status symbols

[shootthebandit]

i dont understand why people drive big expensive cars when a cheap reliable car has the same purpose. same applies for houses and designer branded clothes.

i just dont see the point, its just pointless spending. id much rather have people respect me for my personality rather than my house, car or shirt (you can still dress smartly on a budget) so i dont see the point in these rediculous status symbols. dont get me started on mobile(cell) phones.

am i just young and niave or do you agree?

 

[Eumersian]

I would only purchase needless luxury if it has discernible differences from similar things. If a fancy Lexus was actually a space-age machine compared to a typical Honda Accord, maybe there's something. As far as I know, the Lexus just looks nicer, and maybe has an analog clock on the dash or whatever.

 

[Kagim]

Fancy cars: Have you ever driven a fancy car? While test driving cars with my dad we decided, for a laugh, to test drive this really fancy brand new convertible.

The ride was un fucking believable. It felt as though we were flying. As if tires were no longer there. The inside felt like a spaceship and both of us were quite honestly overwhelmed just by how nice the ride was.

Fancy Houses: I have lived in a 5 bedroom house. A 3 Bedroom house. A one bedroom apartment and suite. The brief period i stayed at my Uncles 15 bedroom Monster of a house was actually quite... Awesome. So much room. The kids each had a bedroom and a private study. It was really intresting to see it. While I would like a smaller one. Having spent 3 going on 4 years of my life in tiny one bedroom suites A nice sized house wit ha few extra rooms would be awesome.

Clothes: This is tricky. There IS a marked difference in the right kinds of clothes. Going back to my uncle his clothes are comfy and really fucking durable. Like If you got stabbed the blade would have trouble breaking the fabric durable. As well furs and leather feel really, fucking, nice.

As for middle class designer clothes. That's a rip off.

Cell phone: I pay $38 a month for my cellphone. I can take it with me everywhere so my wife can always call me. Or. I could pay $70 for a home phone that is, well, a home phone and can never be removed from my home.

That one is a no brainier to me.

Ultimately. When you spend your life living in small places, working your ass off day in day out, whats the harm in spoiling yourself with something like a big house or a nice car. My uncle worked like a mother fucker to get where he is and he still works his ass off. He deserves the splendor he made for himself.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Their really isn't a reason to go through life uncomfortable if you can help it -especially considering you only get one. If I'm successful enough to purchase a large house, a luxury car, and nice clothes, I'm going to buy them.

 

[Judgement101]

If you have the money why not? Seriously, it's all about teh ca$h.

 

[Blue_vision]

Their really isn't a reason to go through life uncomfortable considering you only get one. If I'm successful enough to purchase a large house, a luxury car, and nice clothes, I'm going to buy them.

I personally don't get why you'd want them in the first place. I mean really, how happy does a luxury car, nice clothes and a huge ass house make you? While you could be getting by just fine with an apartment and bicycle or transit tokens.

It's not so much status symbols as excess itself. "I can get it so why shouldn't I" is a big problem that's taking a toll on society and the environment. I say be happy with simple things, and let the social aspect of your life be what brings you up. You're being good to the environment for taking up a significantly lower footprint for what's really little to no modification in happiness, and you're being good to yourself by making yourself work less like a slave to buy these nice things you're convinced you need.

Just my two cents though.

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

Its all up to your point of view. Are you going for something more expensive because it's better quality, or are you just doing it for the status, to "keep up with the Joneses"?

I'll buy expensive when I can afford it, just for the quality. You get what you pay for. You also get to know which brands give you value for money and which are just flashy. I'm not interested in flashy, so I'll always ignore those.

As for status, I'm not interested. I'll make me happy, but I'll be damned if I have to keep up appearances just for the sake of looking good. I'd rather have a house full of durable, conmfortable furniture, clothing and homewares, and a car that is both comfortable and reliable, than the most fashionable existance ever.

 

[shootthebandit]

kagim, you raise a good point. my dad drives a 2nd hand (2007) saab estate (purely because we have a big dog) and everyone says its got the smoothest ride.

i think aslong as a house is comfortable, can accomodate the number of people and is in a nice area then its ok.

i think having one expensive suit for interviews is ok but day to day clothing its just rediculous to buy designer. the only thing i buy a bit more expensive is shoes but thats a comfort issue.

im talking about those stupid i-phones etc

 

[child of lileth]

I think they just do it to show off for the sole reason that they can. Sure, other less expensive things do the same thing for less, but how will anyone know how important you are in your head if you don't buy the ultra deluxe version?

 

[Amethyst Wind]

'Suiting up' is not only functional from a business standpoint, but it can also be a self-gratifying experience.

Even with nobody around, if you find yourself fully suited, take a second to look in a full-length mirror and just plain admire how damn good you look.

Big houses/cars etc? I won't touch until I reach the point of my life that it becomes relevant. Moving in with somebody/starting a family? Big house. Working on kids/a dog? Reasonable size car. (Still don't agree with these soccer-moms driving humvees).

 

[Kagim]

I personally don't get why you'd want them in the first place. I mean really, how happy does a luxury car, nice clothes and a huge ass house make you? While you could be getting by just fine with an apartment and bicycle or transit tokens.

Its not about feeling a void in your life however. It's not the object that makes you happy. It's about enjoying what you have while you have it. My big screen HD TV isn't a defining part of my life, but it is still pretty kick ass. I mean, my old sixteen inch SD tv worked fine enough, but i saved the money and bought myself something cool. Something still a year later i stop and look at it and go "God damn thats a nice tv."

It's not so much status symbols as excess itself. "I can get it so why shouldn't I" is a big problem that's taking a toll on society and the environment.

The opposite is just as bad, which would be resigning yourself to a life of mediocrity. I mean, if you spent the 8-12 years becoming a fully licensed surgeon, spending the thousands of dollars to get your degrees, and your reward was just enough money for a one bedroom apartment, just enough money for food and a bus pass every month would you not feel the least bit ripped off? You spent a tenth, if not more, of your natural life learning to save lives and your reward is to keep yourself alive.

If that was the reward, can you honestly see many people putting themselves through the process?

Achievement and reward. That's how humans, and all living creatures run. No one strives for the stars just so they can eat a can of fried spam for dinner.

I say be happy with simple things, and let the social aspect of your life be what brings you up.

At what point does simple end and excess begin. Currently you are sitting in front of a computer with an internet connection with enough free time to chat in a forum? Could you not live without it? Wouldn't you, or your parents, be saving the 50+ bucks a month if you cut internet out of your life? What about video games? Movies? Music. My point is where exactly is the line of simplicity? Is it simply placed within what is your means NOW?

In that are you not living in excess, and simply moved what is considered living simply to define your position in life? After all. Why are you here, spending money to access a forum when you could be outside for free with your friends?

You're being good to the environment for taking up a significantly lower footprint for what's really little to no modification in happiness, and you're being good to yourself by making yourself work less like a slave to buy these nice things you're convinced you need.

Whats odd about the environment part is that the more expensive you go the more earth friendly the tech gets. Expensive homes have hundreds of bits of technology to help the environment. From solar powered roofs the water heated flooring to hybrid cars. Quite honestly a gas fueled city bus doing its laps for the day is more harmful to the environment then a single person driving hybrid.

As well this goes back to the mediocrity thing earlier. Doctors, engineers, scientists. These people work like slaves to get where they are and to earn the big bucks.

Not to mention there is a difference between doing something to fill your life with objects and working hard and making yourself more comfortable. There's a balance.

Just my two cents though.

I apologize if any of that sounds rude. I know how i come off sometimes and i really do not mean to.

 

[SimuLord]

I DETEST conspicuous consumption. I find the ostentatious display of status to be one of the biggest factors in me deciding someone is too shallow and materialistic to be worth bothering with.

I don't trust a man in a suit---and given the state of things on Wall Street, neither should you. Although if I'm in court I want my lawyer looking sharp, [sentence unfinished---insert lawyer joke here].

Big SUVs just suggest to me "fuck dependence on foreign oil or the people I'll kill in case of a crash, ME WANT BIG CAR! ME AMERICAN! MORE FAST FOOD!"

And every time someone with a McMansion bigger than the White House whines about their electric and heating bills, I just laugh at them like "well, you COULD sell your house OH WAIT YOU HAVE NO EQUITY AND YOUR MORTGAGE IS UNDERWATER LOL TARD".

I'm a business major---going into a field where I expect to be very wealthy. Yet I intend to live in the same town I grew up in, send my kids to the same schools I went to, and either give most of my money to charity or save it in case of another Great Recession so if I get laid off I can just retire. And I come from a comfortable-but-humble middle class upbringing.

