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Class: A Guide Through the American Status System?
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This question gets people RILED UP. Darling, in America we have no class system, you know that. :P
There's a very interesting book that's now pretty dated but gives a solid foundation on this topic called "Class" A guide through the American Status System by Paul Fussell. Read it for an eye opening look into how it is!
He points out that things like no white after Labor Day and similar strictures (I was raised to believe that patent leather is not worn by polite society, or that pierced ears on children are vulgar, for example) are part of a class system that places people with nothing but time to drift around the globe in search of sport and leisure at the top. So naturally you wouldn't wear white after Labor Day as you're now in moving on to Eden Roc and tennis season is over or whatever :P
However that's high WASP preppy. That's not the only kind of "wealthy" there is! Plenty of people who are genuinely mind bogglingly rich wear flashy clothes and have diamond encrusted watches and so on.
Fussell also points out that there's a class that's beyond class: artists and the children of movie stars, the hyper-wealthy service class people (like let's say "energy workers" who work with the stars) or trustafarian types. Those people wear ironic brands and pad around first class cabins in bare feet with no bra (the book was written in like 1983).
Fascinating read.
Not directly about Trump, but if you want insight read Fussel's book on Class. Still mostly accurate even though it came out in the 70s iirc. https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
Class in the US is only somewhat related to money. It mostly has to do with preferences and cultural attitudes that are very hard to shake once they're ingrained as the default for a person at a young age.
I don’t think Americans spend anywhere near the amount of time thinking about class that the British do.
To the extent that we think about it at all, it’s more about cultural norms than income. A good book to read about this is Class by Paul Fussell .
Among other things that others have brought up, you could explore sports like tennis, golf, sailing (as someone else said), horseback riding, etc. if you don't already. Playing tennis and golf really does it for me for whatever reason.
Also, read Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell. Follow it up with any library books you can find that discuss the western class system in general.
If you're able to, look into joining a country club or some other non-academic private club. I figure the exclusive nature of clubs in and around NYC will make this harder for you than it was for me living in the rural midwest, but if you can make it happen, it's a great way to make friends with similar interests.
Once events start up again, you could also consider going to fund-raiser galas for causes you care about. This isn't specifically a preppy thing, but they are a lot of fun, and it's another good way to meet people.
> A question is a denial?
Is a question an accusation?
Obviously there no hard line of where a class starts or ends, probably depending on who you ask...but we could arrive at some consensus...and we can also divide in more than 3 classes although historically it is how it has been described.
For example, we could divide middle class into 2 or 3 categories, such as middle class and upper middle class...a manager could be middle class, while a doctor could be upper middle class...if that interests you, there are books written about it...I recommend Class: A Guide Through the American Status System even as it has aged a bit...
If anyone is curious about the ins and outs of American class system and how upper classes act , Paul fussels "class: a guide through the American status system"class: a guide through the American status system is the only accurate class depiction in America I've seen. It's a bit outdated but the principles still hold.
I'll agree that Insta killed the blogs. Oxfordcloth Button Down was the best blog for ivy inspo, but now it's just him working out (boy is jacked). Then again how much can you talk about a topic that had it's heyday in 1968? I would kill for someone to find the best articles and put them in one place and call it a day or someone that just has articles regarding factories/manufacturers that still make great products. Though I'm more interested in the secret language of the WASPS after reading Paul Flusser's Class: A Guide Through the American Status System. https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
This book called _Class_ by Paul Fusell explains the American class system very well.
There are actually a lot of books on this topic! I can recommend "Class: A Guide Through the American Status System" by Paul Fussel.
The ‘middle class’ thing really does come up a lot here, and it slightly confuses me as the best book I’ve read about the British class system is an American book about the American class system.
Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell
It’s clearly out of date, but still worth a read
> It goes with our affectation of a society without class distinctions. Whether we really lack class distinctions is another matter.
Affectation is the right word. I highly recommend Paul Fussell's book <em>Class</em> to any that think the US doesn't have defined and inferred status systems. It gives a funny and irreverent look to the topic of the social classes in the US.
They mostly drive solid older cars, the exception being the Saudi prince types who go around in Lamborghinis etc
>Also, most consultants/lawyers/wealth managers
Indeed, they are newly rich or need to appeal to the newly-rich.
I guess it isn't about wealth per se but whether you're old money or new money. There is a great funny little book about this, the author also points out that your class status is inversely proportional to the amount of writing visible on your clothes https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
I suggest you read the book, "Class" by Paul Fussell - he goes to great lengths to describe the difference between the truly upper class, what we mere mortals think of as the upper class, and upper middle class.
