has this sort of thing always been a feature of the NYT, or is it getting worse?
― caek, Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:15 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
it was kind of tolerable pre-recession when it was just stories about rich people being rich (even tho it was pretty ridiculous that they expanded it to two sections a week instead of just one) but know that its stories about rich people being poor its like taking a cheese grater to your eyeballs
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Thursday, 9 July 2009 13:53 (fourteen years ago) link
No longer is it necessary to buy a thousand-dollar changing table in order to prove your parental savvy and breadth of love; if anything, the opposite is true.
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 10:00 (3 hours ago)
"No longer"
whew.
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 13:55 (fourteen years ago) link
i love babies btw
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 13:57 (fourteen years ago) link
without defending the style section ... in terms of whether the massive increase in spending on all manner of baby stuff is "real life," the answer is definitely YES. and not just among people who can afford thousand-dollar changing tables. go into any babies r us or buy buy baby. so however obnoxious some of the rhetoric might be, i think the article's talking about an actual mass phenomenon. i mean, even just the widespread existence of big-box baby retailers tells you that. and of course they're the kind of places getting hammered by the recession. if the story'd been written by the business section it might read differently (i.e. better), but i don't think what it's saying is exactly omg-how-silly.
― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 9 July 2009 13:57 (fourteen years ago) link
What's the statute of limitations on that? 'cause I didn't do it when it was necessary.
― Beanbag the Gardener (WmC), Thursday, 9 July 2009 13:58 (fourteen years ago) link
i understand that babies are expensive, that's not what i meant by "real life." i meant the 'agonies of the ruling class' phenomenon in general
― harbl, Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:00 (fourteen years ago) link
er i meant increase in baby spending is real life
― harbl, Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:01 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost, maybe you're right about that. I guess not enough of my friends have babies for me to be aware of this (although one person I know went a little nuts with the cloth-diaper equipment and accessories). I guess I still assume that most people will get secondhand stuff for their babies and not spend absurd amounts on designer strollers because that's how I grew up. I still think most people probably don't, although maybe a large percentage of the demographic that reads the Times don't.
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:01 (fourteen years ago) link
People spend at varying levels depending on resources, but the percentage of $$ going toward baby items, and the number of toys and amount of stuff that's considered appropriate for babies, have probably both been slid up the scale quite a ways.
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:05 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah. the designer-stroller phenomenon specifically is a primarily urban thing -- suburbanites don't have sidewalks to show them off on. but any middle-class baby shower of the past 10 years would show you all kinds of baby goods and services of dubious necessity.
― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Not only are children named after their grandparents these days, but all those Rubys, Sadies and Harrys at the playgrounds may end up thinking like them as well.
A second-hand Bugaboo Cameleon will do that.
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:06 (fourteen years ago) link
laurel i just feel that the parents interviewed are totally into framing their personal opinions with the preface "as a parent" and are giddy about having crossed the threshhold of being able to judge other parents because no one can challenge them with "well you don't have kids" anymore
the economic piece is just superfluous and weird -- 2nd hand shit costs less money, consumerism is culturally pervasive, yes, but the fact that we're talking ant babies doesn't / shouldn't really contribute any moral conscience re: these issues
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:06 (fourteen years ago) link
abt babies. not ant babies.
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:08 (fourteen years ago) link
laurel i just feel that the parents interviewed are totally into framing their personal opinions with the preface "as a parent"
haha, spend some time on mommyblogs.
or, don't.
― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Nearly all of Chase’s belongings are hand-me-downs or were bought secondhand, from the onesies to the fully tricked-out Bugaboo Cameleon — the top of the line Dutch stroller that the Hildenbrands bought on a listserv for a fraction of its $900 price tag. Mrs. Hildenbrand said that a good salary wasn’t reason enough to spend money that might not always be there.
“We want to hedge in case something does happen,” she said.
Perhaps the most ridiculous thing about this article -- this anecdote shows not one iota of "reflection" or anti-consumerist sentiment. The Hildenbrands probably paid more for their used top-of-the-line status stroller than many people pay for new ones. They're just trying to save money in case of a depression.
