Whenever someone goes to a concert, he or she usually purchases a concert T-shirt as a commemoration of the event. There is an underlying reason, however, for purchasing such an item: to impress other people.
I remember my sister wore an Aerosmith concert T-shirt to the mall one day. I noticed people ogling her shirt until one woman approached her and said, "Wow, you are so lucky to have gone to an Aerosmith concert!"
Jewelry and sartorial attire are impressive symbols that have signified affluence for centuries. (It is safe to say that such elegant garments worn today do not represent one's social status anymore. They are primarily used to impress people nowadays). Souvenirs from different vacation spots--magnets, postcards, bracelets, necklaces, etc.-- are purchased not only to preserve memories, but also to reveal to others that someone has traveled abroad.
To conclude, one of the roles of symbols is to arouse admiration from others. People enjoy being flattered.
-Chloe Martianou
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I agree. I think that a broader view of what you're saying is that symbols harbor competition among people. We want to impress people subtly by a T-shirt or a piece of jewelry rather than bluntly (and immaturely) saying, "Look what I have that you don't have."
ReplyDelete-- tori lee
Agreed. Symbols definitely play a significant role in representing social status and one's membership in certain social grops. Just as important as the symbol, though, can be the lack of a symbol, which in itself is a symbol (see pg. 16). Not wearing jewelry or not wearing fancy clothes is often a sign on nonconformism rather than a lack of financial means.
ReplyDelete(A fun quote "If everyone is a nonconformist, then is the only true way of becoming a nonconformist to conform?")
-Bryce Cody
After reading these posts, I remembered a paragraph Hayakawa wrote on the necessity of conformity. Conformity, at least to me, has a negative connotation. I see it as someone giving up his or her person beliefs for the beliefs of a larger group. This loss of individuality is typically viewed negatively.
ReplyDeleteBut Hakayawa introduces the idea that we must conform in order to survive and thrive as human beings. The fact that we have national currencies, which are in fact worthless scraps of paper, that we use to purchase valuable goods and services is evidence enough. Social conventions such as saying "hello", "goodbye", and "thank you" are also examples. People may not have come together and collectively agreed upon, but a large majority of Americans use dollars to buy a soda and say thank you when given a compliment.
-Chase Fowler