Class signaling via Apple products

[firecat]

"A Macbook Pro is just as much of a status marker as a Louis Vuitton purse or a BMW."

I recoil at the notion because I think Vuitton purses and BMWs signal a different class than ones I identify with. (At least I tend to have prejudices about people who have those things—I'll assume "not like me" unless I get evidence to the contrary.) But I do think that, in California at least, there's a class I might call "hi-tech professionals" and having Mac products can signal identification with it.

FWIW, I think I'm kind of clueless about class.

Anyway, it's interesting to contemplate. What do you think?

Comments

[graymalkin13.livejournal.com]

I think aethetics and class are pretty closely intertwined for many people.

That's a very interesting idea. It would be cool to do a psychology (sociology?) experiment, showing people pictures of imaginary products (designed to subtly include visual elements of high- and low-end real products, such as general shape) and asking them which ones they preferred, then comparing the results with the test subjects' financial standing and so on.

I don't think that there's anything wrong with sending a message about class. Good thing, because apparently one can't avoid doing so.

That's right, we can't. I recommend Paul Fussell's book Class, which talks about a lot of this stuff. It's not a recent book, and Fussell is a snotty Anglophile with definite class bias, but it's quite interesting nonetheless. (The Anglophile angle is that he thinks the English do everything better than Americans and that it's high-status, and desirable, for Americans to emulate the English.)

There are things wrong with the class system as a whole, but that's a different bag of fish.

Yes, there are. And when it comes to luxury goods, as with any other goods, there are humane (e.g. sweatshop) and environmental concerns as well. There are an awful lot of bags of fish.

[firecat]

I think the experiment you describe would show things like a person's class background and their class aspirations, as well as what their current class might be.

I read Fussell's book in the 80s. I should re-read it.

[graymalkin13.livejournal.com]

I think the experiment you describe would show things like a person's class background and their class aspirations, as well as what their current class might be.

Yes! It would be very interesting.

I feel like I have no class aspirations. I just want what I want because I like it -- like sushi, which is probably a class marker for having a certain amount of money. In the city where I live, there are lots of cheap sushi restaurants (like, $1 per piece), but I don't go to them because their sushi tastes horrible and I don't trust them to handle food safely. I only go to "reputable" (expensive) restaurants, and when I can't afford to go to those, I don't eat sushi. Maybe aspiring to have enough money to eat sushi frequently is a class aspiration. I just haven't thought about it that way.

As for Fussell, I've enjoyed all of his books. One thing I remember from Class is his stipulation that having a fishtank in your house is a sign of lower class. HA! I've had fishtanks all my (middle-class) life, and they've always looked nice and cost a bundle. I suppose the class marker there is the size of the fishtank and the quality of its contents. Does it have a bubbling mermaid in it? LOW CLASS!

[firecat]

My class aspirations are to never set foot in a country club again.

I don't think wanting to have enough money is a class aspiration per se, but how much money a person considers to be "enough," and what they buy with it, and where the money comes from tie in with class, I think.

having a fishtank in your house is a sign of lower class.

I seem to recall that although I agreed with Fussell's general idea, that there were multiple classes that were associated with certain particular things, I disagreed with a bunch of the specifics. Fishtanks are something I don't associate with class.

[graymalkin13.livejournal.com]

I have never set foot in a country club, and hope never to do so. :-)

I don't think wanting to have enough money is a class aspiration per se, but how much money a person considers to be "enough," and what they buy with it, and where the money comes from tie in with class, I think.

I agree.

I seem to recall that although I agreed with Fussell's general idea, that there were multiple classes that were associated with certain particular things, I disagreed with a bunch of the specifics. Fishtanks are something I don't associate with class.

Yes -- Fussell is a crank and some of the specifics are silly -- probably even more so these days. Actually, I think I remember reading somewhere that Fussell meant the book to be satiric/humorous, which is weird because I think of him as an absolutely humorless dude.

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Alas, I know some health inspectors who would tell you that the cost of the restaurant is no guarantee of sanitation -- but that's yet another kettle of fish.

I think that class culture affects a lot of our choices. And yes, part of it is dictated by what one can afford (thinking purses, not sushi). It's the choices we make about & beyond need that show our cultural tendencies the most, I think. For Mac laptops, I think of them as status symbols when a cheaper model/brand will do, but you like the Macs better for nonessential reasons. (Mileage varies wildly, mind.)

[graymalkin13.livejournal.com]

Alas, I know some health inspectors who would tell you that the cost of the restaurant is no guarantee of sanitation -- but that's yet another kettle of fish.

Very true. It would be naive to judge a restaurant by price alone. With raw fish especially, proper food handling is a necessity. I look for certain signs of quality in a sushi restaurant regardless of the price. In a city full of sushi restaurants, I've tried about 7 (3 cheaper ones, 4 more expensive ones) and there are 2 I consider reliable. Sadly, both of them are in the expensive category.