Missouri-California Status Comparison

Sam Parr shares a story about how social status and coolness were perceived differently in his youth compared to today's social media era.

"Growing up in Missouri, there was Zach - the cool guy in my class. He was my friend and was cool because when we were 14, you could see he had abs. Zach cut his hair cool, wore a puka shell necklace, and had Vans on.

A step above Zach was Blink 182. They were these guys in Southern California who skateboarded, surfed, ate corn dogs, and played music. I remember living in Missouri and meeting someone from California - I'd only been to Florida and Missouri at that time. I asked them 'Do you know Sum 41? Are you friends with them?' If they were wearing Vans and high white socks, I would ask for a picture. If they had long hair, I would ask for a picture. It was like meeting an alien - you were famous just because you lived in California.

My fear for my future kids is that this sphere of influence has gotten incredibly small. Instead of the mediocre Zach of the world, they're now comparing themselves to the 1,000 hot kids they're flipping through on TikTok. There was a clear separation - there's Zach, and then there's Blink 182. I could never be Blink 182, but I could probably be a Zach, and that was pretty cool. Now kids just see all these hot people who can dance, are funny, and have perfect teeth."