How is status achieved in society?

[Amby 490]

[Jenn! 918]

Okay, so... it's not money and it's not intelligence, so what is it? I have a theory, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

I'm still in suspense...is it the ebony pen?

[MissStacey 1]

From Wiki (some are funny):

In American society, possessions perceived as status symbols include:

* A trophy wife/trophy husband

* A large, expensive house.

* A high-paying and exclusive job on Wall Street with a white shoe firm in either corporate law, investment banking, or management consulting for a company like Sullivan & Cromwell, Goldman Sachs or McKinsey & Company.

* Expensive luxury cars including certain SUVs, also yachts, and personal aircraft.

* An expensive Swiss watch such as an Omega, Rolex or Patek Phillipe.

* Expensive clothes, like a tailored pinstripe wool suit from Brooks Brothers or made on Saville Row, a dress from Chanel, a cashmere wool sweater from Bloomingdale's or a trenchcoat from Burberry.

* Country club membership, especially in a large town or city, where there are a sharply limited amount of membership slots.

* Frequent luxury vacations, especially to foreign destinations that require extensive plane travel.

* A marketable degree from a prestigious university, especially the Ivy League in the United States or Oxford or Cambridge in England.

* Private education at an exclusive boarding school like Phillips Exeter Academy or Institut Le Rosey.

* Expensive jewelry from a maker like Harry Winston or Tiffany & Co.

* Expensive gadgets such as a large home theatre or an iPhone

* A fountain pen with rare Brazilian, Indian or African woods (e.g., ebony, mahogany) or made with precious metals from a company like Cross or Waterman.

* Platinum, gold, silver and other precious metals in the form of bullion.

* High-grade, natural pearls.

* Rare jewels from a miner like De Beers.

* Vacation homes (owned outright and non-timeshare).

* Vineyards.

* A personal steam-bath or sauna.

* A home vault.

* Access to private banking and wealth management services.

* A humidity-controlled room devoted to Cuban cigars.

I only know of one person who has almost everything on that list:

Joyce.

She also has:

A temperature controlled Cool Whip room

A wet bar in every room so that she has easy access to a gin and tonic

An entire wing to keep her polyester pant suits, hair care products and gifts from all her lovers.

[almaty 19]

and likes a good spankin' from her homeboys every night

[DeadPoolX 9]

Okay, so... it's not money and it's not intelligence, so what is it? I have a theory, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

I'm still in suspense...is it the ebony pen?

Oh, sorry. I got side-tracked. I have a short attention span and I started looking at camcorders on Amazon.

My theory is two-fold and it involves:

1. Supply and demand -- In sales, if there's less of something and people want it, then it's worth more, right? Well, generally speaking, fewer people have the ability (for whatever reason) to become star athletes, actors/actresses or work in high-powered professional careers, like physicians, attorneys, or CEO of large companies. There are more of the latter three than there are of the former careers I mentioned, so while many people strive to become doctors or lawyers, they don't earn as much and are nowhere near as famous as baseball or football players or those who star in movies and TV shows.

Now take someone who works at McDonald's or a grocery store cashier or a salesperson at Best Buy. There are a lot more of people filling these spots than any of the jobs I mentioned before. So they're not considered as "high-status" since they are, in some cases, overabundant. This is also one reason why these lower-end jobs don't pay well, as the employers know anyone could fill those spots.

2. Manual labor (or the lack thereof) -- In our highly industrialized and technologically-inclined society, we've become increasingly lazy. We don't call it that, though. We like to think that the man typing away on his keyboard works harder and is somehow intellectually superior to the man who's swinging away with his hammer. In essence, we've devalued manual labor, despite the fact it's much if this very same labor that builds our homes, offices, hospitals, and fixes them when something goes awry.

Regardless, jobs that require a little "elbow grease" (such as the plumber or construction worker) are looked at as "low-end jobs" because there's generally less obvious thought processes at work. Notice I say "obvious thought processes" because if everyone who worked in manual labor industries were truly morons, we'd all be living and working in deathtraps, no matter how well designed the architects originally created the plans.

[tom&tata 2]

Okay, so... it's not money and it's not intelligence, so what is it? I have a theory, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

I'm still in suspense...is it the ebony pen?

Oh, sorry. I got side-tracked. I have a short attention span and I started looking at camcorders on Amazon.

Canon - got one ourselves.