Things that are unintentional status symbols.

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05/06/2014 15:00

Subject: Things that are unintentional status symbols.

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of these status symbols seem to indicate the things you see in people who are richer than you. But, what about those things that mark you as richer than others? Does anyone notice those things?

Here's one we haven't beaten to death yet: bed sheets that match. The pillowcase, flat, and fitted are all the same color and pattern. Most of the lower-middle class people that I know generally have sheets that match. I hardly ever see it in the homes of the poor people we know.

Pure white bedsheets are the highest status of all. They are traditional, they are understated but elegant, and they signal that you or the help changes them often to keep that white looking clean and pure. The "hotel sets" sold by various national companies don't really count, although nobody will be able to tell the difference. ("Hotel" anything, like "hotel" flatware, is middle class. Why does anybody need to pretend they're in a hotel to enjoy luxury?) But the real deal are the pure white, high thread-count sheets from Swiss and similar companies.

PP here. The white sheet thing may be an unintentional status symbol for the upper crust, but my point was that having sheets that match at all may be an unintentional status symbol to someone who is low-income. From what I've been reading on this thread, people seem very aware about "upper crust" symbols but maybe might not realize their own privilege. It's kind of interesting how adept people are at reading the code of the class above them. And also how little we see of our own advantages.

Here are some others: having a car. At all. Living in a home that is legal or to code. Throwing stuff out is a privilege. Most of the poor people I know don't ever throw anything out, almost no matter how broken or damaged it is. You just never know what might be useful later. Buying bulk is another privilege. When you are very poor you may only have enough money to buy a single roll at a time. That actually costs more, but if you don't have the resources to front the cost for 24 rolls, then you're sort of stuck. So, for some people, a Costco membership is an unintentional status symbol.

PP, in keeping with what you're saying, I only recently realized what a privilege using eBay is. You have to have a credit card and Internet access. Same thing with being a Peace Corps volunteer. It means you don't have crushing credit card debt and aren't a vital part of your extended family's well-being (through babysitting, financial contribution, etc.).

I think it was The Nation that had an article on how expensive and time intensive poverty is. I think unintentional status symbols are more fundamental than we of the DCUM community would believe.

I have friends without post-graduate education and keep running into how different my job search is from theirs. I've had my masters for nearly ten years. I don't even think about it. Colleagues from my last position claim they are stuck (in an office we all hated) because they don't have an advanced degree.

Having a passport, a bank account, a voter registration card...all of these are (SADLY!) not routine items in a lot of households. I'm always caught short when I hear this, but there it is.

Thanks for the eye-opener, PP.

I'm surprised you're taken aback by learning so many people don't have passports, bank accounts or voter registration cards. Besides maybe a few rare reasons, why would somebody who lives below the poverty line have a passport? Or even a bank account for that matter?