Gout is a kind of inflammatory arthritis that causes sudden and severe joint pain. Only prolonged rest and the application of heat provide relief. By one unspecified internet account, cases of gout—a disease that had all but disappeared—have risen by 20 percent over the last three years. Now, consider Rolex. The Swiss watchmaker makes arguably the world’s most desirable timepieces. And yet they are far from exclusive: indeed, Rolex is estimated to make a staggering 800,000 watches every year. Rolex is everywhere.
Strangely, both gout and Rolex have their places in the same world, albeit different ones. The former was once dubbed ‘the disease of kings’ because it’s brought on by excessive eating and a sedentary lifestyle, both usually only available to the wealthy. The latter, with its crown logo, isn’t the best-made watch in the world, as David Silver of London’s Vintage Watch Company stresses. “But the fact is that Rolex is one of the top five brands. In the world. Full stop. That includes the likes of Kellogg’s,” he enthuses. “That a luxury or watch brand is in the top five is incredible. Ask any man on the street to name a watch brand and they will say Rolex.”
That’s because a Rolex, like gout, is a status symbol. It’s one of those things that tell other people—usually complete strangers for whom we may well otherwise care not one jot—very little about our character, our loves or losses, our triumphs or disasters, but just a little bit about where we stand, well, relative to them.
status, what status?
That humans seek status is an understatement: it’s fundamental to who we are, to the core of our identity, and to how we read the identity of other people—as much as many might naively claim to be beyond what can seem