If you've ever had friends or acquaintances who come from "old money," you've probably noted that they tend to avoid drawing attention to their fortunes. Conspicuous displays of wealth are for new money who feels insecure about their status and need to compensate. Old moneyed folks are likely to be well-off enough to simply not care about the impressions they make.
Class never has anything to do with financial status. If you're interested in the subject I suggest this book.
Ah cool, a referral link.
EDIT: Here is the link without the referral tag in case people don't feel like rewarding folks for posting ad links : http://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
Short version: it's a book that has the shocking revelation that people of similar interests coupled with income levels tend to socialize with each other. Pretty revolutionary stuff, if you are into the idea that wearing certain colors makes someone better than someone else.
lol scud! You should read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1286984066&sr=8-3
Half joking/half serious analysis of the american class system. It is one me and the gf's favorites.
Paul Fussell, "Class".
The specific styles of dress etc are somewhat out of date however the underlying principles of human class distinction (primarily, supervision and control vs self-determination) have remained current for the last few thousand years.
Here is a discussion I found that contains a lot of quotes from "Class", and also recommends another book, Michael Lind's "The Next American Nation".
Is the middle class not mass market, though? Sloane Rangers don't shop at Sainsbury's.
https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
Oh, certainly, hedonism is also a good motivator. Drug use is often counterproductive to the status game, and this does not stop people from obliterating their status with addiction or even simply excessive usage. As I said, I'm only suggesting a partial connection.
However, I'm skeptical about your claim that you have no ulterior motives, and are simply investing for the purpose of eating more pizza. You almost certainly have some goals, and those goals are fundamentally social in nature.
>To your other point about the middle class/working class having different ways of flexing status, that’s interesting and maybe true. But it could also just be that they make really bad decisions cause they are overworked and udnerpaid
Working class doesn't mean poor and middle class doesn't mean rich. There are rich working class people (plumbers) and poor "middle class" people (teachers), and yet their consumption habits and culture obviously identify them as one or the other.
https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253/ref=asc_df_0671792253/
Obviously, other countries have different games, but not nonexistent ones.
Ah I see now, apologies! Something more like this
https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
Good book, I recommend you read it
People go to college, dress well and are on time.
Class is sublime. Class is what makes us "better" than animals. Class is what can't be bought, it has to be earned.
I've read quite a few books on class and they're fascinating, I highly recommend this one https://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253 also https://www.amazon.com/Social-Class-Stratification-Society-Now/dp/0415041252
Have you read Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell too? Considering what you wrote here, at RPW, and considering the usual debate for and against class, I'd say that you're one of those who'd secretly keep your copy of Class. Not one them who'd burn the book and those who'd dare to read it.
I've read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door, and those books are excellent books on how a consumer teaches himself to become a producer instead.
Can I ask you what The Bell Curve, Losing Ground and Coming Apart are about? What subjects do they discuss? Long explanations of this graph? A dead but useful chaplain's thoughts for the UMC soldiers; men, women and children, so they'd get control of their countries again? So they don't catch unwelcome influences from the MC and LC?
Sounds like I ought to order all of them in paperback.
> Unless you assume that all outgoing guys are "Chads" and all "Chads" are cheating assholes, then you really can't pick them out all the time. Someone can seem normal and be a jerk.
No, you don't have to assume that. Honestly I don't know why people think like this past their teen years. Interacting with enough people should tell you that different people are different and that the world is more complex than what you are assuming here. Seriously, why do you think this way?
I've run into this before and from what I can tell when someone does this what is happening is that they are projecting their own way of thinking on to others, is that what you are doing here? But since we're not all the same inside it's a bad idea to assume you know why someone thinks what they do. Instead of just assuming you know, why not ask why I said what I said?
You can pick up on patterns that people will behave in, no one is really a special snowflake. For example if you're on a date with someone: are they rude to the wait staff or strangers? Or if they are having a normal conversation and someone corrects what they are saying ("actually, Strabucks is on the other side of the highway") do they attack the person? More generally, do they live life in the fast lane? These are all very bad signs for a long term stable relationships.
>If you still want to say you're never surprised, I think you have to accept that's a superpower that most people don't have so they're vulnerable even if you're not.
It's not a super-power it's just basic observation. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes or do a deep study of psychology to pick up on people patterns. While this book is dated it's still not a bad guide for social class in America.
