Talk:Status symbol/Archives/2017

Military honors and other awards

These are usually to be earned, and they have no connection to social status, even in the most militaristic of societies. People with low status before receiving them might revert to low status after leaving the military while keeping these honors. An exception is of a political leader conferring one upon himself, as with Leonid Brezhnev conferring an Order of Victory upon himself, an award subsequently rescinded by the Soviet Union. Military medals can be bought and sold as numismatic items, but it is evidently clear that a possessor of a medal issued by the Confederate States of America or the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not earn any such medal. Possession of these by a subsequent buyer might of course be a status symbol as might such collectibles as stamps and coins.

Political medals such as national entities may offer (such as the Congressional Medal of Freedom or an Order of Lenin), sporting medals, and special awards from non-governmental bodies such as the Nobel Prize Committee or the "Oscar" or "Grammy" Awards are practically in the same category, but those typically go to people who already have high status for their achievements. Someone who buys an Order of the White Eagle, an Emmy, a Heisman Trophy, or an Olympic medal may be buying a status symbol as if buying a rare coin or stamp. A recipient selling such a medal may do so in economic distress.Pbrower2a (talk) 20:31, 26 October 2017 (UTC)

Eh? A token, such as a medal, is a symbol. In the case of a medal, it's a symbol of recognized status. Yes, as usual with symbols, a symbol of status is distinct from the status it represents. Yes, one may buy a used wedding band or scholarly or athletic or military medal in a shop, in which case it does not confer upon the buyer the status that the medal was originally used to represent. Symbols may also be repurposed, for example to represent some other status. Old symbols, such as the Holy Crown of Hungary may long outlast the status they once symbolized. Yes, social status may be earned or not, and the symbol may be conferred or used long after or shortly after the status is achieved, but such considerations do not make the symbol a symbol of status, nor stop it being a symbol of status. At least, that's how I see it. Why should it not be so? Jim.henderson (talk) 17:08, 1 November 2017 (UTC)

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