Atlanta class obsession/Class insecurity. (Boston: credit, neighborhoods, DMV)

[PedestriAnne]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

dude last time ti checked I was a human. I don't do what Atlanta people do so you have to come from a different angle. Its not like I'm mad at Atlanta culture, its just funny sometimes. Nothing human about it.

I think what WoX is trying to say is that there's no place you can go where you won't find some people who act like that. They're not doing it because of where they live, they're doing it because that's just one of an infinite number of shortcomings that human beings can have. Sometimes on Facebook I see posts and photos from a few people I went to high school with who were pretentious, status-conscious and brand-obsessed in a small town in Tennessee and remain that way 20 years later and spread out all over the country.

When I first moved here from Memphis, I remember being really puzzled by how so many things in Atlanta were straining to be "fancy." In Memphis you don't see the word exclusive/celebrity/VIP/luxury/designer slapped on every birdhouse and ham sandwich you come across like it is here. But in Memphis I certainly knew people living with their parents so they could spend every dime they made on a brand-new car or living in big apartments with not much more than a bed, a TV, a card table, a couple of folding chairs and a microwave. Plenty of people there were making $10 an hour, but getting credit cards so they could buy a DVD player back when they cost $500 or be the first among their friends to have a cell phone or digital camera. Different time, different place, same behavior.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Yeah, stuff like that doesn't happen in NYC or Miami or DC or {insert any other city on the planet here}. You're fooling yourself if you don't realize this is a human trait.

Exactly.

Booker T. Washington spoke of this behavior over a century ago in "Up From Slavery" during his time in DC with bellhops who spent most of their pay to ride a carriage or the others rented pianos in their homes to fit in. Nothing has changed at all.

A lot of African Americans do it to show white america and "lower class blacks" that they have "arrived." It happens all over the country so I don't know why people seem want to harp on Atlanta like it is some unique situation...

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by PedestriAnne

I think what WoX is trying to say is that there's no place you can go where you won't find some people who act like that. They're not doing it because of where they live, they're doing it because that's just one of an infinite number of shortcomings that human beings can have. Sometimes on Facebook I see posts and photos from a few people I went to high school with who were pretentious, status-conscious and brand-obsessed in a small town in Tennessee and remain that way 20 years later and spread out all over the country.

When I first moved here from Memphis, I remember being really puzzled by how so many things in Atlanta were straining to be "fancy." In Memphis you don't see the word exclusive/celebrity/VIP/luxury/designer slapped on every birdhouse and ham sandwich you come across like it is here. But in Memphis I certainly knew people living with their parents so they could spend every dime they made on a brand-new car or living in big apartments with not much more than a bed, a TV, a card table, a couple of folding chairs and a microwave. Plenty of people there were making $10 an hour, but getting credit cards so they could buy a DVD player back when they cost $500 or be the first among their friends to have a cell phone or digital camera. Different time, different place, same behavior.

I keep saying Atlanta Culture for a reason. You do know what culture means right?

[hatgirl007]

Originally Posted by ericsonga

Is it lonely up there on that high horse?

Although, there are several points I agree with, I don't think that the problem is somehow based or based solely in Atlanta. I live in Buckhead and frequent a few 'upmarket' establishments. It's the exception, not the norm to see pretentious displays of wealth.

Also I know several people who could be described as 'Barbie Dolls,' one being my very best friend actually, who are incredibly smart. One should be careful not to label another so quickly on how they appear or are perceived.

ericsonga. I'm not sitting on a high horse. Let me clarify that I don't think all "barbie dolls" are not intelligent. I think that's far from true. I always give people the benefit of the doubt but when certain behaviors are displayed I have to call it like it is. Glad you agreed with some of my thoughts.

I also agree Atlanta is not alone when it comes to this situation. I always say similar situations are often packaged differently depending on your location however the scenario is still the same.

[meep]

This thread is great. but to comment on the general tone on thread....

People need to stop trying to divorce social identity from material goods. Yes, we buy expensive things to impress others, not because we are weak, but primarily social animals. if i make 15 dollars an hour and buy a benz, that may be a stupid financial decision, but it puts me a step up the social ladder.it puts me in the faces of more important people(read rich) and presents me the oppurtunity to approach them without them being defensive thinking i want something(even if that is my intent).appearances matter, our indentity isnt limited to our introspection.

i guess id just say go ahead and be materialistic Atlantans, just have a character that can sustain and benefit from that lifestyle socially.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Excellent point that gets forgotten by many black people, especially the so-called "leaders of the black community."

This especially comes to play when we have political campaigns that take the black vote for granted on the Democrat side. The assumption is that all black people have the same opinions and self-interests, which is not the case. Guys like Herman Cain end up taking more heat from the "black community" and its so-called leaders than they do from anyone in the white community.

I don't think mentioning Cain does anything for your argument, given the things he's said about Black folks in general (i.e., they/we have the same values and thought-patterns when it comes to political issues in particular).

[arjay57]

Atlanta is no more status conscious than any other big city. There may be subgroups who obsess on that kind of stuff but you'll find that everywhere.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Atlanta is no more status conscious than any other big city. There may be subgroups who obsess on that kind of stuff but you'll find that everywhere.

let you tell it. Atlanta does have that type of culture.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

let you tell it. Atlanta does have that type of culture.

Will all respect, FlyiMetro, maybe you are hanging with the wrong crowd, or giving them too much credence. If they are et up with themselves, it may be time to find a new crew.

[PedestriAnne]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

I keep saying Atlanta Culture for a reason. You do know what culture means right?

I'm pretty sure I do know what culture means, which is why I'm also pretty sure that there's no single "Atlanta culture."

I've only lived in four places, but none of them were lacking a segment of the population whose foremost ambition in life was to call attention to themselves. In a metro area of about 5 million people, if only 2 percent of them are "Look at meee!" types, that's still 100,000 obnoxious, ostentatious people. And with the self-promotion that reality TV and the internet allow, it can feel like you're surrounded by those 100,000 people. People like that are probably also drawn to certain lines of work, certain neighborhoods, stores and social events. If your life involves interacting with people in those professions or spending time in those places, it might seem like everyone you run into is like that.