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:10 (fourteen years ago) link
I still assume that most people will get secondhand stuff for their babies and not spend absurd amounts on designer strollers because that
Yeah this is the basic assumption I've always had as well, so the article reads very strange and otherworldly to me. I guess if you plan on having lots of kids it makes sense to buy nice strollers since you'll reuse them, but at a core level isn't the basic groundrule that everything you buy your baby will be useless in a year or two anyway cause that's how babies work?
― I hurt your arm and now I want to dress your arm, please (dyao), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:11 (fourteen years ago) link
need more articles about talking ant babies imo
― caek, Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:11 (fourteen years ago) link
Sorry, yeah, I didn't explain myself but yr comment above is what I was thinking of as "unnatural" behavior around babies -- ie self-conscious, motivated by being heard or seen to be the parent of a baby, and so on.
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:14 (fourteen years ago) link
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EYMAdo4Ms84/ScMz91hEFdI/AAAAAAAADdY/TJKp1LtKR8M/s400/BabyCostumeAnt1x.jpg
― I hurt your arm and now I want to dress your arm, please (dyao), Thursday, 9 July 2009 14:14 (fourteen years ago) link
Style section:NYT::funnies:your local paper::editorial page:WSJ
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Thursday, 9 July 2009 16:53 (fourteen years ago) link
this article = "rose is rose" ???
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 16:57 (fourteen years ago) link
The first friend of mine w/child to whip out 'as a parent' will be made to wear a sandwich board saying I AM NEEDY, CONGRATULATE ME FOR BREEDING PLEASE.
It's just as annoying to me as having to whip out 'as a Christian', 'as a woman' or anything similar - a form of emotional manipulation that really has no place in whether or not their argument or point is valid.
― going vogue (suzy), Thursday, 9 July 2009 17:00 (fourteen years ago) link
i only really like the thursday styles section for the critical shopper and the pictorials like the one about ivey leaugers in the 60s but i cherish its existence. i mean how else would we know what $400 shoes are the best?????
― ♥/b ~~~ :O + x_X + :-@ + ;_; + :-/ + (~,~) + (:| = :^) (Lamp), Thursday, 9 July 2009 17:04 (fourteen years ago) link
as a parent and social scientist, i am deeply concerned that we might be on the cusp of raising a new generation of depression-era babies.
― Not No Cow (Fuckatimest), Thursday, 9 July 2009 17:26 (fourteen years ago) link
Jesus christ, I didn't even notice that. "Social scientists" is so clearly a euphemism for "people who get paid to help sell shit," (hence the "concern").
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 17:51 (fourteen years ago) link
why do first-time parents write books about becoming parents?
i am generally suspicious of ppl whose whole identity is subsumed by their role as parents but i guess having baby-brain 94/7 affords certain niche marketing advantages
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:40 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
"your baby changed your life? your baby is the most important thing and your concern for your baby consumes your every waking thought? omg me too! you should really buy my book."
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:42 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
^^agree with all this
― enbba champions (omar little), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:14 (fourteen years ago) link
there's a girl i used to work with who is a recent first-time mom and she has been writing all of these baby-rearing and "new mom" lifestyle pieces for a couple of online websites, and they're all excruciating.
― enbba champions (omar little), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:15 (fourteen years ago) link
"i never thought that i, jaded cosmopolitan that i am, could ever embody the mushiest stereotypes of motherhood but lo and behold i do, and you know what - i love it" (pls extend to 300 words - Ed.)
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:20 (fourteen years ago) link
MICAH HILDENBRAND and her husband, Eric, are corporate lawyers who live in an affluent neighborhood in Washington and drive a Lexus SUV. But when their son, Chase, was born...
<3 <3 <3 the Style section's exquisite feel for the subtle pisstake.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:25 (fourteen years ago) link
it's a lot like bushwick bill says:
Now if it wasn't for moms i wouldn't have no worldYou stood tall through it all, so you go, girlI know things ain't all they used to beI had to slow my roll, see, trouble's getting used to meI gots to make you a proud motherNo more crack slanging, i gots to be a proud brotherAnd take control of my destiny
― ian, Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:27 (fourteen years ago) link
thing is: i think that lede is totally sincere, just establishing the economic status of the couple being discussed
unless i'm missing something, in which case it is really really subtle
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:30 (fourteen years ago) link
The writer isn't responsible for them having named their son Chase, which in my mind is the keystone of the whole thing being ridiculous.
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Speaking of subtle pisstakes, how did I not notice before that the high-end stroller brand is called fucking BUGABOO?
