Son is 16, best friend is 17, they go to the same high school. Best friend’s family’s wealthy. He bought son a brand new iPhone 16 Pro Max & a pair of AirPods Pro 2, so they can “match”. Son’s obviously very happy, but I think it’s a bit too much. I called the parents and they said it’s fine, it’s just pocket change.
In college, I had a job and one of my best friends didn’t. I’d often ask if he wanted to go do something, like bowling or grab some food. When he’d say he didn’t have any money, I’d say “I’m asking if you want to, not if you can. It’s on me.” I just wanted to hang out with my buddy.
Hahaha, I had a friend around college time where we had the exact same dialogue every time:
I wasn’t rich or anything, but paying for that extra ticket or meal wouldn’t break my bank and he was my friend, I enjoyed hanging out with, so I would gladly spend that money to hang out with him.
Stuff like this is why I have a rule with my friends, because we are all varying levels of broke at various times.
Whomever suggests going out (typically no more than 3 people) must be fully prepared to cover the costs of everyone being invited. They usually don’t have to do so, but it ensures that nobody feels awkward because they can’t afford to go.
Good rule.
This logic is fine for concerts, restaurants etc. but it doesn’t stretch to friends having the same model of phone.
Eh, it definitely seems excessive, but it’s likely just a matter of scale. If they’re really that well off, then spending 2 grand on a phone would be similar to buying concert tickets, or bringing a friend along to a theme park, etc.
I’m having a go at the reasoning more than the value. If having matching phones and headphones is important for social status then something is very wrong somewhere.
Completely agree. Falls into the “some people have more money than sense” category.
Why not? If they are not old enough to drive or go places on their own the phone is probably the main way they communicate outside of school. My family does hand me down phones for kids and I could imagine having compatibility issues like old android vs new iPhone can’t video chat easily or whatever.
I’m not saying this is for sure the case, but I can envision a world where having compatible phones makes some things easier. It is surely not as bad as the good old days when some people had flip phones and some had smart phones. But there still may well be a gap.
I’m not arguing they shouldn’t have a phone. I’m saying there is absolutely no need to have exactly the same model and headphones.
That’s says there is something wrong with their social group.