NYPD officers and Barney's Department Store did their best to encourage hard work among urban youth this week when the store accused a black teen of using a counterfeit debit card to pay for a designer belt. In reality, the card was legitimate, and Trayon Christian, 19, was spending his paycheck on a $350 Ferragamo belt because he had the mistaken notion that black nineteen-year-olds are free to spend their own money as they want to, even on luxurious fripperies. Ah, the innocent follies of youth! Doesn't he know that if you work hard in America, you are free to be understanding when white people make the reasonable assumption that black kids with money are thugs and crimers?
Being able to say that you blew your entire paycheck on it is a big part of the appeal. The belt doesn't convey the same status if it becomes known that you got it cheap.
It may sound counterintuitive, but think about it. Why would anyone ever buy a $350 belt other than to signal that they have expensive tastes, an appreciation of the finer things, etc., and can afford to indulge them?
It's all about the symbolic indication of status. and every one of us engages in similar status-signaling behavior (hello, smartphone owners), because we are a social species.
Barney's understands this dynamic very well. As an upscale retailer, they are in the business of selling status, or at least the visible manifestation of it.
Although they will never admit it, they doubted the legitimacy of Christian's purchase because in their estimation he did not appear to have the necessary status to buy such an item. This was despite the verified fact that he had the balance on his debit card to pay for it.
He didn't have the necessary status, so therefore there had to be something wrong with his money. He must have stolen the debit card, then. It all stemmed from the fact that he had violated one of the rules of social status.
You ponce...you had igneous rock? Hell, we had to be happy with dried mud.
He's lucky the cops didn't give him a belt in the back.
Next time go retro and buy a Farragamo jersey. For $350 you could probably get a game worn.
Being able to say that you blew your entire paycheck on it is a big part of the appeal. The belt doesn't convey the same status if it becomes known that you got it cheap.
It may sound counterintuitive, but think about it. Why would anyone ever buy a $350 belt other than to signal that they have expensive tastes, an appreciation of the finer things, etc., and can afford to indulge them?
It's all about the symbolic indication of status. and every one of us engages in similar status-signaling behavior (hello, smartphone owners), because we are a social species.
Barney's understands this dynamic very well. As an upscale retailer, they are in the business of selling status, or at least the visible manifestation of it.
Although they will never admit it, they doubted the legitimacy of Christian's purchase because in their estimation he did not appear to have the necessary status to buy such an item. This was despite the verified fact that he had the balance on his debit card to pay for it.
He didn't have the necessary status, so therefore there had to be something wrong with his money. He must have stolen the debit card, then. It all stemmed from the fact that he had violated one of the rules of social status.
You don't get a better deal if you buy in bulk ? Like when I buy cans of Hobo beans at Costco ?
Don't be silly; Mayberry had a far more blah-friendly police force than New York.
Roaring Twenties libel!
Shopping While Black (Local regulation, on certain stretches of Madison and Fifth.)
NBC says White House will delay individual mandate deadline by up to six weeks because of snafus.
Ditto here.
Well, Ferragamo belts <i>do</i> have a handcuff buckle motif. <a href="http://goo.gl/XGbHls" target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://goo.gl/XGbHls">http://goo.gl/XGbHls</a>
And those were all eaten by Frute Brute by 1976.
Good thing racism in America is a thing of the past, otherwise this could have been ugly(er).
Well, now Barneys has lost another shopper, me.
Eh, who am I kidding? I can&#039;t afford their overpriced crap. But maybe others with deeper pockets than I will also follow suit.
Not to add insult to injury, but you could probably find the same thing on eBay for about 6 bucks.
Named Trayon. Nuff said.