Is Pepsi a sign of low socioeconomic status?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is.

Official Soda Class/Prestige Rankings (excluding artisinal small batch sodas and club sodas/seltzers; low class begins at 5):

1. Schweppes Ginger Ale
2. Diet Coke
3. Coke
4. Diet Dr. Pepper
5. Sprite
6. Root Beer (any)
7. Diet Pepsi
8. 7-Up
9. Pepsi

....

435. Using ranch dressing
436. Mountain Dew

Raising an objection to the ranking of 7-Up here; much classier than Sprite.

Agree, 7 up has been around a LOT longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the dcum folks who love to obsess over what things are associated with class, age and region should check out the Show of Hands app. They ask a question, people answer, and you can break down the results by state, age, gender, and income.

They have asked the Pepsi vs Coke question and the responses showed clear regional preferences over anything else. Thousands of people from all over the US respond to the questions, so the sample size is much larger than dcum, without that pesky dc bubble.

This should be helpful to many DCUMers. I find that the obsession with class status has gripped the DCUM community because it is filled with large numbers of people with truly middle class backgrounds who have climbed into the upper middle class and the are obsessed with fitting in and figuring out how to shed all trappings of their lower class past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the dcum folks who love to obsess over what things are associated with class, age and region should check out the Show of Hands app. They ask a question, people answer, and you can break down the results by state, age, gender, and income.

They have asked the Pepsi vs Coke question and the responses showed clear regional preferences over anything else. Thousands of people from all over the US respond to the questions, so the sample size is much larger than dcum, without that pesky dc bubble.

This should be helpful to many DCUMers. I find that the obsession with class status has gripped the DCUM community because it is filled with large numbers of people with truly middle class backgrounds who have climbed into the upper middle class and the are obsessed with fitting in and figuring out how to shed all trappings of their lower class past.

Can I bring you a glass of Slice with your Dominoes?

[Anonymous]

Growing up, I always loved Pepsi because we were a Coke-only family and Pepsi was new and different (plus, I think it was seen as cooler and hipper in the 80's). Now, I prefer Coke products when I drink soda.

Pepsi is equivalent to Coke in my mind. If you want to really dip into class distinctions with regards to soda, you must examine the role of Shasta in the soda market. If any poor soul brought Shasta to our 1987 culdesac party, it would've been looked upon negatively!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up, I always loved Pepsi because we were a Coke-only family and Pepsi was new and different (plus, I think it was seen as cooler and hipper in the 80's). Now, I prefer Coke products when I drink soda.

Pepsi is equivalent to Coke in my mind. If you want to really dip into class distinctions with regards to soda, you must examine the role of Shasta in the soda market. If any poor soul brought Shasta to our 1987 culdesac party, it would've been looked upon negatively!

Man I loved Shasta!

[Anonymous]

I've never thought about the sociocultural implications, but I feel strongly that Pepsi tastes much better.

[Anonymous]

The company I work for holds training classes all over the US. When we're in the South for a class, Coke is mostly Coca Cola and the word 'Coke' is used in place of 'Soda'. However, Pepsi is a Pepsi and god help us all if you run a class down south and do not provide Pepsi and Mt. Dew. They also drink coffee like it's water but hardly ever take any of the bottled water provided.

For Northern areas, Diet Coke is what is restocked the most during the classes along with water and Keurig coffee.

Very few people actually drink plain Coke at any of our training classes.

I don't consider Pepsi a 'low class' drink but more a Southern drink like sweet tea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there's regional preferences. In my upper middle class childhood in the mid-Atlantic, I rarely ever saw Pepsi in anyone's houses. It was always coke/diet coke/ginger ale, if they had any soda.

I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for saying this, but I had a black acquaintance say that Pepsi was more popular among African Americans than Coke. Who knows if this is true.

Hmm, I'm black, and I don't know if that's true. Not sure all black people prefer one over the other. My husband likes Coke. I don't like either; not a big soda drinker.

I agree there’s no monolithic Black cola.

However, I wonder if there are ties or aversions to a particular brand due to racism. Growing up, my parents drank Pepsi because in their childhood Coca Cola was still sold as a syrup to take as a stomach tonic. In contrast, Pepsi was mostly sold as a beverage at segregated soda fountain counters in their community. They met in the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps Pepsi tasted sweeter to them as it represented each small victory as they desecrated the drugstore lunch counters? My college only had coke products and I participated in the anti apartheid boycott of Coca-Cola. Pepsi actually pulled out of SA first if I recall and Coke never fully pulled out. I remember buying Coke products in the 90s after Mandela’s release. I still prefer it to Pepsi. DH doesn’t drink soda, but his mother has drunk an ice cold Diet Pepsi on her walk home from church every week since it was first sold in her rural LA town. Do not ever mistakenly buy her a Coke. Like my parents, she says Coke is medicinal.

Sorry, autocorrect didn’t like “desegregated”.

Really interesting bit of history, thanks.

[Anonymous]

These days both Coke and Pepsi would be considered "low class" OP just like any other soda. UMC people drink some version of water + wine.

[Anonymous]

We are a mixed race Coke household.

One kid called Pepsi 'peeps' because he'd never seen the logo before.

I would swear off all Coke products if I could get my hands on a peach ne-hi in a glass bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this soft drink perceived in your community?

NO

[Anonymous]

I wasn't a big soda drinker growing up or in young adult hood. I hit a rough patch recently and have been consuming a lot for energy and the low cost. I am able to get lots done on less sleep with the help of soda. When my life goes back to normal, I will kick the bad habit. At least I don't have a drug, food or alcohol addiction. I mainly drink Pepsi, but also Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke. In my twenties and early thirties, I had a Snapple addiction for awhile at work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is.

Official Soda Class/Prestige Rankings (excluding artisinal small batch sodas and club sodas/seltzers; low class begins at 5):

1. Schweppes Ginger Ale
2. Diet Coke
3. Coke
4. Diet Dr. Pepper
5. Sprite
6. Root Beer (any)
7. Diet Pepsi
8. 7-Up
9. Pepsi

....

435. Using ranch dressing
436. Mountain Dew

Raising an objection to the ranking of 7-Up here; much classier than Sprite.

Agree, 7 up has been around a LOT longer.

What about Dr. Brown's?

[Anonymous]

LOL!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't a big soda drinker growing up or in young adult hood. I hit a rough patch recently and have been consuming a lot for energy and the low cost. I am able to get lots done on less sleep with the help of soda. When my life goes back to normal, I will kick the bad habit. At least I don't have a drug, food or alcohol addiction. I mainly drink Pepsi, but also Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke. In my twenties and early thirties, I had a Snapple addiction for awhile at work.

I also drink sports drinks often do to poor health, especially in the summer. Is this also low class? I must be big time trailer trash.

My food is fairly healthy: fruits, vegetables, very little processed foods or meets, nuts, milk, water, no canned foods, little sweets, Greek yogurt, etc. If the worst thing about me is that I drink Pepsi or other caffeinated sodas on a regular basis, I don't think it's so bad. Oh, and I don't smoke either.