Why are people who like nice things considered snobs?

[jintyjill]

From conversations I’ve had this Christmas with family, apparently the following makes you a snob:

1. Preferring £8 a bottle wine to a £4 a bottle wine.
2. Choosing to work in a profession.
3. Choosing to live in London rather than the ex-mining village you were born in.
4. Liking holidays overseas that are not on the Costa Del Sol.
5. Shopping at Ocado/M&S Food/ Sainsburys rather than Tesco or Aldi.
6. Investing in good quality clothing rather than lots of similar Marks & Spencers.

Hope the avocado was actually ripe. The majority are not if from a UK supermarket.

Can we have more information on the £4 wine please ie where to buy

Ok everyone! Stand up if you like nice things as opposed to crap, shit things!

Stay standing if you can afford to buy all the nice things you like!

Anyone? Anyone? Is this mic still on?

I think the problem is when people look down on others who still live in the ex-mining village they were born in and don't work in a profession. Or people who look down their noses at others who holiday on the Costa-Del-Sol or shop at Aldi .

You can say you like one thing without turning your nose up at the alternative .

There are even people who shop and holiday in a variety of places as they prefer not to be pigeonholed.

This post doesn’t make you sound like a snob, it makes you sound like a gowl.

Your Op makes you sound like a snob.

This is the second post tonight talking about northern towns and £4 bottles of wine. Has ChatGPT got stuck in a loop?

Yes this. There are some things I spend an extortionate amount of money on (make up, skin care, nails, wine, certain types of food etc), but I don’t go on about it, and would never compare it to something someone else liked that was cheaper- it’s just rude. (Also daft because plenty of ‘cheap and cheerful’ stuff is as good or better than expensive stuff).

Can someone please link the original thread if this is a TAAT? I can’t find it.

I don’t think people who like nice things have to be snobs, it’s people who like something because of the price, brand etc that are snobs. My aunt is a snob, she turns her nose up at cheap brands, cheap shops even if she originally likes the item.

My understanding of being a snob is quotes like :

"Teabags? Please. I use only loose leaf tea brewed in a teapot."

"I simply cannot fathom how anyone could enjoy mass-produced cheese. My palate is far too refined for anything less than eg handcrafted cheeses."

There’s loads in our local Co-op. And I’m in That London, not even an ex-mining town.

It's only snobby to like those things if you look down on thise who nake the opposite choice and if you refuse the hospitality of those who shop at Aldi and buy £4 wine. If you don't hold yourself as better than the rest, and don't consider yourself "more successful" as if money was the only measure and muck in to be like everyone else when you are back visiting the old place, then you're not snobby. If you are shuddering at the Aldi basic cheese selection and only eating the ocado cheese you brought yourself then they may have a point.

Its not about liking or having a preference to this or that its how you project that onto others with negative or demeaning opions i think

Interesting thread. I love bargains, don't drink wine but I actually shop in both Aldi and Waitrose, also ASDA and Sainsbury's. Most of my clothes come from charity shops TBF, because I can then afford to update them more regularly and it's better for the environment. Otherwise they're from Primark. I got a pair of Jean Paul Gaultier esque boots for £6, they were in virtually brand new condition.
I would be keen to know what this ex mining tom is..
I can't really afford nor could justify spending £££ on holidays. I just saw a week full board in a 4* hotel package deal to benidorm for £315 and I'm honestly very tempted to book it.
I used to work as a care assistant and now work in a 'profession'.
I don't go to expensive restaurants, I can't justify spending that much money.
Anyway I've often felt insecure and this thread has reminded me of how I've felt in comparison to friends in the past. I had a friend who wouldn't be seen dead in somewhere like Poundland or B and M, which I didn't understand as it's literally the same stuff as Boots but just cheaper in many cases.

There is a difference in liking things because you genuinely like them and they happen to cost more

And liking things because you think others will think better of you if you spend a lot for the sake of it

Or do weird things to your body because some influencer puts it on the internet and you brain thinks you are missing out if you don't copy them

I’ve always been called posh or snobby from a young age - I grew up in a council house and had migrant parents and learned English when I was about 8 (parents are from a French speaking country and apparently knowing French was the beginning of me being posh/snobby- eye roll)

I always say with my back straight because I found the idea of getting comfy in old chair weird (as a kid) - apparently that made me a snob.

I like cocktails - but only because I have a sweet tooth - same goes with my wine, I like flavour - that makes me a snob

Wool and cashmere (from charity shops or thrift stores normally - which I also started selling during covid) because it’s so much warmer than polyester clothes and needs less layers - apparently I’m a snob

I love candles but only buy handmade because I prefer the smell and it’s normally when I’m walking around craft markets once in a while - apparently a posh move - air freshener should be enough but I hate the artificial smell.

I could list a bunch of stuff. To me it’s preference. To others I’m being snobbish even though I never compare. I just prefer one thing to another and have a reason for it.

There are also many things that make me the “opposite” of a snob.

As has been said there isn’t anything wrong on preferring certain things.
Fir example Molton Brown over Baylis & Harding, or North Face over Sainsburys TU. However to comment and say ‘Oh hell I would never wear that!’ Especially jngrint if someone using/wearing said item is rude.
Brands work by making you think something is superior. I’m old enough to remember when driving a Skoda was considered naff.
I also try Aldi stuff. I’m willing to give all their make up and toiletries a go. I’ve found some to be just as good as brands costing 3x the price, others I would not buy again.
It was noticeable when I wore a cheap Lidl perfume after my friend raved that it smelt just like a Channel one. I wore it for work and every tine I wore it people commented on how nice I smelt.
I so however use branded perfumes when going out to nice places.

This sounds exactly like my family, it’s scary (are we related?! 😂)

I could never have expressed a preference for one thing over another and would still get “It’s probably not up to your standards” comments.

The funny thing is, it’s not about money at all. It’s about having a problem with someone being different in some way. And also about disliking change, as PP said - a suspicion of people changing in any way.

I wanted to do GCSEs, college and uni. That made me a horrible snob and I constantly got "who do you think you are", "you're not good enough for that life" comments. My accent naturally changed a little when I went to uni, which got plenty of "miss high and mighty" comments. I never once did any kind of comparison, it's just what I wanted to do.