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 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.