Your zip code. There is nothing more prestigious than that.

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 wrote: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)

Lol no

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.

Owning an ocean-block home in Bethany Beach!

Anonymous wrote:Is it someone who comes from family money?
Has degrees from prestigious universities?
Someone who has a prestigious job?
Country club membership? Self made money?
All of the above?

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.

5 million house, fancy vacations…rich stuff like that.

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.

5 million house, fancy vacations…rich stuff like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really any of those. I am impressed by doctors. I am not impressed with Ivy League educations unless they are doctors.

You must not know many doctors.

+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 wrote: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)

This is literally me! But we don’t get paid that much at gates

Anonymous wrote:Not really any of those. I am impressed by doctors. I am not impressed with Ivy League educations unless they are doctors.

You must not know many doctors.

Not really any of those. I am impressed by doctors. I am not impressed with Ivy League educations unless they are doctors.

Anonymous wrote:
Anyone fighting against the Russians in Ukraine has "social prestige" in my book. I don't care what school they went to or what country club they did or didn't belong to.

Here's the answer.

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)

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.