Unless you live alone in a hole somewhere in limbo, you live in a social world and in it are many people who will judge you and size you up all throughout your life. It would be easy to say that there are two types of people when it comes to the social world: one who cares what others think and one who does not, but people are rarely one extreme or the other since there are so many circumstances which would logically govern we make alternate choices as to do so would more than likely be the most successful approach. Most people generally are pretty open to what others think about them and react accordingly and those consumed with status are hyper aware of what people will think of them.
A status symbol is basically and most often a very expensively priced and high quality item that is associated with people of distinction, social presence, and wealth. To the owner of a status symbol comes the expectation that said item will complete a look and seal their image. With all due respect to some status symbols though, the price is not always ridiculous and there is a reason why a lot of people prefer certain brands. When you buy a superior product that functions near without flaw, looks nice, and lasts a long time or perhaps was even constructed by hand, you can justify paying more for it but there are some of these status symbols that are just absurd in that you are paying solely for the name and not the ingenuity of its construction, the cost of its materials—just the fucking name.
I really have pondered what exactly is the payoff of acquiring a plethora of various accepted status symbols such as a Rolex watch, Versace suits, and a Lamborghini? I can’t think it’s a guaranteed method of getting laid because if you’re lame, doesn’t matter what package you come in, a gal is just liable to move on, even if she is a gold digger. Is it the social respect? What does that equate to anyway? More people nodding approvingly at you when you walk by in certain clubs and restaurants, having certain socialites refer to you favorably to some know-it-alls who don’t really know shit and don’t matter in the scheme of things any more than what someone would allow them to mean? I’m more inclined to think it’s one’s friends, that innate competition that manifests between people you see on a regular basis and go out together and see. You may have each other’s backs but someone always wants to have the better status.
So for some this is easily accomplished by getting the “goods” and selling the image, though buying the image would be more apt. Since most of us have the freedom to spend our money how we see fit, there should be no issues but the pursuit of status can sometimes come at the expense of others if it is taken to an extreme. I’m sure you know of people with gorgeous customized cars that live in destitute apartments and homes; some even forego that luxury for t heir status symbols. I could almost see the justification of such a sacrifice in living quality if it were somehow granting me a more fruitful opportunity in the future but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I do have to admit though that status is not a very important thing to me or at least in my eyes it cannot be bought.
The people that do buy these lavish things see the world completely different and that new watch or suit is like another piece of armor to wear in this battle of image. I understand the need to create an image and I think we are all somewhat conscious of it as it’s a fair statement to say that the bulk of us don’t go out of our way to look like shit, we tend to want people to like what they see, but everything I see outside of personal hygiene can often be completely irrelevant. I don’t mind paying extra for something if the quality is good as far as clothing goes and electronics but to pay top dollar just because somebody had the balls to overcharge the shit out of his product and people were stupid enough to pay for it and thus it just became accepted, no thanks, and if Louis Vuitton hand bags can go for $800+ I would hope each one would come with money already inside.
I don’t want to make this topic one of pure negativity as the idea of status is not completely useless and much can be said about you about what you choose to wear and the products you buy. They might not always appeal to all the numbers but for the lovers of status come in both sexes so you are liable to be noticed by someone else in that realm as well. Mentally we all live in a world of fantasy whereby we lay our specific colored filters over the world and then when we decide what it is we like and want to do, we look for others who often times see the same thing and if your game is status then you have your own set of rules than if you lived by, let’s say, your reputation. In the end, who’s to tell anyone else how to live: if it’s your dream to live in a Porsche then by all means, but I think we all sometimes make mistakes by failing to consider a host of variables that just never appeared below the bright glow of something novel, status worthy, or maybe just cool at the time.
A status symbol is basically and most often a very expensively priced and high quality item that is associated with people of distinction, social presence, and wealth. To the owner of a status symbol comes the expectation that said item will complete a look and seal their image. With all due respect to some status symbols though, the price is not always ridiculous and there is a reason why a lot of people prefer certain brands. When you buy a superior product that functions near without flaw, looks nice, and lasts a long time or perhaps was even constructed by hand, you can justify paying more for it but there are some of these status symbols that are just absurd in that you are paying solely for the name and not the ingenuity of its construction, the cost of its materials—just the fucking name.
I really have pondered what exactly is the payoff of acquiring a plethora of various accepted status symbols such as a Rolex watch, Versace suits, and a Lamborghini? I can’t think it’s a guaranteed method of getting laid because if you’re lame, doesn’t matter what package you come in, a gal is just liable to move on, even if she is a gold digger. Is it the social respect? What does that equate to anyway? More people nodding approvingly at you when you walk by in certain clubs and restaurants, having certain socialites refer to you favorably to some know-it-alls who don’t really know shit and don’t matter in the scheme of things any more than what someone would allow them to mean? I’m more inclined to think it’s one’s friends, that innate competition that manifests between people you see on a regular basis and go out together and see. You may have each other’s backs but someone always wants to have the better status.
So for some this is easily accomplished by getting the “goods” and selling the image, though buying the image would be more apt. Since most of us have the freedom to spend our money how we see fit, there should be no issues but the pursuit of status can sometimes come at the expense of others if it is taken to an extreme. I’m sure you know of people with gorgeous customized cars that live in destitute apartments and homes; some even forego that luxury for t heir status symbols. I could almost see the justification of such a sacrifice in living quality if it were somehow granting me a more fruitful opportunity in the future but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I do have to admit though that status is not a very important thing to me or at least in my eyes it cannot be bought.
The people that do buy these lavish things see the world completely different and that new watch or suit is like another piece of armor to wear in this battle of image. I understand the need to create an image and I think we are all somewhat conscious of it as it’s a fair statement to say that the bulk of us don’t go out of our way to look like shit, we tend to want people to like what they see, but everything I see outside of personal hygiene can often be completely irrelevant. I don’t mind paying extra for something if the quality is good as far as clothing goes and electronics but to pay top dollar just because somebody had the balls to overcharge the shit out of his product and people were stupid enough to pay for it and thus it just became accepted, no thanks, and if Louis Vuitton hand bags can go for $800+ I would hope each one would come with money already inside.
I don’t want to make this topic one of pure negativity as the idea of status is not completely useless and much can be said about you about what you choose to wear and the products you buy. They might not always appeal to all the numbers but for the lovers of status come in both sexes so you are liable to be noticed by someone else in that realm as well. Mentally we all live in a world of fantasy whereby we lay our specific colored filters over the world and then when we decide what it is we like and want to do, we look for others who often times see the same thing and if your game is status then you have your own set of rules than if you lived by, let’s say, your reputation. In the end, who’s to tell anyone else how to live: if it’s your dream to live in a Porsche then by all means, but I think we all sometimes make mistakes by failing to consider a host of variables that just never appeared below the bright glow of something novel, status worthy, or maybe just cool at the time.
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