Track 16

Unit 3

Sociology

Social status; flaunting your success

Pages 26 and 27

Listen for main ideas and listen for details

Let’s continue our discussion of social hierarchies by talking about how people achieve status in society and how they try to show it off. Now, whether we like it or not, our status in society depends on things like class, education, wealth, and recognition of success.

And it is society who forms a general consensus of what these things signify, what value they have. Of course, some elements of our status such as social class, we can’t control. Although it’s sometimes possible to work your way up the social pecking order.

Other aspects of our status like wealth and professional success, we can control, at least to some degree. And it’s in these elements, those which we can control that I’d like to concentrate on today.

Let’s look first at the concept of success as it relates to establishing our social status. In most societies, the bottom line is that people generally want to be associated with success. Why? Because it makes them valued in society and it gives them power, influence and prestige.

So, what’s the quickest way to get this power, do you think? Through attaining wealth, of course, the one thing within everyone’s grasp, regardless of their roots. Now, because wealth and success are so important to people, so too are the symbols that signify those things, these so-called status symbols.

Usually, possessions or activities are the things we use to measure a person’s social or economic prestige but for social or economic prestige to be measured, it needs to be noticed, right? Which brings me to conspicuous consumption, the different ways we consume in order to show people our wealth. And not because we really need the things we buy.

You see, we don’t just want to be affluent and successful. We want others to know we’re affluent and successful. And status symbols allow us to advertise our success. We’re all familiar with the big house in the exclusive residential district with the expensive BMW parked in the driveway, right?

Conspicuous consumption is about showing off our wealth and success. So let’s now look at how we do this Through what symbols do we try to show our status? Well, there’s fashion for start. The idea of using cloth to signal social status has a long history.

However, while in the past, status was indicated by who is permitted to wear what, today it’s indicated by the cost of a person’s clothing. Which of course is why designer labels have assumed almost iconic status in global 21st-century culture. A trend originating largely in the fashion houses of Europe around a century ago. The idea is if you can afford Dior, Chanel or Vivian Westwood then you must be a high flyer.

Okay, how many of you heard of trophy wives or trophy husbands? Any one? How we sort of acquire husbands or wives like we acquired trophies to act as symbols of status? Well, it seems that trophy kids are the new indicators of social status, offspring who say something about their parents. Let’s have a look at this idea now.

You know, if you look back at census data over recent decades, richer has tended to mean fewer kids. As the average incomes of families have increased the smaller those families have become. This is changing though, and recent data suggest that the better off you are, the more kids you have. Why this change? Because like I said, kids are a great way of signaling status. Perhaps they go to the most prestigious schools, enjoy elite sports and so on. Their parents may be able to talk about the yachting or horse riding championships their children have won or perhaps their entry into Harvard or Yale. The point, these kids are symbols to the outside world that their parents have made it.

Now, as we’ve seen status symbols have a lot to do with ownership and the idea of conspicuous consumption, being able to show off your wealth. But there’s a new idea now being talked about called status skills. The idea that by mastering certain skills, we acquire status. TV shows are reflecting and probably driving this new obsession. And more and more organizations are jumping on the bandwagon here. They’re trying to meet demands by offering professionally run courses in areas such as cooking, dancing, gardening, winemaking, scuba diving. And vacations are increasingly selling on the basis of skills rather than thrills, with companies building in opportunities to develop often exotic or traditionally elite skills such as horse riding, parachuting, bungee jumping, and other fun stuff like that.

Now, acquiring these skills is one thing, however, their value as status symbols is only realized through what’s called storytelling. In other words, through showing off what you’ve learned by talking about it, through creating opportunities for those you want to impress or influence to see your skills. That’s what brings the status.