Does someone like NASCAR and Thomas Kinkade paintings? Probably lower class.
Does someone show social status insecurity? They may do this by making sure you know what kind of car they drive or what exotic location they went to on vacation. Do they make a show of how much wealth they have? Probably anxious middle class or nouveau riche.
Were you surprised to find out about someone's wealth? Was the sport they did in college Rowing? Probably upper class and have been for a few generations.
It's really not that hard to spot.
This is a great book, and a quick read.
I'm currently reading a book called Class by Paul Fussell that was in my local library's dumpster last week, and he posits that how a person defines "how rich is rich?" is a mark of what social class they're in. He also says that people who talk about it matter-of-factly are in the working class, people who talk about wealth kind of nervously or with euphemisms are in the middle-class, and people who either refuse to talk about it or who expect the questioner to already know are upper-class.
It's a really fascinating book, and from what I've read it answers your question pretty well.
To answer your question myself, I consider $100 a lot of money. I consider spending $100+ in one purchase on non-big-ticket items (big-ticket items being defined by me as appliances, plumbing, computers, vehicles; non-big-ticket items being clothing, bedding, CDs and DVDs, restaurant bills, holiday decorations) to be a mark that somebody is rich. I consider frequent purchases of big-ticket items to be either middle-class or rich. I consider buying more groceries than you can eat before some of it spoils to be a mark of either middle-class or rich. I consider regularly going to concerts or operas (but not necessarily plays) to be a mark of rich people. I consider someone who owns stock to be rich, particularly if they are under 30 years old. I consider people whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have bought them a vehicle, and/or are paying for their insurance (health or vehicle) and/or separate-residential-unit rent and/or college tuition to be from either middle-class or rich families--especially if there is no expectation of repayment.
I consider people who use charge/credit/debit cards to be middle-class or rich. I put this one on a separate line because I feel I should explain it (it's not intuitive). Charge cards have to be paid off every month--so someone who is using one is not comfortable carrying as much cash on them as they charge (whether this be a ton of small purchases or several large ones). Credit/debit card users aren't necessarily in this group, but some of them are. Other credit/debit card users find carrying change a nuisance, because for whatever reason they don't keep track of their money to the point that they give exact change, or anything resembling it (say, a dollar and two quarters for a $1.45 price), when making purchases. Some don't keep track of their purchases at all--or until they get the list each month--they trust that the money will simply be there. And all of these groups either don't care that they buy things that they don't need, or are really good with their impulse buying without finding alternate ways to curb it. Some debit card users are the type with a strict budget, but who make large purchases (say, people with families)--but I consider even those people to be middle-class. Last, you have to have a good credit score to get a charge card or a credit card without incredibly high interest, and in my experience most working-class people either don't make enough money to have a bank account or get paid in cash/go to check-cashing businesses or don't trust banks (so they don't have debit cards).
I'll consider myself well-off when I can buy a vehicle & pay the insurance/gas/what-have-you on it. Or when I can purchase my own house. I'll never be one of those people who buys more food than I can eat, nor one who pays so much for furniture that I'm afraid to sit on it. I won't consider myself rich when I start paying for my own university fees because I know I will be scraping for every penny to do so.
So far, the book that I mentioned is tagging me as either upper-working-class or lower-middle-class, though I told people who asked me before I'd started reading this book that I was working-class. I recognize that the traits that mark me as lower-middle-class I have only developed as a result of my moving more towards the DC area than the area in which I grew up in, and thus being influenced by my relatively recently-made middle-class or upper-middle-class friends. Also, this is the reason that I feel uncomfortable doing things with said middle-class friends.
yes. Read "Class" by Paul Fussell.
I'm mostly pulling from this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Class-Through-American-Status-System/dp/0671792253
I recommend people read it, if only for the tips on how to fit a suit properly. It isn't a "guide to being classy" so much as a book that describes the identifying features of the various levels of American social stratification. It may be from the 80's, but save for the chapter on casual fashion, nothing has changed. Although what's popular at the time, the concepts and attitudes underlying purchasing decisions have remained constant. I'll warn you that it is very depressing, as it will point out a lot of things that you habitually do and say that mark you as a plebe. Some examples are wearing any jewelry or choosing words designed to "elevate" something (ie, limo vs. car)
The idea is that any visible attempt at raising status is really negative-status; a true upper class person would wear a simple well-tailored suit with no extras like cuff-links and monograms, and let his well-bred personality speak for itself.
One good thing thoug
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