quiddities and agonies of the ruling class - a rolling new york times thread

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.

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.

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?

need more articles about talking ant babies imo

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

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.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EYMAdo4Ms84/ScMz91hEFdI/AAAAAAAADdY/TJKp1LtKR8M/s400/BabyCostumeAnt1x.jpg

Style section:NYT::funnies:your local paper::editorial page:WSJ

this article = "rose is rose" ???

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.

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?????

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.

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").

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

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.

"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.)

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.

it's a lot like bushwick bill says:

Now if it wasn't for moms i wouldn't have no world
You stood tall through it all, so you go, girl
I know things ain't all they used to be
I had to slow my roll, see, trouble's getting used to me
I gots to make you a proud mother
No more crack slanging, i gots to be a proud brother
And take control of my destiny

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

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.

Speaking of subtle pisstakes, how did I not notice before that the high-end stroller brand is called fucking BUGABOO?

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.

1. An object of obsessive, usually exaggerated fear or anxiety

chase citibank hildenbrand

Columbia did an expensive ski jacket called the Bugaboo years ago, though -- so as a product name it probably went right by me.

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."

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

btw cards on the table - i have the mclaren techno xt

God, what an imbecile.

:D

god knows what hideously deprived mindset my child will develop

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".

expect = except

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.

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.

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.

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

parenting/mommy blogs are great for schadenfreude for the childless.

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'."

haha tracer

In the past year or so, a Whole Foods opened on our block, and suddenly there is this major influx of "stroller people" - mainly women about my age or a bit younger, that have one or two kids and groceries packed into the stroller or stroller accessories, pushing it up a somewhat steep hill. So yeah, I can see having a nice stroller if you're going to use it a lot.

yah, seriously, large cargo compartment under stroller is #1 unanticipatedly crucial stroller feature.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-iyxlepjOfk/SPp7nuE5f3I/AAAAAAAAAMo/MRWNtZXew3M/s400/segway-baby-stroller.jpg

to be fair that segway was 2nd-hand

lol!

that picture reminds me of frogger

OMGWTFLOL. I have not lived in America since the advent of SEGWAY. Pics like this make me think there's no coincidence.

Whenever I see a picture of someone riding a segway in an urban environment, I think how easy it would be for someone to mug them.

The only people I have ever seen on Segways with my own two eyes are police, I think.

Wait, you guys actually see people riding segways? The only time I've ever seen one in person involved Target parking lot security, and I don't think that lasted very long.

i ride a segway to and from work

yeah ... I've never actually seen anyone on these, I've only seen pictures.