Wealth V Taste
Discussion
Throwing this one out there as I am staggered by the amount of financially succesful individuals who seem to have absolutely no idea of what is tasteful and what is utterly crass. Footballers, I understand...init boys...fair enough as no idea from the outset. Count them out.
I'm talking 'business'.. look at say Theo Paphitis....succesful..wealthy and simply hopeless..
I think it starts with the Private Plate at the low end , creeping up to Mansory for the ultimate in bling tat.
Can anyone shed some light why this should be ?.
I'm talking 'business'.. look at say Theo Paphitis....succesful..wealthy and simply hopeless..
I think it starts with the Private Plate at the low end , creeping up to Mansory for the ultimate in bling tat.
Can anyone shed some light why this should be ?.
Different cultural norms and backgrounds probably.
As Sanjeev Bhaskar joked on Top Gear, Indian parents are probably the only ones who would watch 'the fast and the furious' and say to their child that they should aspire to a neon illuminated Nissan covered in stickers when they became a successful <insert high end profession here>.
As Sanjeev Bhaskar joked on Top Gear, Indian parents are probably the only ones who would watch 'the fast and the furious' and say to their child that they should aspire to a neon illuminated Nissan covered in stickers when they became a successful <insert high end profession here>.
otolith said:
Worrying about whether others perceive one's choices as tasteful is a middle class obsession. Those outside that group, in either direction, don't give a toss.
The bottom end mind have little sense of taste, but I think you'll struggle to make that stick with the upper end.mybrainhurts said:
The bottom end mind have little sense of taste, but I think you'll struggle to make that stick with the upper end.
In their case, it's not a matter of lacking taste, it's a matter of having enough confidence in their own taste not to give a damn whether others share it. They don't tend to buy flash things to impress others, but nor do they tend to deny themselves something they want because the neighbours might not approve.I'm not sure why anyone would think that wealth and taste would correlate any more than wealth and eyesight.
Taste is by its nature subjective as much as sense of humour and also culturally influenced. Most British people would find Arab "good taste" garish and OTT while a Russian may find Swedish "good taste" dour and drab.
Taste is by its nature subjective as much as sense of humour and also culturally influenced. Most British people would find Arab "good taste" garish and OTT while a Russian may find Swedish "good taste" dour and drab.
[quote=otolith]
They don't tend to buy flash things to impress others quote]
Don't think so somehow.
Look at 'old Money'...wouldn't be seen dead in a 911 let alone a super car. No, they prefer the understated Subaru Forester (green)....closest they would come would be a Scimiter or Bristol. This can be perceived by some as inverted snobbery , as are the scuffed cuffs and moth eaten jumpers.
They would argue they can't win either way.
They don't tend to buy flash things to impress others quote]
Don't think so somehow.
Look at 'old Money'...wouldn't be seen dead in a 911 let alone a super car. No, they prefer the understated Subaru Forester (green)....closest they would come would be a Scimiter or Bristol. This can be perceived by some as inverted snobbery , as are the scuffed cuffs and moth eaten jumpers.
They would argue they can't win either way.
kambites said:
Why woudl wealth and taste be in any way linked?
Besides taste is, by it's very nature, entirely subjective.
This.Besides taste is, by it's very nature, entirely subjective.
Although being rich makes it easier to make extravegant displays of taste/tastelessness. Which is why Tramps never have 22" gold plated spinners on the shopping trollies they steal from Tesco.
Robbo66 said:
Throwing this one out there as I am staggered by the amount of financially succesful individuals who seem to have absolutely no idea of what is tasteful and what is utterly crass. Footballers, I understand...init boys...fair enough as no idea from the outset. Count them out.
I'm talking 'business'.. look at say Theo Paphitis....succesful..wealthy and simply hopeless..
I think it starts with the Private Plate at the low end , creeping up to Mansory for the ultimate in bling tat.
Can anyone shed some light why this should be ?.
That is proper tat! just like that stationary shop he owns! I'm talking 'business'.. look at say Theo Paphitis....succesful..wealthy and simply hopeless..
I think it starts with the Private Plate at the low end , creeping up to Mansory for the ultimate in bling tat.
Can anyone shed some light why this should be ?.
Captain Muppet said:
kambites said:
Why woudl wealth and taste be in any way linked?
Besides taste is, by it's very nature, entirely subjective.
This.Besides taste is, by it's very nature, entirely subjective.
Although being rich makes it easier to make extravegant displays of taste/tastelessness. Which is why Tramps never have 22" gold plated spinners on the shopping trollies they steal from Tesco.
Robbo66 said:
otolith said:
They don't tend to buy flash things to impress others
Don't think so somehow. Look at 'old Money'...wouldn't be seen dead in a 911 let alone a super car. No, they prefer the understated Subaru Forester (green)....closest they would come would be a Scimiter or Bristol. This can be perceived by some as inverted snobbery , as are the scuffed cuffs and moth eaten jumpers.
They would argue they can't win either way.
Bloke I used to know, Eton educated, son of Scottish gentry, wore a great big shiny Rolex that your typical wideboy done good would think was very impressively flash and your typical middle class handwringer would think unspeakably vulgar. He just thought it was a nice watch and wore it because he liked it. He wasn't trying to impress anyone with an ostentatious display of wealth and he didn't give a toss what anybody else thought of it.
Robbo66]tolith said:
They don't tend to buy flash things to impress others quote]
Don't think so somehow.
Look at 'old Money'...wouldn't be seen dead in a 911 let alone a super car. No, they prefer the understated Subaru Forester (green)....closest they would come would be a Scimiter or Bristol. This can be perceived by some as inverted snobbery , as are the scuffed cuffs and moth eaten jumpers.
They would argue they can't win either way.
Oh gawd, not this again! Don't think so somehow.
Look at 'old Money'...wouldn't be seen dead in a 911 let alone a super car. No, they prefer the understated Subaru Forester (green)....closest they would come would be a Scimiter or Bristol. This can be perceived by some as inverted snobbery , as are the scuffed cuffs and moth eaten jumpers.
They would argue they can't win either way.
Most "old money battered Volvo" is like that because they are completely skint! Great big house, epic running costs, spent all the family money, desperately trying to keep up appearances. Don't kid yourself that they wouldn't have a new Range Rover in a second if they could afford it.
Either that or, like a very good friend of mine who you'd probably describe as "old money" (and he'd cringe if he heard you), he bimbles around in an old Focus because he couldn't give a toss what others think, but has a few classics tucked quietly away to enjoy when he see's fit.
otolith said:
You are misinterpreting the motivation. The chap with the understated old shed has that because he isn't into cars and feels no need to buy something better to keep up with the Joneses. If he wanted a 911, he'd have one, and wouldn't really care whether you or I think that's inappropriate to his social standing.
Bloke I used to know, Eton educated, son of Scottish gentry, wore a great big shiny Rolex that your typical wideboy done good would think was very impressively flash and your typical middle class handwringer would think unspeakably vulgar. He just thought it was a nice watch and wore it because he liked it. He wasn't trying to impress anyone with an ostentatious display of wealth and he didn't give a toss what anybody else thought of it.
Exactly that as the other alternative! Bloke I used to know, Eton educated, son of Scottish gentry, wore a great big shiny Rolex that your typical wideboy done good would think was very impressively flash and your typical middle class handwringer would think unspeakably vulgar. He just thought it was a nice watch and wore it because he liked it. He wasn't trying to impress anyone with an ostentatious display of wealth and he didn't give a toss what anybody else thought of it.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff