4 ms·
You may think you're doing the opposite of what they're doing, but actually you're doing the same thing. Conspicuous nonconsumption [0], as I call it, is all t
by pbiggar 12y ago
You may think you're doing the opposite of what they're doing, but actually you're doing the same thing.
Conspicuous nonconsumption [0], as I call it, is all the rage in SF and among engineers. That's why everyone wears hoodies and tshirts: to show that they're different from MBAs and the suits and the bankers. But that's just another way to show your status: you are the member of an exclusive club that doesn't need suits to have high status.
And so with your blog. You're identifying as part of a group that's too good for status symbols. You're explicitly saying "I'm not like you" and implicitly saying "I'm better than you because I don't need whatever things you find valuable".
You're showing off your non-consumption for high status, in exactly the same way that they're showing off their consumption for high status. At the end of the day, you're both just showing off for high status! [1]
[0] See also "stealth wealth"
[1] No judgement here, btw: in tech, I think we all do this, me included.
- 7Figures2Commas 12y agoHoodies and t-shirts?! That's so 2012. What part of San Francisco are you in? All the cool startups in SoMa are enforcing a strict lumbersexual dress code these days.
- amirnathoo 12y agoThis comment is bleeding edge: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Anews.ycombinator.com%20lumbersexual https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Anews.ycombinator.com%...
- nether 12y agohttp://imgur.com/ZUyBZMt http://imgur.com/ZUyBZMt
- 7Figures2Commas 12y agoWhere's Waldo?
- andyidsinga 12y agosomebody sent me a post about the lumbersexual thing ( I think it was this one : http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/6235-the-lumbersexual-is-here-to-chop-down-metrosexuals http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/6235-the-lumbersexual-... ). Sort of bugs me that some basic clothing that's good for outdoors and daily life in the northwest gets co-opted into a fashion thing
- pndmnm 12y agoSigh. I grew up on the Olympic Peninsula (far western Washington) and this is basically my whole wardrobe. Moved to the bay area over the summer and now I feel gross wearing it. Hopefully fashion moves on soon and I can wear the clothes I have and like in peace.
- 7Figures2Commas 12y agoDon't worry. In another year or so, everybody will shave their beards and trade in their plaid shirts and blue Wrangers so that they can revolutionize fashion by disrupting some other group's wardrobe. In the meantime, you should consider setting up shop as a recruiter. You could probably place your Washington friends in jobs at startups here fairly easily. If they can memorize a few words/acronyms (Angular, MVVM, etc.) and are willing to show up to the interview with an axe for good measure, you'll be cashing checks in no time.
- andyidsinga 12y agohere here :) btw - I regularly drive from pdx to port angeles on way taking my kids to the grand parents' on vancouver island. That is some beautiful country. Don't stay away too long :)
- mc32 12y agoI guess I'm too old; can someone explain the diff between a lumbersexual and what was called 'grunge'?
- sukilot 12y ago
- dismal2 12y agoI dunno, some people are just slobs/lazy
- lars512 12y agoConspicuous non-consumption and conspicuous consumption are both playing the status game, for sure. But non-consumption is surely an environmentally better way to play it. Perhaps if conspicuous philanthropy found its way down to everyday people, that would be a nice addition too.
- sukilot 12y agoYou are positing an extreme cultural relativism. There is a huge difference between status plays that are very expensive and exclusive and resource-intensive, and status plays that are accesible to anyone who chooses not to be a wasteful exclusive jerk. Compare Burners who fly a helicopter into camp, vs people who go for a hike in the city park.
- hacknat 12y agoThat was the most amount of words I've ever seen anyone use to call someone else a hipster.
- O____________O 12y agoThat's why everyone wears hoodies and tshirts: to show that they're different from MBAs and the suits and the bankers. That's a really weird conclusion to come to. I wear hoodies and tee shirts because 1) my job doesn't require more, 2) my hoodie and tee are comfortable and easily adaptable to changing temperature, and 3) clothing shopping is a chore, an extreme annoyance. Well-fitting "slob" clothing looks better than poorly-fitting mid-range "nice" clothing, particularly when one doesn't fit the body type of the target audience for the latter.
- marincounty 12y agoI really glad some of you in Tech started a trend to kill the Tie. I never saw the need for a tie. Plus, I honestly never found a tie that felt mildly comfortable. I graduated college in the late 80's, and the thought of wearing a tie was always on my mind. It has no function, other than conformity. A girdle at least has a purpose--a bad purpose, but at east there's some logic behind it? My father felt the same way. Plus, it seems like every time I felt taken advantage of in business, the guy was wearing a tie?
- anigbrowl 12y agoIt's a counter-intuitive argument, but an extremely astute one. Consider: Many people would rather not wear an ill-fitting 'nice' outfit, or may not have the sartorial education to do so, but feel obliged to do so as a condition of their employment. You won't be able to get a job as a bank clerk if you show up dressed in a hoodie and jeans, for example; you need to show up in a shirt and tie (if you're a guy) even it's the cheapest item that you could find at Men's Wearhouse and you don't look very good in it. 'Well-fitting slob clothing' not only signals that you're not subject to some sort of onerous dress code imposed by your employer (within reason), but also that you can afford to spend money on what most people could consider leisurewear. Further, while you may genuinely not be interested in clothes, picking them out in the morning, looking at other peoples', or shopping for them - and while I can sympathize with your disinterest - that very indifference is itself a mark of affluence. Most people work hard at that stuff because they feel obliged to create a certain image to get employed, get laid, and maintain their self-respect. If they don't care about clothes and they choose not to spend money on them, and they don't happen to put out certain other socioeconomic signals, then they will just be dismissed as scruffy bums.
- WalterBright 12y agoReminds me of those 70's Dr Pepper ads: "Join the non-conformists!"
- deciplex 12y agoYou logic can be applied to anything: any behavior meant to be observed by others would become an attempt to show off status. It has little explanatory power.
- kelukelugames 12y agoi think im doing comedy. :) i like choco tacos but wendys and ramen cups are pretty tereible.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]