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Not just a fence: The story of a stainless steel status symbol
- rayiner 4y agoBeing from a place where showy displays of wealth are expected, one of the things I like about Americans is that such displays are considered distasteful. My friend got married recently and despite knowing his fiancé for years it wasn’t until the wedding I realized her dad was worth half a billion dollars. Even then the wedding was very low key.
- mc32 4y agoI don't like shiny things myself either. They look tacky. If I had to have a metal fence/ing I'd go with black wrought iron --maybe a muted fleur de lis motif. If you must use stainless steel, it has to be nice simple lines coupled with cement slab or granite and no tubes.
- donthellbanme 4y ago
- purple_ferret 4y agoI take it you don't live in LA
- rayiner 4y agoAmerica obviously has myriad subcultures. I meant “American” in a generic sense, which I tend to think of as Massachusetts or Iowa rather than Los Angeles. (Same way when folks say “German” they are probably thinking of Bavarians and not Berliners.)
- nasmorn 4y agoI would argue Bavarians are as much outliers as Berliners and the real typical German must be from some town in North Rhine Westphalia given it contains a third of the population
- alphabettsy 4y ago> one of the things I like about Americans is that such displays are considered distasteful I think this very much depends on where you are, how recently said person acquired their wealth and how. Miami wealthy are very different from Omaha.
- spoonjim 4y agoLOL this is very highly dependent on where you are. The values around "showiness" that you describe are largely New England and Upper Midwest. Go to Miami or Dallas or Los Angeles and the situation is 180 degrees opposite, with people leveraged out their ass with credit card debt to fund a car that they can't afford.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- DesiLurker 4y agothough I find such in-your-face display of wealth crude and unbecoming I do appreciate this as an expression of individuality and not bowing to pure property valuation market forces we seem to be driven by here in California suburbs. I'll take this over HOA mandated uniformity anyday.
- throwaway892238 4y agoMakes me think of Korean chopsticks. They're all stainless steel. At first you think, "that's weird, they're supposed to be wooden." Then you realize stainless steel makes much more sense. More hygenic, reusable, durable, looks nice. I like the aesthetics of wooden chopsticks, but they aren't as practical as metal. Can't say I like the aesthetics of a rusty chain-link fence; I'd rather go with the stainless. This also reminds me of how after WW2 we seem to have forgotten how to make things look nice. Older architecture often had ornate detailing. Even traditional houses and clothing had details to accentuate its visual appeal. But look at houses rising up in cities lately and they look like giant Ikea filing cabinets. I appreciate the detailing on these fences.
- mc32 4y agoI don't like accidentally biting on metal chopsticks whereas wooden or plastic are a non issue.
- hyperhopper 4y agoDo you do that often? Do you bite metal forks as well? It might be due more to inexperience or an isolated incident being a higher percentage of your experiences due to less overall usage.
- ramraj07 4y agoThe majority of the world uses metal spoons and forks fine? Just need to remember not to deep throat your utensils!
- darkerside 4y agoI don't know why people are giving you crap. Metal chopsticks just aren't as nice. They don't have as nice a feel. For some reason I don't care about that when I use a fork, but I sure do with chopsticks. Maybe just because I'm used to wood.
- mc32 4y agoYeah, I'm not sure. Forks don't give me the same grief. Maybe it's the curved shape/entry angle. Also, stainless steel chopsticks are needle like at the ends and have very little surface for friction to pick things up, so they're kind of dainty in that respect --I struggle to pick up a good bite.
- baybal2 4y agoThere are countries where a washing machine is a status symbol
- eru 4y agoFunny enough, Singapore is one of them. Singapore is absurdly rich by global standards. Dishwashers are rare: it's a combination of eating out being really popular and perhasp many people having maids. Thus basically the only (domestic) dishwashers in the country are high end contraptions mostly acquired by expats.
- klodolph 4y agoThis is true in New York City, more or less. Even if you have a good salary, you are likely to share washing machines with others in the building.
- neonate 4y agohttp://web.archive.org/web/20220611014547/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/10/realestate/nyc-asian-fence-status.html http://web.archive.org/web/20220611014547/https://www.nytime... https://archive.ph/3ePef https://archive.ph/3ePef
- Animats 4y ago"...she felt more comfortable in a home with a stainless steel door." There's a lot to be said for metal doors. Even at the low end. HUD housing projects used to have concrete walls, steel doors, and good deadbolts. This made break-ins really hard. There are videos of cops trying to break down one of those with a battering ram, and giving up, exhausted.
- gorgoiler 4y agoIt’s funny because the English have a very similar version of this, but it’s way more understated and much more about displaying upper class taste than it is about displaying wealth. If you see a rusted steel edge to someone’s lawn you can bet your host knows the name of every plant and your cup of tea is probably coming with a saucer. https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/harrod-steel-edging-pid9512.html https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/harrod-steel-edging-pid9...
- EdwardDiego 4y agoI use polythene for the same purpose. Might not be as fancy, but achieves the same thing. That said, I do miss the style of house in the town I grew up in, where front doors often had stained glass, and verandahs some extra wrought iron flourishes. I wish I could name the style, but here's a (poor) photo demonstrating the wrought iron flourishes at least. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lyttelton-nz-feb-25-old-house-133901297 https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lyttelton-nz-feb-25...
- solardev 4y agoReally? That's a class symbol in the UK? I see these in the US all the time at new constructions that have that "hipster starter kit" look, those iron-and-wood Chipotle homes. Typically they also seem to start falling apart within a few years, with edges poking up and threatening to stab unwary pedestrians, etc.
- klodolph 4y agoI never thought of these as a status symbol. I do see them a lot, only in the NYC area, and to be perfectly honest I think they’re tacky! Stainless steel makes a lot of sense but I just hate the way these things look.