Hanging diplomas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sure its ok to be honest, and its ok to recognize you as a bitch.

I don't think she's a bitch at all. She's just pointing out (like many other PPs) that a lot of people think it's tacky to hang up your diplomas in public areas of your house - unless you're a recent graduate and just got your first apartment or something. I agree with her - does that make me a bitch too?

Just because you disagree doesn't make her a bitch.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP, and I hate to admit it because I really like all the responses encouraging me to take pride in my degrees and hang those diplomas... but I did fear that others would think it was tacky because it isn't in a private office. I too like this forum because you can get a sense of what people are really thinking. I appreciate the honest responses because I honestly wanted to know! I'm pretty (secretly) judgmental myself, as are a lot of people I suspect. Its human nature and it doesn't mean you are cruel in real life. If we all acted on our thoughts the world would be a pretty ugly place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:sure its ok to be honest, and its ok to recognize you as a bitch.

I don't think she's a bitch at all. She's just pointing out (like many other PPs) that a lot of people think it's tacky to hang up your diplomas in public areas of your house - unless you're a recent graduate and just got your first apartment or something. I agree with her - does that make me a bitch too?

Just because you disagree doesn't make her a bitch.

Being a bitch makes her a bitch.

Look, I don't get the big deal about whether hanging the diplomas is tacky or not, and if I saw them hanging in someone's house, I would not give it a second thought. I have PLENTY of other things to occupy that space in my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, and I hate to admit it because I really like all the responses encouraging me to take pride in my degrees and hang those diplomas... but I did fear that others would think it was tacky because it isn't in a private office. I too like this forum because you can get a sense of what people are really thinking. I appreciate the honest responses because I honestly wanted to know! I'm pretty (secretly) judgmental myself, as are a lot of people I suspect. Its human nature and it doesn't mean you are cruel in real life. If we all acted on our thoughts the world would be a pretty ugly place.

This is a refreshing view. Usually OPs get defensive when anyone disagrees with them even if they were asking for opinions.

[Anonymous]

Bitch here. Glad the OP got some use out of my bitchiness. And she exactly got my point about private thoughts versus public expressions. Our public expressions are a much better indicator of character than the slurry that fills up our heads.

I sometimes get myself in trouble here when I explain my thinking. One word responses ("Tacky.") aren't very useful, but it seems that a detailed recounting of everything that goes through my mind on a certain subject rubs some people the wrong way.

Oh well. Another great thing about a forum like that is how easily we can shrug off interactions that we don't like... "dumb internet troll... stupid crank..."

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. I had no idea that diplomas were considered tacky. My parents framed my undergrad and law school diplomas for me as a gift the year after I graduated from law school, and I hung them in my office when I worked in one (for six years, in various offices). We don't have an office area in our home, but if we did I might hang my diplomas in there so they didn't keep gathering dust in the garage as they are doing now. I wouldn't hang them in the living room, but I am imagining the office in my SIL's house, which is a room that is semi-open to their formal living room, and I wouldn't think twice if she or her husband hung their diplomas in there. I can't picture the OP's home layout, but it seems to me that an office space, even if open, is the appropriate place to hang a diploma.

Maybe the feeling about it being tacky is because DC is such a status-conscious place, as evidenced by the PP who called the University of Maryland and Virginia Tech "crappy schools." I'm sure that person (and many others in this area) think that my undergraduate school is "crappy" too, but I hung that diploma right next to my law school one with pride and fond memories of my college years.

[Anonymous]

I can MAYBE see hanging a Maryland or Virginia Tech diploma if you didn't have a very prestigious job and if you simply wanted to cover up some office space, but certainly never a Towson or Radford type diploma. Probably best to not advertise that you went there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can MAYBE see hanging a Maryland or Virginia Tech diploma if you didn't have a very prestigious job and if you simply wanted to cover up some office space, but certainly never a Towson or Radford type diploma. Probably best to not advertise that you went there.

Hee hee. Oh wait, this is sarcasm right?

[Anonymous]

I think hanging the diplomas in your home, regardless of the school, could be something that encourages your kids to value education like their parents did. Its an accomplishment of which to be proud, and a goal to be encouraged.

I agree that hanging it in a dedicated home-office is probably best, and not someplace that advertises to guests "hey, did you know I have a PhD?"

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier but am still thinking about this topic and am curious - do those of you who feel hanging diplomas is "tacky" also think other representations of achievement are tacky? What about professional awards? Commemorative photographs? Heck, what about wedding photographs or family photos?

I have been in a LOT of Washington offices that include not only diplomas but also important headlines/front pages, photos with important people, Christmas cards from the White House, photos with the President and other officials, Emmy awards and similar, not to mention wedding photos and family photos. Is that stuff tacky too?

Couldn't you argue that it is just as "snobby" or self-promotional as prominently hanging a diploma in your home or office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier but am still thinking about this topic and am curious - do those of you who feel hanging diplomas is "tacky" also think other representations of achievement are tacky? What about professional awards? Commemorative photographs? Heck, what about wedding photographs or family photos?

I have been in a LOT of Washington offices that include not only diplomas but also important headlines/front pages, photos with important people, Christmas cards from the White House, photos with the President and other officials, Emmy awards and similar, not to mention wedding photos and family photos. Is that stuff tacky too?

Couldn't you argue that it is just as "snobby" or self-promotional as prominently hanging a diploma in your home or office?

This thread is about your home, not your office. You're missing the point and crossing two different arguments here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier but am still thinking about this topic and am curious - do those of you who feel hanging diplomas is "tacky" also think other representations of achievement are tacky? What about professional awards? Commemorative photographs? Heck, what about wedding photographs or family photos?

I have been in a LOT of Washington offices that include not only diplomas but also important headlines/front pages, photos with important people, Christmas cards from the White House, photos with the President and other officials, Emmy awards and similar, not to mention wedding photos and family photos. Is that stuff tacky too?

Couldn't you argue that it is just as "snobby" or self-promotional as prominently hanging a diploma in your home or office?

This thread is about your home, not your office. You're missing the point and crossing two different arguments here.

What is the point then? It's ok to hang your diploma in your office but not your home? I have read the whole thread and have yet to see any argument for why that is, other than "it's tacky and people will judge you." But why is it tacky? I am being serious.

If I walked into someone's home and saw framed diplomas, my first thought would not be to silently think 'how tacky' but instead to ask the person about their experience at their alma mater. Because I'm curious (ok, nosy). Then again, no one could ever confuse my house with anything one might see in a home magazine, and I'm sure 100% of the rooms in my house would be considered tacky by the tastemakers in this thread.

[Anonymous]

On an episode of House Hunters, a couple was looking for a house that had a separate area for their college mementos. They were probably a few years out of college but that seemed kind of tacky. They dedicated an entire room to it in the house they chose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On an episode of House Hunters, a couple was looking for a house that had a separate area for their college mementos. They were probably a few years out of college but that seemed kind of tacky. They dedicated an entire room to it in the house they chose.

I saw that one! If I recall correctly, their college obsession went FAR beyond just a few diplomas, and the house they bought was huge enough that they could have had 5 rooms devoted to different colleges.

[Anonymous]

Do what you want with it. If you're proud of it - Praise it. Put it where you think it would matter for you.

But on a side note, you'll probably find yourself less judgmental (as you called it) when you become more secure in your own decisions.