The Snobbery Thread

[WhiteRoseKillie]

44 minutes ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

No idea where the rise of the idea of snobbery, entitlement and perceived betterment has come from in the, say, past 10 years or so in the UK.

No idea at all. 

10 years? And the rest, man. Young Bliar specifically went after mondeo man, remember. Simpler days, when a shitty Ford Repmobile was something to aspire to.

[NotThePars]

^
Stuck up snob.

Aye pretty much. I would defend myself though by saying I like a lot of shite but I know it’s shite and don’t pretend it’s high art or whatever.

Having a mortgage and a leased car are perfectly normal things.  They must be as I have both.
I think that the conspicious consumption thing drives a lot of snobbery, from the blunt sort of "people on benefits with flat screen TVs" to more subtle views of social markers, tastelessness etc.
I am lucky enough to be in a reasonably well paid job but I do find some of the stuff colleagues spend their money on to be completely insane.  One of my colleagues has six TVs in his house (living room, kitchen, his room, two kids rooms and bathroom).  Am I being a snob when I think that's over the top?  

There was a tweet the other day which said that in their experience it was pretentious middle class people who didn’t have a TV in their house which tracks from my experience. There’s probably a happy medium of around 1 TV per person in a household.

People driving leased cars really seems to wind a lot of posters up.

I think it’s less the leasing and more the status symbol of people leasing cars they can’t afford to be seen as big shots. A lot of people taking David Brent’s “does a struggling salesman start turning up in a new bicycle? No, he turns up in a newer car. Perception, yeah?” quote as valuable advice.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Yeah, Im sure Stuart Dickson would disagree. 

[ICTChris]

Just now, NotThePars said:

I think it’s less the leasing and more the status symbol of people leasing cars they can’t afford to be seen as big shots. A lot of people taking David Brent’s “does a struggling salesman start turning up in a new bicycle? No, he turns up in a newer car. Perception, yeah?” quote as valuable advice.

 

There's an element in projecting here - people who drive BMWs are trying to be seen as big shots.

 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Two are second hand thay were given to me so I think I'm ok!

Sorry but unless you have a 55" brand new telly you will not be able to incur the wrath of Daily Mail types. Try harder [emoji1787]

[Derry Alli]

There's a few food snobs on this forum. Some guys whip up brilliant dishes and get hit with "should have added some green bean vinegarette" because they work in a pub kitchen. 

[WhiteRoseKillie]

17 minutes ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

I think the older you get, the more disposable income that you have, you can have a tendency (even inadvertently) of being a snob.
 

Only if you can't think of a way to use that income rather than buying bigger/better/newer/dearer versions of stuff you already have, simply because you can, rather than because you need to. When I had a bit more disposable income, once the Rosettes started flying the nest, I spent a bit on reviving my old hobby of plastic modelling, which eats up a fair old bit of cash* with very little social kudos, but it keeps me happy - and makes me no better or worse than the next man.

*More than Mrs WRK believes, but that's a different story..

[Michael W]

4 minutes ago, Empty It said:

10 minutes ago, beesher said:

People driving leased cars really seems to wind a lot of posters up.

Nope people that think they're better than someone because they drive a new car which is basically a long term rental is what annoys most.

There is a reason they are so ubiquitous - easy money for the dealership who can keep bringing in recurring revenue as the client won't ever own the car. 

I find the thought of that as highly annoying, so wouldn't lease a car unless it was a last resort or I was self-employed and using the car for business. I think what is basically renting a car for what in many cases will be just about forever is a pretty terrible use of money, but people are happy to do it and that's their choice. They can spend their money as they see fit. 

10 minutes ago, beesher said:

People driving leased cars really seems to wind a lot of posters up.

There is an element of snobbery about leased cars, to be fair. Look at the amount of BMWs, Audis and Mercs on the road now compared with fifteen years ago. There are more of them because people who would never have been able to afford to buy one of these cars can however afford to lease it. 

Now that they can afford it, some people get precious about it - how can they afford that car? Why aren't they driving a clapped-out Focus, more akin to their salary level? Must be something dodgy there. Some people feel threatened that the wealth gap they imagine exists between themselves and this other person (the other person of course being of the "lower" social standing) is narrowing and then they are upset about it. This person has a new A5 meanwhile here I am cutting about in a 2012 plate Mazda, oh the humanity! 

Saying that, anyone acting billy big baws because of their new car and thinking that this makes them better, is a c**t. There is a show-off element about the new car every four years as well. It goes both ways. 

[WhiteRoseKillie]

43 minutes ago, beesher said:

People driving leased cars really seems to wind a lot of posters up.

I think it's more people who rent cars which they then pretend to own* which wind others up. Not something that bothers me, tbh. As long as a motor is reliable, economical and not a complete skip, it'll do for me.

*Unless they're daft enough to think that they do own them, which is a whole differerent thing.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Only if you can't think of a way to use that income rather than buying bigger/better/newer/dearer versions of stuff you already have, simply because you can, rather than because you need to. When I had a bit more disposable income, once the Rosettes started flying the nest, I spent a bit on reviving my old hobby of plastic modelling, which eats up a fair old bit of cash* with very little social kudos, but it keeps me happy - and makes me no better or worse than the next man.
*More than Mrs WRK believes, but that's a different story..

