I use this term quite carefully. Like the other kind, this is stuff that makes you want something you can't realistically have: sex with with women so extreme in their physical attributes that they are probably mostly artificial; levels of pleasure that are probably better on filn than in reality; and it makes you look on your current car with disappointment. Head 2 Head is comparisons of various vehicles that even I would be a fool to buy. The first episode compares two Mercedes offroaders, a 4x4 and 6x6 with price tags >$200K. Some of the other comparisons involve cars in the realm of people with good jobs: Camaro Z28, Ford Mustang. Some are just silly like testing a Bentley.
Apex is what caused me to stop watching. Bugatti Veyron: 1200 HP, top speed 255 mph; $1.5 million price. If you want to know why there is rage at the 1%, it is cars like this, which have no practical value as cars. As one of people involved admitted, these are about bragging rights.
At a symphony concert recently, my companion made a disparaging comment about a group that we could see in one of the prime loge boxes, who indeed seemed to be much more interested in being seen than in paying attention to the orchestra.
ReplyDeleteMy response was that the cost of our tickets, multiplied by the total attendance, came nowhere close to covering the cost of the orchestra and facilities for the performance.
I'm thankful that people pay silly money for box-seats at the symphony and often give big donations to put their names on lobbies or whole buildings, because as a result I get to attend concerts that would otherwise be unaffordable or that wouldn't happen at all.
Likewise, I see luxury tech products serving as guinea pigs for tech that will eventually see the mass-market. As a very clean example; the Tesla model 3 will eventually ship. Owners of this average-priced sedan will have benefited from the fettling done on the much more expensive predecessor cars. Bugatti is VW group pushing the limits of technology -- even at such an exorbitant cost they don't make money on it, but they get both the "halo" and the knowledge that comes from having done it.
I would add that it isn't a case of "need", as the socialists/communists want everything to be rated at. Capitalist systems see it as a "want", and are willing to work for it. Which one is more successful?
ReplyDeleteBe careful you don't fall into that mode of thinking. LOTS of things in today's world could be labeled as frivolous. Hell, almost everything could fit into that bin, if you give enough people the power to make such a decision. You won't like that world.
I wish the people were more moral in their choices of what they want, for the most part.
The missus likes to look at the 6- and 7-figure properties on zazzle.com, even though she knows they are out of our reach. (We being embittered 99-percenters.) I sometimes watch those car shows on the "velocity channel," even though I realize it's only car porn, and always will be unless unexpected millions in discretionary funds somehow come my way.
ReplyDeleteReal estate snobs and car snobs are probably not much different from golf club snobs, fishin' pole snobs, and grill/barbecue snobs, except they have a few extra trailing zeros to deal with.
I try not to be bitter about any of it... what? Should the government redistribute the money so NOBODY can buy the good stuff?
Not bitter; it just seems stupid. There's a lot of suffering that could be alleviated by buying a cheap little Ferrari instead.
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