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

It's a well documented phenomenon. Whether it's a good use of time and money is mostly a matter of opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspicuous_consumption

 

[Underground Man]

I'm a jobless recluse, so I don't care about what people think. I dress in clothes I've had since elementary school (I'm 22), and I can't afford to buy fancy shinies just to impress humans I don't care about. Wasting clock cycles thinking about material possessions is too much work. Plus, I think people appreciate what they have more when they don't have a lot.

Of course, everyone thinks I'm a freak and avoids me. My inability to play by the rules is probably WHY I'm a NEET.

Oh well. It looks like the dollar will hyperinflate and economy is going to turn to crap anyway, at which point everyone in the 'States will be wearing Walmart couture.

 

[PrimoThePro]

am i just young and niave or do you agree?

Your views are very mature. Most kids your age think they "need" that new Iphone or something. It's stupid. And I most vehemently agree. You save money, and you still get all that you need.

 

[Underground Man]

It looks like the dollar will hyperinflate and economy is going to turn to crap anyway, at which point everyone in the 'States will be wearing Walmart couture.

Below is a graph that shows the increase of the Base Money supply of the USA. Base Money (M1) is the fiat money that is created by the Federal Reserve. As you can see, the Fed has been going crazy ?printing? money. (Most money is now electronic, not paper - hence the word printing is somewhat of an anachronism.)

-snip-

Oh, we are SO not getting into a debate over fiscal policy here, Keynesian. Don't listen to anything the Federal Reserve says -- they are the ones who got the States into this mess.

That source isn't taking into account international politics at all. The money the Fed is going to be printing isn't for US citizens, it's gonna be for the loans abroad. If China calls in and demands the money we owe them, we won't have a choice but to print more. They are already taking steps to distance themselves from the US dollar (they're buying less and less of our treasuries and minting silver bars, for example). Well, we do have a choice, but the government WILL print more because they always do.

The American Dream is we all knew dead. It was founded on the irresponsible spending habits of the Boomers, and that kind of activity is not sustainable regardless of what the Democrats think.

 

[justnotcricket]

I don't find expensive cars that attractive personally. I mean, sure, the car itself might be aesthetically pleasing, but owning one does not, in my book, make you any more attractive or eligible. But then, I like smart guys, so the biggest status symbol for me is probably a PhD ;-)

I guess some people like to have the latest and greatest (and let's be honest, most of us here have probably laid out more money than is practical for the latest game/game system/PC upgrade at some point. Whether or not they're buying it to impress other people (i.e. as a status symbol) will depend on the individual.

 

[SimuLord]

'Suiting up' is not only functional from a business standpoint, but it can also be a self-gratifying experience.

Even with nobody around, if you find yourself fully suited, take a second to look in a full-length mirror and just plain admire how damn good you look.

Maybe it's just my personality but when I see myself dressed up like that my first thought isn't "Damn, I look good", it's "who the fuck are you trying to fool? You're a T-shirt and jeans guy, maybe a polo shirt. A suit makes you look like someone you're not."

I feel like someone else when I wear a suit...and it's not a someone else that I like.

 

[j0frenzy]

I don't find expensive cars that attractive personally. I mean, sure, the car itself might be aesthetically pleasing, but owning one does not, in my book, make you any more attractive or eligible. But then, I like smart guys, so the biggest status symbol for me is probably a PhD ;-)

I guess some people like to have the latest and greatest (and let's be honest, most of us here have probably laid out more money than is practical for the latest game/game system/PC upgrade at some point. Whether or not they're buying it to impress other people (i.e. as a status symbol) will depend on the individual.

I've got two half B.A.s, and I'm working on the other half of both. We should totally hook up.

On topic though, I honestly think that personal demands should dictate what you buy. My family's house has had anywhere from 5 to 7 people living in it over the past couple of years. We honestly did need the space to comfortably fit everyone and we had the money to afford it, so why shouldn't we have had it? In a couple of years when my sisters graduate from high school and move out, my parents might just sell it and move somewhere more reasonable for their needs.
Same with cars and clothing. I would be more concerned if my lawyer were wearing a t-shirt and jeans than if he were wearing a suit. A suit is the uniform of the trade.
Also, sometimes the more expensive stuff is just more fun, and if you can afford it and want it, then why the hell not?

