Jul
17
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
July 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment
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 [...]
Jun
28
Everybody Lies
June 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment
“Everybody lies,” is the repetitive assertion of the fictional Dr. House. The truth is that I am actually beginning to believe this fictional character’s maxim. The study of influence is in essence the study of bias and its relation between individual, individuals, groups, and culture. If we have an aesthetic preference, say kakis over baggies [...]
Jun
22
Occupation and Money
June 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I wanted to explore a comment on an earlier post, written by my friend Storme Jaynes. Storme posits that status is about money and the more you have the more status you have. First, I want to say that there appears to be a good deal of individual and cultural relativity in what constitutes status. [...]
Jun
13
The Problem of Formal Symbols
June 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment
With 20 posts, so far, only one post has been categorized as a formal status symbol. “Formal” seemed to be a natural classification but from an interpretive point of view it became apparent that most formal symbols are blatant and need no interpretation as status symbols. Nevertheless, there are many questions surrounding this classification and [...]
May
27
Power through degradation
May 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Can status be elevated by degrading another? Bitch, Cunt, Fag, Gringo, Hillbilly, Idiot, Moron, Nigger, and Redneck are all words designed for that purpose. Of course, degradation can be a lot more subtle and nearly any label can be handed out in derogatory fashion. Degradation is an interesting phenomena because it fits into taboo and [...]