# What are the Biggest Status Symbols People Have? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296 "2014-01-08T18:54:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gateway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dbc845/32.png) [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/21 "2014-01-09T07:53:32Z")
There are different views of what status is, but for the discussion I am keeping it to riches. …What makes me think someone is rich when I don’t know them? Probably the way they hold themselves plus how nice of things they wear. If they wear a suit, have an air of authority, walk with purpose, and if you see them get into an expensive car, I think that’s about as close as it comes to status symbols. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/22 "2014-01-09T14:18:45Z")
You shoulda seen the lineup of yachts in San Francisco last fall during the America’s Cup races. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![StrangerThanFiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@StrangerThanFiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangerThanFiction)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/23 "2014-01-09T14:30:45Z")
For the fantastically wealthy, it’s big airplanes and big boats. The amount of money they consume on an ongoing basis is truly impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/24 "2014-01-09T14:41:35Z")
I have always found the concept of a ‘trophy wife’ to be ridiculous. My good friend, Steven Wright, put it well when he said, “A friend of mine has a trophy wife. But from the looks of her, it wasn’t first place”. Servants are probably the most expensive luxury item, but if you want over-the-top ostentatiousness then perhaps you might consider the ‘bling’ value of owning your own tropical island. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/25 "2014-01-09T14:49:40Z")
Of everything mentioned so far I think the owned island just mentioned by **Gagundathar** has to be among the biggest of the status symbols. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/26 "2014-01-09T15:16:12Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > House and car should be high up there. However I think those are more for the upper class (100-500k household income) than for the truly rich. I have no idea how the truly rich determine their status. It’s one thing to own a million-dollar home. It’s another thing to own a $20 million dollar home. It’s an entirely different level of rich to own multiple multi-million dollar homes. Then you can be in the top 100 richest people in the world and outright buy islands. I think even among the truly rich you’ll see real estate envy. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/27 "2014-01-09T16:10:09Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > I think even among the truly rich you’ll see real estate envy. Peninsula envy? ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/28 "2014-01-09T19:30:23Z")
I’d have to go with the Air Force. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/29 "2014-01-09T20:45:59Z")
Huh??? Kenyu 'splain, por favor? ETA: nm, I get it. Just beeyin lil’ slow… ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/30 "2014-01-09T20:49:38Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Servants are probably the most expensive luxury item, but if you want over-the-top ostentatiousness then perhaps you might consider the ‘bling’ value of owning your own tropical island. If you have a big yacht, you need a crew. So, you get the big boat and servants. I think on of the best status symbols (in the US) is owning an NFL or MLB team. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/31 "2014-01-09T21:00:53Z")
A shadow yacht. You have your regular yacht that you cruise around on and a shadow yacht that follows behind with the helicopter, vehicles, speedboats, jet skis, servants and all the other stuff you don’t want cluttering up the yacht that you are on. [Shadow yacht](http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/05/07/the-35-million-shadow-yacht/) ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/32 "2014-01-09T21:08:18Z")
In my neighborhood it’s who sells on the most lucrative corner. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/33 "2014-01-09T21:22:31Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I have always found the concept of a ‘trophy wife’ to be ridiculous. > My good friend, Steven Wright, put it well when he said, “A friend of mine has a trophy wife. But from the looks of her, it wasn’t first place”. > > Servants are probably the most expensive luxury item, but if you want over-the-top ostentatiousness then perhaps you might consider the ‘bling’ value of owning your own tropical island. Yeah, like Larry Eillison buying essentially all of the [Hawaiian island of Lanai](http://www.nbcnews.com/business/billionaire-ellison-books-hawaiian-getaway-buys-island-lanai-839716). ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/34 "2014-01-09T21:27:55Z")
The USS George H.W. Bush is pretty big. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/35 "2014-01-09T22:27:33Z")
…a hot trophy wife, 2 generations younger, AND a prenup. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/36 "2014-01-09T22:45:20Z")
**Mallard** , oh yea, forgot the pre-nup! That would make it even better. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/37 "2014-01-11T03:22:58Z")
Countries. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/38 "2014-01-11T03:46:42Z")
Eradication of polio, reducing the African Aids crisis, and reducing he incidence of malaria for fun, not profit. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/39 "2014-01-11T14:52:52Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Most wealthy people aren’t big on conspicuous displays of wealth. > > Can a calm confidence that one would be OK financially if an unforeseen event hits be a status symbol? I have way more respect for someone with a million bucks in their brokerage account who drives a 10 year old Honda than some guy in debt up to his eyeballs driving a brand new Audi. This is a good point. I know a “rich” family who has a million dollar vacation home. Most of the members drive nondescript Toyotas. One has a BMW, which is whispered about as an unnecessary splurge but hey, to each their own. He can certainly afford it, but is looked down a little because he’s spending his money on his car rather than on cruises and exotic wine. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-status-symbols-people-have/678296/40 "2014-01-11T15:08:37Z")
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