What do you consider social prestige?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I think in America societal prestige is tied to primarily to three things: money, education, and who you know.
A professor at an Ivy League university is considered to have high social status. The daughter of the President has high social status. A person making millions of dollars has high social status. It really all starts with money. Once you make enough money, you can buy prestige. You live in the right zip code, you learn to dress yourself a certain way, you befriend certain people, you attend certain institutions, you develop certain hobbies and interests and suddenly people who encounter you will see you a certain way. Then you know you have societal status. |
Anonymous
| It's Washington, so it's about your job and your income. Social prestige is something like a $300k income while working in a business that you can brag about (program manager traveling to projects in Africa for the Gates Foundation. Not a lawyer for a health insurance company) |
Anonymous
Here's the answer. |
Anonymous
| Not really any of those. I am impressed by doctors. I am not impressed with Ivy League educations unless they are doctors. |
Anonymous
You must not know many doctors. |
Anonymous
This is literally me! But we don’t get paid that much at gates |
Anonymous
+1. I know plenty of docs who are greedy, neglect care, defraud Medicare/insurance, and act like As$8&3es. I have always respected teachers, paramedics, construction workers, etc. Op, are you new to the US? There is no social class structure in this land. |
Anonymous
| 5 million house, fancy vacations…rich stuff like that. |
Anonymous
No, that's just wealth. "Social prestige" is much harder to get and conspicuous wealth has nothing to do with it. I lived in a small town (LMC) and my parents had social prestige there because of all the things they did for the town (volunteer constable, built a sports field with their own hands, taught kids stuff, loaned out whatever they had, gave a lot of volunteer labor to the church and school, etc.). Everyone knew us and respected my dad enormously. He was also a war veteran and helped other veterans in need. If I go there, many people will know who I am and talk about him. Our house was nothing different from others and we took camping vacations. If President Zelensky of Ukraine had zero in his bank account and lived in a shack it wouldn't matter. He has "social prestige" like nobody else right now and probably forever. Five million and fancy vacations. Nobody will remember you for that. |
Anonymous
This is all silly, and you seem to be asking if you can buy your way into "social prestige", whatever that means. To the extent that you can, it's through philanthropy. Anyways, striving for social prestige (and yes, striving is certainly the right word) will only lead to sadness. Spend your life doing what makes you happy - whether through work, hobbies, volunteering, religion, or whatever. |
Anonymous
| Owning an ocean-block home in Bethany Beach! |
Anonymous
|
Maybe in the past but in today’s world social prestige = celebrity, including internet celebrities.
If you’re not a household name, no one cares that you went to Yale. Sorry. |
Anonymous
Lol no |
Anonymous
|
Social prestige has nothing to do with money. At least near DC. It’s who you know, who answers if you call, how many people you can count on if you are raising money for something.
Money, class, and social standing are often related - but not always. Especially in a town where top jobs that come with influence and public figure status don’t always come with big salaries. |
Anonymous
| Your zip code. There is nothing more prestigious than that. |