Our money has gone into our house and garden - more an issue with wanting a comfortable retirement than anything else.

The one thing we do splash out on is our holidays - I'd rather pay a little more than rough it tbqh.

What I'm about to say might make me sound like a snob but we've had holidays which were spoiled by some chavvy b*****ds. Worst was being in Cape Verde when Thomas Cook decided to decant Londoners there from Tunisia after the attacks (swapping a holiday for one that cost 3 times as much) - having our second week ruined by folk literally shitting in the pool (remember the logging nonsense?) and letting their feral offspring run riot whilst they got drunk was not my idea of fun.

[beesher]

There are a few examples of this in my workplace, the most recent being absolute disgust when I had the audacity to have a pot noodle for lunch. Also if I ask anyone if they want a McDonalds, people will genuinely laugh as if the thought of having a Mcdonalds is just totally ridiculous.

I can be a bit like this myself, I tend to be put off holiday destinations if they are a bit 'common', when in reality I would probably enjoy going to a Majorca etc. as much as anywhere else. 

[pozbaird]

I’ve played golf since age 13, and am now 60. I’ve therefore been in and around golf clubs for a long, long time. Don’t think I’ve ever encountered snobbery in that world.

And, ahem, moving right along.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

The biggest snobs I've ever come across are the wives of higher ranks in the army - the nonsense that they get treated as the same rank as their spouse seems to go to their heads.

[Arch Stanton]

 

[TheScarf]

How is leasing a car any different from sticking a deposit down and then paying it up for the next 4 years?  You're still paying £200 plus a month for a brand new car.

I know the end result is different, again, either way you do it you still have to pay it for years.  I agree with the above, the seethe leasing a car on here creates is weird. Am I correct in saying - Leasing a car for £300 a month for 3 years = bad,  Paying £1000 of a deposit then paying £250 a month for 3 years = good?

[Duszek]

I'll admit, I have a hard time juggling the notion that all humans are equal in fundamental worth & moral status with Leigh Griffiths.

 

 

 

[pozbaird]

A few years ago I visited Berlin for the first time. On the EasyJet flight over there were a party of Scottish guys heading there on a stag do. The groom was dressed as the Freddie Starr version of Hitler, with the wellies etc. On a flight to Berlin, these kunts thought that was funny, and a good idea.

I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and get as far away from them as possible. I don’t like being around ignorant, obnoxious, drunk, objectionable kunts.

If that makes me a snob, so be it. 

[welshbairn]

9 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

How is leasing a car any different from sticking a deposit down and then paying it up for the next 4 years?  You're still paying £200 plus a month for a brand new car.

I know the end result is different, again, either way you do it you still have to pay it for years.  I agree with the above, the seethe leasing a car on here creates is weird. Am I correct in saying - Leasing a car for £300 a month for 3 years = bad,  Paying £1000 of a deposit then paying £250 a month for 3 years = good?

I haven't seen any seethe on this, it just depends on what you're after. If you want a brand new car every 3 years, lease, if you just want something to get from A to B, buy a 3 year old car with low mileage and run it till it's just about ready for scrap and trade it in for another.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

13 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

How is leasing a car any different from sticking a deposit down and then paying it up for the next 4 years?  You're still paying £200 plus a month for a brand new car.

I know the end result is different, again, either way you do it you still have to pay it for years.  I agree with the above, the seethe leasing a car on here creates is weird. Am I correct in saying - Leasing a car for £300 a month for 3 years = bad,  Paying £1000 of a deposit then paying £250 a month for 3 years = good?

One way, you have (at least some) part-ex on your next car, the other you don't. Depends on how the sums add up in each case. I'd never consider leasing, for instance, when I was doing 2k miles/month for work. Now I'm doing a quarter of that, it would be more attractive. My car, though, is my - bought and paid for - car. I just like it that way.

[Ross.]

1 hour ago, beesher said:

People driving leased cars really seems to wind a lot of posters up.

I don’t understand why anyone would do it, but I think that’s more personal choice than snobbery. I bought a second hand Polo for about 10 grand a couple of years ago. When I drive into work I sit it between my bosses car and another colleagues car. One is a huge BMW of some kind, the other an Audi. My boss was paying 1500 a month to lease his car, I assume the other one won’t be far off that if not more. They pay as much on a 6 monthly basis as I paid outright. Even taking into consideration the extra costs I will accrue in servicing it and the like, I just think it’s absolutely fucking mental and a monumental waste of money.

21 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

How is leasing a car any different from sticking a deposit down and then paying it up for the next 4 years?  You're still paying £200 plus a month for a brand new car.

I know the end result is different, again, either way you do it you still have to pay it for years.  I agree with the above, the seethe leasing a car on here creates is weird. Am I correct in saying - Leasing a car for £300 a month for 3 years = bad,  Paying £1000 of a deposit then paying £250 a month for 3 years = good?

My point above covers it for me. I just think there’s a huge amount of waste in always paying for something you will never own. Each to their own I guess.