[dasil003]

Your analysis is silly. The iPhone is a status symbol, just like a BMW or Grey Goose. There are going to always be dumbasses identifying personally with these things in a vain search for self-esteem. In reality these people are a tiny minority with an age distribution skewing well under the age of full frontal-lobe development, but they make enough noise in forums that you'd think the fate of the world hinges on this bullshit.

[Jach]

Where you're wrong is in assuming this affliction is only with dumb people or a minority. We're status-seeking creatures, it affects us all. Of course to degrees, but it's not as if educated techies don't get into pointless flame wars all the time.

jrockway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

[dasil003]

Dumbass doesn't necessarily mean dumb. Lord knows i've participated in my fair share of flame wars, but I've grown more resistant to it as I've aged.