these things. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/52 "2012-03-07T03:21:26Z")
Some of the people here are really shallow (and, to be fair, most of them are friends or “friends of friends”). OR… is it that they’re afraid the public is shallow? So afraid that they would hope that carrying around the right brand purse or backpack will keep them safe from judgement/mockery. But I will admit to not caring about fashion: I grew up wearing jeans and T-shirts (no particular brands… I guess most of the jeans were Levi’s or Lee or whatever Target sold). And generic “sneakers”. We had NO idea Converses were cool. Some of us had them, but we just needed something that we could climb over fences in. And what do I wear to work\* now? Levi’s and T-shirts and “sneakers” (I’m so glad that I don’t know the brand-- bolsters my argument). \*_And nice restaurants that I stop at on the way home from work. We “schlubs” get excellent service…our tables, and menu choices, and our tips are ‘beyond our clothes’._ ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/53 "2012-03-07T03:42:59Z")
> [@digs](#): > > \*_And nice restaurants that I stop at on the way home from work. We “schlubs” get excellent service…our tables, and menu choices, and our tips are ‘beyond our clothes’._ I usually do as well, but I get better service when I dress better when patronizing certain types of places. Have you tried it both ways?, because it sounds like you are dismissive of the notion and have nothing to compare it too. Of course, that would mean having to acquire those status symbols you find shallow. I’m perfectly capable of schlubing it. That’s the nice thing about symbols, unless you choose facial tattoos or something to claim identity, they can be swapped around at will. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/54 "2012-03-07T03:56:09Z")
> [@digs](#): > > But I will admit to not caring about fashion:… > And what do I wear to work\* now? Levi’s and T-shirts and “sneakers” (I’m so glad that I don’t know the brand-- bolsters my argument). As has been said before: this behavior is a status-seeking behavior all its own, especially when you stealth brag about it. 😉 “I’m so cool, I don’t even CARE about brand names.” “I’m so high-status, I can wear t-shirts and jeans to work and no one cares.” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/55 "2012-03-07T05:04:48Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > As has been said before: this behavior is a status-seeking behavior all its own, especially when you stealth brag about it. 😉 > > “I’m so cool, I don’t even CARE about brand names.” > “I’m so high-status, I can wear t-shirts and jeans to work and no one cares.” Now that I stop to do some self-analysis… there’s no stealth in my brag at all. 😉 I thought I was too nerdy and apathetic to care about my clothes, but wow, I guess I AM _“so cool”_! This is _excellent_ – I’ve never felt cool before. No, this is _not_ some “witty banter” stratagem. I’m being _sincere_! I was always the geeky kid who got chased off the playground by the “cool kids”. Now I’m cooler than they are, because they’re trying desperately trying to hold onto that title, and I DON’T CARE. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/56 "2012-03-07T05:11:35Z")
you’re doing it again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/57 "2012-03-07T05:13:47Z")
You wrote “We had no idea Converses were cool”. So you were in a social group where Converses were not a status symbol. I’m sure you and your peers were competing with things that did hold status in your group. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/58 "2012-03-07T05:48:15Z")
I have _never_ been able to care about clothes. Two reasons I can think of: [ol] [li]I’m a huge geek[/li][li]I spent summers at a nudist camp as a kid[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/59 "2012-03-07T08:39:24Z")
I think there is a lot of false equivalence going on in this thread. It’s nice to pretend everything is a status symbol and that my iphone is the same as some ghetto guy’s huge chrome rims but it is bollocks. I struggle to think of anything I own that I would not own if no one knew I owned it. Do you think the same is true about the owner of the rims? You are kidding yourself. Michael Pursig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) places people on a continuum from “romantics” to “classicists” with the former tending to define things in terms of perception and how society values things and the latter tending to define things in terms of what things are in themselves and what function they have. Classicists (such as myself) shake their head at people who buy shit just because of how it will be perceived by others without concern for the practical. We can understand it intellectually, but we don’t get it, naturally. And Romantics shake their head at people who buy shit that merely gets the job done. This thread is permeated by romantics who assume that classicists who buy things for reasons of function actually buy them as hidden or inverted status symbols because _that’s what romantics would do_. No, actually the classicist just bought it because it worked. Upthread **even sven** suggested that an Apple computer was like showoff car rims because it came with Apple stickers. Sure, Apple computers do cater to romantics. But when someone like me buys an Apple its because it functions well, and the stickers go in the bin along with the other useless nonessential shit cluttering up the packaging. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789/60 "2012-03-07T11:58:47Z")
I agree with **Princhester**. People who just don’t give a damn what other people think actually _do exist_. (Look up “superiority complex” in Wikipedia). They should not be confused with people who conform to non-conformity…because these people do care about fitting in to whatever scene they are attracted to. So I disagree that status symbols are universally sought after and possessed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-status-symbols-to-me/614789.md?page=4)