I remember a friend who had a friend who had a knack for showing off. And I don't mean the I-put-my-nose-up-and-look-down-on-you-type, I mean without any hint of subtlety. This certain person would call my friend to enumerate every little new thing she bought/ has plus the tag prices. No 'how are you?'. 'Hello' at the beginning is the most you'd get as a sign of concern. Then he/she hangs up after the monologue.
Angst I get--you got to let off steam to friends who cares enough to take it--but this I don't. I know, I know, almost every one of us who grew up in this age of capitalism and commodity-selves feels happy when we get our latest gadgets. The temporary happiness comes with the purchase, owning and value-replacement, not from the boasting. To go about it that way is abnormal. What do you actually get from it? A satisfaction that you can afford what others don't? Your thousand-dollar high heels will be outdated next season, but my chucks will live until the next decade. Who's in more an unstable position?
I thought I was free of such personalties but through the power of social media, I got more connections, ergo more creeps. Facebook made idiosyncrasies of persons past resurface into my present consciousness. It made me realize some people I knew from Kindergarten never really left it. One in particular only posts status messages that include designer brands, a hefty price for a recent purchase, or an enumeration of foreign countries to be flown to within the month. People who post what they had for lunch or what's happening at the second tick me off, but at least I know it's a matter of uncontrollable online expression than a controlled one limited to flaunting. I find it tacky. The rich don't flaunt, they don't have to. If you have so much, there's nothing to compete about, or at least none dealt with in such a manner. It's so contradictory...so...nouveau.