firecat

Hmm. I do definitely think it's a status marker, but I also think that "as much of a status marker" isn't the same thing as "marks you in the same class group as".

I mean, the cheapest you can buy a new MacBook Pro is over a thousand dollars, so there's definitely a status thing going on there, as much as with the Louis Vuitton bag or the BMW -- but also as much as owning a pristine 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. Maybe you bought the BMW used, maybe you spent forty years babying the car you inherited when your older brother joined the military, maybe you got a busted MacBook off Craigslist for $250 and fixed it yourself, but wanting and having these things does indicate voluntary membership in the group of People Who Want A [BMW|1970 Barracuda|MacBook Pro].