Snobbery
Author
Discussion

Evoluzione

Original Poster:

10,345 posts

272 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
Are you a snob? Are you a PH snob? Are you the victim of snobbery?

Oooh, call me now on 08000 288291. Calls are free from most landlines. Some networks and Mobile operators may charge.



Sorry I can never start a thread like this without going into Jeremy Vine mode in my head biggrin

Anyhow, moving on.
At the moment on PH we have the Jobsnob thread whereby people tell someone it is beneath them to do a certain job, we also have the boiler snobs who are making up stories to dissuade someone from buying a perfectly good 'working man' combi boiler because they themselves own a £2.5k superboiler.
In engine building World we have (amongst other things) 'rod snobs. These are people with more money than sense and will go out of their way to tell someone an £800 set of connecting rods will somehow do a much better job than a £250 set to your average man on the street.
What are your thoughts on snobs?

S54B32

7,543 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
Isn't this just where an individual is more interested in a particular segment than, so puts a higher value on quality goods?

Perhaps this thread is more about how these people make you feel?

bloomen

10,085 posts

188 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
I can be a snob with myself. I often find myself buying fancier and more capable things than are actually needed just because I like the idea of it. I don't tell anyone else and it's not as if anyone else will care either.

Does that make me a secret snob or does the secrecy cancel it out?

so called

9,160 posts

238 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
S54B32 said:
Isn't this just where an individual is more interested in a particular segment than, so puts a higher value on quality goods?

Perhaps this thread is more about how these people make you feel?
I think that its more just where an individual is more interested in a particular segment than, so puts a higher value on quality goods and feels the need to let people know that he has paid a higher price for their far better materials and with a sprinkling of the word 'bispoke'.

so called

9,160 posts

238 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
bloomen said:
I can be a snob with myself. I often find myself buying fancier and more capable things than are actually needed just because I like the idea of it. I don't tell anyone else and it's not as if anyone else will care either.

Does that make me a secret snob or does the secrecy cancel it out?
I think in your case, secrecy = modesty.

randlemarcus

13,646 posts

260 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
bloomen said:
I can be a snob with myself. I often find myself buying fancier and more capable things than are actually needed just because I like the idea of it. I don't tell anyone else and it's not as if anyone else will care either.

Does that make me a secret snob or does the secrecy cancel it out?
Maybe that's not snobbery, as you don't feel the need to preach about your superior items to everyone else, and make them aware of your innate superiority. Acid test: if asked directly for advice on which widget to buy, would you recommend quality widget A (that you own), or try and evaluate the use case for the recipient of the advice before telling them Widget B would do, you suppose? smile

bloomen

10,085 posts

188 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
randlemarcus said:
Maybe that's not snobbery, as you don't feel the need to preach about your superior items to everyone else, and make them aware of your innate superiority. Acid test: if asked directly for advice on which widget to buy, would you recommend quality widget A (that you own), or try and evaluate the use case for the recipient of the advice before telling them Widget B would do, you suppose? smile
I would go for B. And then perhaps my snobbery would start for real, but still in secret. I'll have to test it out.

randlemarcus

13,646 posts

260 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
bloomen said:
I would go for B. And then perhaps my snobbery would start for real, but still in secret. I'll have to test it out.
That's interesting. You deem the inferior product as suitable for the advisee, but haven't done any delving into what it will be used for, or how often. Is that because you're actually embarrassed how much Widget A cost, and don't want to tell the advisee you just paid £2800 for a Pacojet, when a £10 frozen bowl job would have done you for the three times a year you make ice cream?

bloomen

10,085 posts

188 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
randlemarcus said:
That's interesting. You deem the inferior product as suitable for the advisee, but haven't done any delving into what it will be used for, or how often. Is that because you're actually embarrassed how much Widget A cost, and don't want to tell the advisee you just paid £2800 for a Pacojet, when a £10 frozen bowl job would have done you for the three times a year you make ice cream?
I often go for outrageous overkill for myself even though I also know I'll barely brush its true potential.

If grandma decided she wanted to become a silver surfer I would tell her to get a Chromebook even though the very idea of them makes me want to puke. It'll do the right job for her.

It's area dependent for me. Certain areas the snobbery goes the other way and I find it very satisfying to choose the bare minimum. In others it has to be the best.

shirt

25,410 posts

230 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
bloomen said:
I can be a snob with myself. I often find myself buying fancier and more capable things than are actually needed just because I like the idea of it. I don't tell anyone else and it's not as if anyone else will care either.

Does that make me a secret snob or does the secrecy cancel it out?
This. Sometimes it’s due to the fact I know it’s objectively better (e.g the example of con rods is a good one) even if overspecced, particularly if it is something I want to keep for a very long time. Sometimes it’s subjective and sometimes even based on the fact I like the look of it more than the alternatives.


valiant

14,170 posts

189 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
If it’s something that I intend to use time and time again or want it to last then quality over cost every time. If it’s for a one off job then it’s very much a Chinese special and hope that’ll last for the job in hand. If it lasts any longer then that’s a bonus.

lauda

4,425 posts

236 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
We all have particular things where we're happy to spend a bit (or sometimes a lot) more than is strictly necessary on something because we enjoy it that little bit more. Might be coffee or clothes or cars. That isn't snobbery, it's just personal preference.

Snobbery is when you judge someone else for not feeling the same way about that thing as you or thinking that they ought to.

Wildcat45

8,159 posts

218 months

Tuesday 28th July 2020
quotequote all
I am a snob, and always have been.

It's not class I am snobby about, it's behaviour manners and to a certain extent intellect.

I don't like noisy rude inconsiderate thick people. They tend to be traits seen in certain socio economic groups but they're not exclusive. A bunch of braying Hooray Henries piss me off as much as a bunch of chavs.

People who aren't aware of others who display boorish behaviour or who assume their lifestyle is the only lifestyle. This can apply just as much to posh people. There's a place I go occasionally (a book shop) that is frequented by academic types and their families. Badly dressed beardy men and their equally badly dressed wives and kids, so self absorbed that they think nothing of pushing in front of folks clattering car doors into other cars and the like.

When I say I'm snobbish about thick people I don't mean I look down in anyone without qualifications. We can't all be Einstein - i know I'm not. If you can behave properly and hold a basic conversation then great. But thick and proud, school of hard knocks, university of life types bring out the snob in me.

Class is an odd one. I respect a bog cleaner and would have one as a mate just as much as I would a surgeon or whatever. It's that lumpen sub class that I really don't like whether they dwell in a council estate or live in a £1M mansion.

An example would be one of my local bars. It's in a pretty upmarket place where we all live. There are professionals the odd academic military manual workers musicians - a whole mix. It's far from quiet but it's a friendly come as you are type place. At a certain point on a Saturday afternoon the atmosphere changes. The clientele gets louder, people push at the bar, a bouncer comes on duty there is less craft beer ordered and more later poured. Not exactly PLU.

Edited by Wildcat45 on Tuesday 28th July 16:34

RMDB9

1,711 posts

77 months

Saturday 1st August 2020
quotequote all
Wildcat45 said:
There are professionals the odd academic military manual workers musicians - a whole mix.
(...)
a bouncer comes on duty there is less craft beer ordered and more later poured.
Man, that is hard to read! Some commas?

sunbeam alpine

7,249 posts

217 months

Saturday 1st August 2020
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I'm definitely a snob. I'm way too good to be on here!

Oh bugger...

smile

anonymous-user

83 months

Saturday 1st August 2020
quotequote all
Peasants..

QuickQuack

2,811 posts

130 months

Sunday 2nd August 2020
quotequote all
Wildcat45 said:
Stuff...
A real snob would never accept or admit that they're a snob.

Lemming Train

5,567 posts

101 months

Sunday 2nd August 2020
quotequote all
Evoluzione said:
At the moment on PH we have the Jobsnob thread whereby people tell someone it is beneath them to do a certain job, we also have the boiler snobs who are making up stories to dissuade someone from buying a perfectly good 'working man' combi boiler because they themselves own a £2.5k superboiler.
In engine building World we have (amongst other things) 'rod snobs. These are people with more money than sense and will go out of their way to tell someone an £800 set of connecting rods will somehow do a much better job than a £250 set to your average man on the street.
What are your thoughts on snobs?
You missed the recent posts in the 'cashless society' thread where some members seemed to be attempting to 'out do' each other boasting about their 5k-a-year Natwest Black card which was followed by a discussion about the merits of using one's American Express card to buy sundry items in the local corner shop. All very (s)nobbish and rather cringeworthy.

RDMcG

20,851 posts

236 months

Sunday 2nd August 2020
quotequote all
You have to care what people think of you to be a snob. Not my thing.





RMDB9

1,711 posts

77 months

Sunday 2nd August 2020
quotequote all
Lemming Train said:
You missed the recent posts in the 'cashless society' thread where some members seemed to be attempting to 'out do' each other boasting about their 5k-a-year Natwest Black card which was followed by a discussion about the merits of using one's American Express card to buy sundry items in the local corner shop. All very (s)nobbish and rather cringeworthy.
I went through all 33 pages of said thread and could not find these discussions.