"Classy"

One of the interesting things about some things are called "class markers" is that the people who actually have achieved a level of socio-economic success make less of them than people who aspire to some level of distinction. The classic example used by economists who've studied this is cars such as Mercedes Benz and Porsche. People who aspire to social distinction tend to think that these vehicles will buy it for them but when you survey upper middle class and rich people, most of them think both are rather crass choices that reveal something lacking in the person who buys them. (And the exceptions among wealthy people who do want these vehicles—think celebrities—tend to justify the negative judgment.)

That isn't universally true. I've known one first rate human being who drove Mercedes Benz. That said, he came from a poor Irish family so he didn't have a finely tuned judgment on these things.

I live in a neighbourhood where lots of people could easily afford a Mercedes Benz or a Porsche but the most popular brand here is Subaru followed by Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. The thing about these cars as class markers is that they are not. Or to put it more accurately, the very act of seeking "class" or judging in terms of class is self-defeating. The point is to seek quality and not to to seek distinction.

It's struck me lately that even the words "classy" and "class"are similar markers for crass and vulgar people. It's a bad sign to find yourself using them and this is true even if your intent is critical or ironic.