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 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDJhwibFKcI&feature=related Last year I saw a video interview of a modern day hobo that left an impression on me. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the video. Anyhow, what made it interesting is that a well to do executive took a month off every year to be a hobo. A hobo is a vagrant worker who travels [...]

Organizations often establish various symbols in order to identify their members. The images shown here include insignia from a collegiate secret society, motorcycle club, Scottish clan’s tartan plaid, university logo, military unit, street gang, and a Polish clan’s coat of arms. I would classify all these as formal symbols because the conventions that establish them [...]

  There is a motorcycle-rally currently taking place near my house and I couldn’t help from trying to measure things up. Most Harley Riders don’t belong to motorcycle gangs. In fact, most enthusiasts claim that “ninety-nine percent are law abiding citizens” (I think that statement comes from the American Motorcycle Association). Nevertheless, some clubs have [...]

At Earlham College, it is customary to address faculty and administrators by their first name rather than professor. This tradition evolved from the school’s Quaker origins. Quakers believe that simplicity and plainness is one of the pillars of religious virtue. Quakers often refuse to use pre-nominals such as mister, sir, or doctor. Does the apparent [...]

Evidently, there is a trend in Chinese business for hiring white foreigners to pose as important dignitaries. The presence of a visiting CEO from Europe or America increases the prestige of the hosting company. This prestige has led to companies staging events and hiring expats to pose as foreign VIPs. According to Zhang Haihua, author [...]

Bling bling is a style associated with hip-hop sub-culture. A grandiose display of jewelry, gold, and diamonds denotes its exuberance with no uncertainty. Wearing several large gold chains at once is common. Large gold dollar sign pendants are also a stereotype of the style. I believe the real hallmark of bling bling is that it [...]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuehXl4lpRQ&feature=related A few years ago, Erik Wachmeister had the idea to start a social network website for a select group of global acquaintances. It is worth mentioning that Erik is the son of a Swedish ambassador and aristocrat, Count Wilhelm Wachmeister. Erik’s creation was aSmallWorld.net, branded as a social network for those who already know [...]

I said to myself, “eureka,” as it occurred to me that the classifieds section might just be the ultimate source of “status presentations.” A casual glance did not disappoint me… A self-described wealthy older man is looking for a woman to attend domestic and international events with. The right woman must be petite, classy, and [...]

What does that online profile say about you? Many people offer up their interests, their hobbies, favorite movies, authors, and quotes and this establishes a person’s aesthetic and life-style preferences. Some interests might be indicators of status but that does not necessarily make them a conscious conveyance of status. Looking through my Facebook friends, I [...]

Barnet Newman paintings Image Licensed under Creative Commons with attribution rights by flickr user Joethelion There are those that wonder how a simple line painted on canvas came to be considered one of the modern world’s greatest artistic achievements. There is something pleasing about the shear simplicity of it. Nevertheless, this gentle quality is overshadowed [...]

Second Life is a virtual community where participants interact with their environment and others through avatars. I developed an awareness of Second Life from an ethnographic article in the most recent addition of Symbolic Interaction. That article focused on sexual language and behavior in Second Life. Interestingly, you can meet somebody in Second Life and [...]

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