 

[Blue_vision]

Its not about feeling a void in your life however. It's not the object that makes you happy. It's about enjoying what you have while you have it. My big screen HD TV isn't a defining part of my life, but it is still pretty kick ass. I mean, my old sixteen inch SD tv worked fine enough, but i saved the money and bought myself something cool. Something still a year later i stop and look at it and go "God damn thats a nice tv."

And I don't judge you for it. But when you've got a big screen TV, a luxury sportscar, a 2000 square foot house, and designer clothes, then I start seeing it as a problem. Everyone's allowed to have their little curiosities and special interests. But society today's beyond the point of small interests; now we're buying totally useless things just for the sake of having them, and amassing huge amounts of private belongings that's beyond unnecessary.

It's not so much status symbols as excess itself. "I can get it so why shouldn't I" is a big problem that's taking a toll on society and the environment.

The opposite is just as bad, which would be resigning yourself to a life of mediocrity. I mean, if you spent the 8-12 years becoming a fully licensed surgeon, spending the thousands of dollars to get your degrees, and your reward was just enough money for a one bedroom apartment, just enough money for food and a bus pass every month would you not feel the least bit ripped off? You spent a tenth, if not more, of your natural life learning to save lives and your reward is to keep yourself alive.

Well if you ask me, there's a problem if you're spending a decade of your life to be a surgeon and all you're worried about is pleasing yourself.
But if it's some other job, then what? Would it be better to work almost leisurely for 6 hours a day and go home to a happy family or good and almost always free group of friends? Or work for 10 hours in a cutthroat job and then come back to your home in your mercedes, watch some digital cable on your 64'' TV, then continue working for another 2 or 3 hours on your presentation for the next day? Most people these days would choose the second, because that's what society expects them to do.

You're being good to the environment for taking up a significantly lower footprint for what's really little to no modification in happiness, and you're being good to yourself by making yourself work less like a slave to buy these nice things you're convinced you need.

Whats odd about the environment part is that the more expensive you go the more earth friendly the tech gets. Expensive homes have hundreds of bits of technology to help the environment. From solar powered roofs the water heated flooring to hybrid cars. Quite honestly a gas fueled city bus doing its laps for the day is more harmful to the environment then a single person driving hybrid.

As well this goes back to the mediocrity thing earlier. Doctors, engineers, scientists. These people work like slaves to get where they are and to earn the big bucks.

Not to mention there is a difference between doing something to fill your life with objects and working hard and making yourself more comfortable. There's a balance.

You're being good to the environment for taking up a significantly lower footprint for what's really little to no modification in happiness, and you're being good to yourself by making yourself work less like a slave to buy these nice things you're convinced you need.

Whats odd about the environment part is that the more expensive you go the more earth friendly the tech gets. Expensive homes have hundreds of bits of technology to help the environment. From solar powered roofs the water heated flooring to hybrid cars. Quite honestly a gas fueled city bus doing its laps for the day is more harmful to the environment then a single person driving hybrid.

As well this goes back to the mediocrity thing earlier. Doctors, engineers, scientists. These people work like slaves to get where they are and to earn the big bucks.

Not to mention there is a difference between doing something to fill your life with objects and working hard and making yourself more comfortable. There's a balance.

Thousand of square foot footprint suburban house vs. ten or so square foot footprint apartment. Hybrid car vs. bicycle. Plane to Australia vs. train to Miami. And it's not even the amount of money you spend on it that I'm worried about, it's possessing the objects themselves. I could only wish that every car in the world were a hybrid, but it'd be far better if only a fraction of people used cars, and those that keep them for enthusiastic/convenience issues had hybrids, or even better hydrogen or electric cars.

All I'm saying is that our definition of "comfort" has gotten out of hand. I'm comfortable in my 500 square foot apartment with my 32'' TV, bike and macbook pro. I can hardly believe that people with 3000 square foot suburban houses, a family suv and maybe personal sports car, 64'' TV and laptop with two desktops are feeling that they need even more for themselves. I'll totally believe that there are some people that wouldn't like the way that I live. But it could be changed; work just a bit harder for a bigger TV, or switch the apartment for a little city house, or whatever. I'm not saying we should start distributing the wealth so everyone gets a bag of rice and 300 square feet to live in.

Just my two cents though.

I apologize if any of that sounds rude. I know how i come off sometimes and i really do not mean to.

No, and no worries. Just a hard argument