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>but it seems willfully blind to not see that they serve different social and economic roles in the American class system. Sure. Just like a BMW is a status sy

>but it seems willfully blind to not see that they serve different social and economic roles in the American class system. Sure. Just like a BMW is a status symbol in a way that a Toyota Corolla is not. The irony in this case, which also applies to state vs ivy league schools, is that a Corolla is a more reliable car (cheaper to operate and cheaper to maintain too!) - so as a car it is 'better', though just not as 'cool'. Similarly, a state school will provide you a quality education at a fraction of the cost and afford you all or most of the same kinds of opportunities as a ivy league school. So what does that mean for the 'American class system'? To me it means that we live in a a society where you can spend lots of money to acquire 'status'... or you can save that money and do your own thing.

closeparen 6y ago
Run an Estimated Family Contribution sometime. Elite schools are cheaper than public, or at least similar, for kids in the middle / upper middle class range. Status is about admissions, not tuition. And sometimes about the intellectual hazing ritual (MIT, Chicago).
886 6y ago
If we are using car brands as analogies, sure, in some way a BMW is a status symbol on public road, but on race tracks, pretty much every non-SUV BMW model would excel. Look at how many non-purpose-built BMW production cars that entered the 2019 VLN race series. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_VLN_Series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_VLN_Series After a car leaves the showroom, it's ultimately up to the owner to decide what to do with the car. A Corolla is great at getting groceries, but a BMW can not only take you to supermarkets but also win races on Sundays. Oh BTW, BMW has just won the 24 Hours of the Nürbergring this past Sunday.