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:33 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost I dunno... "their son Chase" is just so on the nose... I mean, they could have picked any well-off working couple, but as a set of signifiers the Hildenbrands are almost too good to be true.
PS I'm sure they're very nice people.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:33 (fourteen years ago) link
1. An object of obsessive, usually exaggerated fear or anxiety
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:34 (fourteen years ago) link
chase citibank hildenbrand
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:36 (fourteen years ago) link
Columbia did an expensive ski jacket called the Bugaboo years ago, though -- so as a product name it probably went right by me.
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
I'll just throw a wrench in the gears and say that in order to create second-hand strollers _somebody_ has to buy strollers new from the store, and who else if not people who have enough money that it's not a crippling expense? I can't really object to this. My kid rides in a bike trailer that cost several hundred bucks, which I bought new. As far as I know there doesn't exist a bike trailer that doesn't cost this much. I don't use it to show off, I use it so I can get my son to school on my way to work without using the car. Yep, I could have bought a used one on Craigslist. But when my kid's too big for it, I'll give it to a friend who needs one, or sell it on Craigslist, and then somebody else will get one free or cheap.
Oh, I forgot to say "AS A PARENT."
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:44 (fourteen years ago) link
every parent knows about the bugaboo, regardless of whether you have one or not - the lowest end model is like $300. i try not to judge though, sometimes grandparents can be very splurgish. it's crazy with strollers, actually. in a city that's like the one big baby purchase that is immediately see-able and it is totally, totally impossible not to compare what you got with what others have got, and it is almost equally difficult to avoid conferring a sense of superiority on yourself regardless of how the comparison works out. i.e. "god what imbeciles - a $500 baby buggy" vs "ooh, it's not even a mclaren - sucks to be them" ew ew ew ew ew what the fuck
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:46 (fourteen years ago) link
btw cards on the table - i have the mclaren techno xt
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:47 (fourteen years ago) link
God, what an imbecile.
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:48 (fourteen years ago) link
:D
god knows what hideously deprived mindset my child will develop
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:50 (fourteen years ago) link
i don't necessarily think buying new things for your baby is bad -- i think the problem comes from valorizing second-hand purchases as being more socially responsible / better for your child. for many ppl, buying second-hand is a necessity but for the ppl in the article, it's a conscious deliberate choice. it's still consumption & no less conspicuous expect what is being displayed are "social values" rather than "social status".
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:51 (fourteen years ago) link
expect = except
― fade away & r80-8 (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:52 (fourteen years ago) link
this article allows these people to frame their choice as being conscientious, and still allows them to note that it's just a choice and not a necessity b/c they're still upper-class.
― enbba champions (omar little), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Someone brought her grandson to my office to visit us today and he was in a Quinny stroller. She just rolled her eyes and said, "None of MY money went into that thing, I can promise you THAT." She's great.
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Aside from special occasion wear little kids really do not need many new clothes and I'm sure these people are in consignment places looking for baby Lacoste shirts. But wanting a medal for it? Showy.
People's whole stroller/pram thing and expense doesn't really bug me, the same parents would spend mucho dinero on their own bicycles, which don't get used virtually every day for 3 years like your average buggy. Also, crap buggy hard to use, so might as well have a good one.
― going vogue (suzy), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:55 (fourteen years ago) link
If I had to take the subway with a baby and a stroller, I'd insist on one that could climb stairs on its own. I mean, for the money.
http://media.techeblog.com/elephant//ul/6685-450x-ibot_1.jpg
― But not someone who should be dead anyway (Laurel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:58 (fourteen years ago) link
parenting/mommy blogs are great for schadenfreude for the childless.
― incomprehensible Kool-Aid swallower (sarahel), Thursday, 9 July 2009 18:59 (fourteen years ago) link
i have personally resolved never to take my stroller on the subway. good god.
yes suzy. for those who travel on foot a good stroller is u&k.
we had trouble setting it up in the store and a guy came over to help us, dressed in an expensive suit, expensive watch, assiduously buffed fingernails. he said he had the same kind. i was like "oh yeah? so is it good?" and he got kind of a faraway look in his eyes and said "it has its uses. it's kind of our 'second stroller'."
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 9 July 2009 19:00 (fourteen years ago) link