Things that are unintentional status symbols.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As someone with diagnosed Celiac, I am thankful for the people with "eating disorders" and the autistic community because they add to our numbers and make it viable for companies to manufacture gluten free bread and other food items.

what we need is more autism and anorexia because then you'll have even more choices

Autistic people can't tolerate gluten?

Some people with ASDS have gut problems and see improvements if they go on a gluten free/casein free diet. No one knows why

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a family "cottage" built a hundred years ago that's shabby and expensive to maintain, but no one wants to sell or update it. Read "The Big House" by Henry Colt for a neat look at this kind of thing.

I know there's been debate about where this thread started and where it went, so I'll chime in with what I think unintentional status symbols are -- they are the things that my neighbor, who lives in a similarly sized house and what I presume to be a somewhat equivalent HHI, has that makes me wonder how she can afford them and ruminate on how I really can't. Just little things, like shopping bags from higher-end stores instead of Target. Or getting the newest iPhone when the latest model comes up vs. waiting for her contract to end. Or once I offered to bring Starbucks to a friend since I was going by anyway and she declined because she has a Nespresso. None of these people live in giant houses or wear giant diamonds, but have little signs that they may be doing a tad better financially than me.

I'd bet it's credit card debt.

Based on what? You don't even know the people that PP is talking about. They probably just have more money than she does.

[Anonymous]

Being a highly compensated professional and only working a little.

[Anonymous]

Walking slowly.

[Anonymous]

Saying very little at school meetings.
Not caring about DC being in gifted programs, even if DC is gifted. Because DC will not have to work.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Jotting quick notes to the teacher on properly monogrammed stationery.

RSVP'ing to a wedding on same rather than sending back the little "check fish or chicken" cards.

HA! I do this. Only because I hate those reply cards

I used to do this until my son's friend's mom said -- very sweetly-- that it screwed up her box of reply cards for kid's Bar Mitzvah.

I just write a sweet note on the back of the RSVP card unless I receive one without an RSVP card (which seems to not happen anymore).

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There, that is a perfect one! Sending out wedding invitations with no reply cards! Very very old school and an unintentional status symbol. Only those with enough knowledge will even get this. What is really sad though is people who don't even know how to reply to such an invitation.

Nah it's just the culture changing and evolving over time.

Ha...we did not have reply cards (my mother and grandmother's preference) and a lot of our guests were confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jotting quick notes to the teacher on properly monogrammed stationery.

RSVP'ing to a wedding on same rather than sending back the little "check fish or chicken" cards.

HA! I do this. Only because I hate those reply cards

I used to do this until my son's friend's mom said -- very sweetly-- that it screwed up her box of reply cards for kid's Bar Mitzvah.

I just write a sweet note on the back of the RSVP card unless I receive one without an RSVP card (which seems to not happen anymore).

.


There, that is a perfect one! Sending out wedding invitations with no reply cards! Very very old school and an unintentional status symbol. Only those with enough knowledge will even get this. What is really sad though is people who don't even know how to reply to such an invitation.

Nah it's just the culture changing and evolving over time.

Ha...we did not have reply cards (my mother and grandmother's preference) and a lot of our guests were confused.

Me too and only guests on DH's side were "confused." Kind of funny to me but not to my mom.

I have to say, most of the wedding invitations I received from college friends did not have reply cards. I am in my early 40s so it's not that "old school". I know many people who think reply cards are tacky, even the plain blank ones. But I also did have friends and even relatives who sent these. They chose to largely because they were worried too many people these days dont know how to respond to a formal invitation without a reply card.

I have only ever seen one of the style reply card where you could chose your dinner. Had never even heard of such a thing. That was very humorous to me.

Like many other things on this thread, it is simply one more "tell" related to social class.

[Anonymous]

I couldn't make it 3 pages into this thread. It was cerebral vomit.

Question: "what things that are unintentional status symbols"
Answer: "stay at home moms"
Answer: "expensive strollers"
Answer: "having a nanny"
Answer: "ivy league pedigree"

ALL OF THOSE ARE OVERT, INTENTIONAL AND NOT ALL ARE STATUS SYMBOLS!

In fact, the whole premise is bust, if it's considered a status symbol, it can't be 'unintentional.'

There are obscure status symbols that are only recognizable to those in the know...but that is very different.

[Anonymous]

not knowing what price scanner is

[Anonymous]

The last 2 weddings we were invited to were all website based, and a save the date postcard with the URL. Though those were both NorCal, so maybe it's cultural.

[Anonymous]

Not having a wedding reply card is done a lot in the south. Old school good manners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't make it 3 pages into this thread. It was cerebral vomit.

Question: "what things that are unintentional status symbols"
Answer: "stay at home moms"
Answer: "expensive strollers"
Answer: "having a nanny"
Answer: "ivy league pedigree"

ALL OF THOSE ARE OVERT, INTENTIONAL AND NOT ALL ARE STATUS SYMBOLS!

In fact, the whole premise is bust, if it's considered a status symbol, it can't be 'unintentional.'

There are obscure status symbols that are only recognizable to those in the know...but that is very different.

Overt (crudely so) status symbol: trying to establish your intellectual superiority with inflamatory phrases like "cerebral vomit."

Inadvertent status symbol: revealing your confidence in, and consequent lack of need to flaunt, your intellectual abilities by correcting other posters' misuse of the word "inadvertent" in a kind and even humorous way. Sends the message that your game isn't about being "right" and winning, rather you care about accuracy. Now that sort of quiet confidence is impressive, whether you intended it or not.

[Anonymous]

sending your child on an international service trip

letting your child do unpaid internships instead of having a job

[Anonymous]

Owning 30 pairs of jeans

[Anonymous]

constantly putting up professional pics of your children on your FB page

having a purebreed dog in all your family photos