4 ms·
Being able to signal that you are respectable is very important, especially if you are a member of a minority group that faces constant stereotyping, and I thin
by Fede_V 11y ago
Being able to signal that you are respectable is very important, especially if you are a member of a minority group that faces constant stereotyping, and I think the author makes this point very vividly.
However, the way you signal that you are respectable is not through conspicuous consumption, but through things like accent, education, knowledge of social norms, shared friendship networks, etc. Poor minorities are definitely underprivileged when it comes to those things - and this is a very serious issue, but spending on things like expensive Nikes or a Gucci bag won't suddenly ingratiate you to authorities or the upper social classes. If anything, the 'ghetto fab' aesthetic specifically rejects the restrained and minimalistic taste displayed by members of the elite.
So - I think the author makes a very good point that minorities face lots of difficulties and stereotyping, but she tries to make conspicuous consumption seem far more noble than it is... people buy expensive jewelry as a status marker within their own tribe, not as a way to better themselves.
- kokey 11y agoI think you and nostromo describes the situation well from a European, or British, perspective and I think this is different from the US perspective covered in the article. I think the cultures around material status symbols are very different, and social mobility too. In Europe the signals are around things which can't easily be changed over one or even two generations, so material wealth has a different purpose.
- fauigerzigerk 11y agoI'm not sure how what you are saying relates to social mobility. Most European countries, but not Britain, have a lot more social mobility than the US: http://www.oecd.org/eco/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf http://www.oecd.org/eco/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202... There are of course many different measures of social mobility so this may not be a generally accepted fact. I feel that language dominates all other signals in Europe, which may be the reason why it doesn't make much sense to buy luxury goods to signal status.
- calibraxis 11y agoConspicuous consumption definitely works, regardless of what some individuals may (believe they) feel about it. Take HN for example. Many well-known startup-y devs joke about those who visit here, like most do with Youtube commenters. After sheepishly mentioning "I sometimes find a useful article there..." the disdain for me becomes palpable and I no longer bring it up out of embarrassment. Nevertheless, wearing the HN shirt is likely effective in some cultures (like a secret handshake). Even if in others it's a Mark of a Fool. And even if it brands you as a wannabee, bosses and investors may see you as a useful wannabee.
- cbd1984 11y agoFlagged for insult.