Thursday, October 16, 2008

Here's your one chance Fancy, don't let me down

I have been accused of classist snobbery, which I've previously explained at great length is chiefly an inward-directed phenomenon revolving around perceived limitations embodied by certain behaviors and a rejection of those limitations, not necessarily derisiveness toward groups of people. Strangely, it's happened enough for it to be a pattern that I make a connection with someone and find out later that they have a similar socioeconomic background or trajectory. At some level I will just never understand the rich; they are different from you and me. Scrappers like us should stick together. We can bond over public school educations and childhood birthday dinners at terrible chain restaurants.

At a certain level, though, I have to admit that I am a big snob. Certain things are high status because they are objectively better. Stand mixers: objectively better than hand mixers. Well cut clothes from durable fabrics: better than thrift store garbage. I know this because for about a year all my clothes were from thrift stores, and now I buy expensive stuff, and the latter is, sorry, better. Sometimes swipple is right! I'm willing to go out on a limb and say beautiful is better, too. Popular can even be better! (Blah blah, of course we should interrogate the underlying sources of our beauty ideals, but that only goes so far.) There is a reason why handlebar mustaches and muttonchops are rare: they are hideous, high maintenance, off-putting to potential kissers, and may indicate some sort of testosterone problem. I don't buy the entire argument of this piece , but the essentially empty oppositionalism that the author notes in the art world is even more present in the general hipster aesthetic. When proponents of beauty are mocked by hipper-than-thou types, I judge them right back (not that they care, necessarily, but I derive immense satisfaction from it).

Responses to your additional points to come, once I knock out a couple of work tasks. In the meantime: I missed the debate, but apparently McCain came out against concern for women's health? I wonder if Cindy could take him in a fight.
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