5 ms·

You have an interesting perspective. I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas. > and was a p

You have an interesting perspective. I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas. > and was a physical manifestation of their hard work. Not being a home owner, or a car owner, or a gold watch owner, or fine clothing owner myself, does it seem necessary to have a physical manifestation of one's wealth to flaunt? Does it really speak positively about a person?

aarmenante 10y ago
I'm not arguing that it's a positive signal. I'm saying they (the home owner) think it's a positive signal. I also would say that flaunting your wealth is not an American invention. It's probably more common than you think around the globe. I would think that it's a common occurance in any rapidly expanding economy. China and India have some widely tacky architecture. Whole towns replicating iconic Western cities. I think it's an interesting pattern in developing economies. We all seem to look at Europe when trying to show how far we've come, or how successfull we've become. It's when people don't have an interest in, or don't have time to have an interest in design, where we see things like McMansions. In short - Why is all tacky architecture some sort of French or British knockoff? Only other example I can think of that goes against this trend is the fake Adobe house, or the fake Spanish tile house... The American West's and Southwest's version of the McMansion. Houses that copy the look of traditional architecture without any of the actual benefits of the design, like good insulation. All this stuff is fascinating to me. The cross roads of semiotics and contemporary, tacky architecture. What does it mean to build a mini Versailles? What does European classicism in American architecture say about our society?
- beachstartup 10y ago
  > Whole towns replicating iconic Western cities it's not just a pattern in developing economies. it also happens in las vegas, but that's different, somehow.
rdtsc 10y ago
> I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas Where is that? In all the countries I have been the wealthy like to wear special clothes, build large houses, drive expensive cars. In some countries they wear more jewlery, in others they talk about expensive trips they go to.
- distances 10y ago
  The Nordic countries, at least. In general you're not supposed to show your wealth, though wealth in any case isn't very common as the societies are very equalizing due to low income differences and progressive taxation. Read about the "Law of Jante" for the extreme of this mentality (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante). I think the first rule pretty well sums up the thought behind this: You're not to think *you* are anything special.
  - cpach 10y ago
    I think this point of view is a bit exaggerated. For example, 1% of the world's USD billionaires live in Sweden. (More billionaires per capita than e.g. the US.) If you walk around in Swedish cities (at least the major cities) it’s not really hard to tell that some citizens are a lot more wealthy than others. I’m not sure about the other Nordic countries but I would guess the situation is similar in at least Norway and Denmark. [Edited to add more ”meat” to the comment.]
    - vostok 10y ago
      As a casual observer, it seems to me that these countries have little income inequality. Wealth inequality certainly exists. I would argue that the latter is actually a bigger problem.
      - lintiness 10y ago
        so you don't believe wealth begets income? strange view.
ocschwar 10y ago
> I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas. Here in Yankee-land, it is also frowned upon.
- Digory 10y ago
  America finds it acceptable to flaunt wealth in a few places: Vegas. LA. Miami. SV, some. New York, kind of. But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. In day-to-day America, claimed frugality wins. Most Americans will tell you their house was a "deal" in a place with good schools. Our cars are huge because we drive long distances with large families. Our warehouse memberships are to gain purchasing power over toilet paper and peanut butter - not gulfstreams or penthouses. Granted, as Tom Wolfe observed in another place, our plumbers now live better than most Roman emperors. But you don't want to see an America that actually internalizes wealth flaunting.

aarmenante 10y ago

I'm not arguing that it's a positive signal. I'm saying they (the home owner) think it's a positive signal. I also would say that flaunting your wealth is not an American invention. It's probably more common than you think around the globe. I would think that it's a common occurance in any rapidly expanding economy. China and India have some widely tacky architecture. Whole towns replicating iconic Western cities. I think it's an interesting pattern in developing economies. We all seem to look at Europe when trying to show how far we've come, or how successfull we've become. It's when people don't have an interest in, or don't have time to have an interest in design, where we see things like McMansions. In short - Why is all tacky architecture some sort of French or British knockoff? Only other example I can think of that goes against this trend is the fake Adobe house, or the fake Spanish tile house... The American West's and Southwest's version of the McMansion. Houses that copy the look of traditional architecture without any of the actual benefits of the design, like good insulation. All this stuff is fascinating to me. The cross roads of semiotics and contemporary, tacky architecture. What does it mean to build a mini Versailles? What does European classicism in American architecture say about our society?

beachstartup 10y ago
> Whole towns replicating iconic Western cities it's not just a pattern in developing economies. it also happens in las vegas, but that's different, somehow.

rdtsc 10y ago

> I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas Where is that? In all the countries I have been the wealthy like to wear special clothes, build large houses, drive expensive cars. In some countries they wear more jewlery, in others they talk about expensive trips they go to.

distances 10y ago
The Nordic countries, at least. In general you're not supposed to show your wealth, though wealth in any case isn't very common as the societies are very equalizing due to low income differences and progressive taxation. Read about the "Law of Jante" for the extreme of this mentality (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante). I think the first rule pretty well sums up the thought behind this: You're not to think *you* are anything special.
- cpach 10y ago
  I think this point of view is a bit exaggerated. For example, 1% of the world's USD billionaires live in Sweden. (More billionaires per capita than e.g. the US.) If you walk around in Swedish cities (at least the major cities) it’s not really hard to tell that some citizens are a lot more wealthy than others. I’m not sure about the other Nordic countries but I would guess the situation is similar in at least Norway and Denmark. [Edited to add more ”meat” to the comment.]
  - vostok 10y ago
    As a casual observer, it seems to me that these countries have little income inequality. Wealth inequality certainly exists. I would argue that the latter is actually a bigger problem.
    - lintiness 10y ago
      so you don't believe wealth begets income? strange view.

ocschwar 10y ago

> I'm reminded that in a lot of places outside of the US, flaunting your wealth is considered a big faux pas. Here in Yankee-land, it is also frowned upon.

Digory 10y ago
America finds it acceptable to flaunt wealth in a few places: Vegas. LA. Miami. SV, some. New York, kind of. But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. In day-to-day America, claimed frugality wins. Most Americans will tell you their house was a "deal" in a place with good schools. Our cars are huge because we drive long distances with large families. Our warehouse memberships are to gain purchasing power over toilet paper and peanut butter - not gulfstreams or penthouses. Granted, as Tom Wolfe observed in another place, our plumbers now live better than most Roman emperors. But you don't want to see an America that actually internalizes wealth flaunting.