Just an observation about people with expensive cars-

[Igel]

13. I'll go with a Labovian observation.

Labov was a sociolinguist.

He found that adherence to norms depended on how you were attached to society as a whole. The wealthy had "made it" and didn't fear being judged for violating the norms. The poor had given up hope of "making it" and didn't fear being judged for violating the norms.

Looking at anti-language, you find it commonly among those who not only have given up hope of achieving respectability, but who have set up an alternate scheme for respectability based upon openly ignoring the rules.

More recently, it's been claimed that a sense of entitlement leads people to think rules don't apply to them and, if they get caught, they'll certain be exempted from consequences or figure out a way to avoid them.

I find this works. I drive from a fairly working class part of town through an area that's pretty middle class up into and through an area where house prices are 3-10x the average. The assholes on side streets are either in the poor areas or the wealthy areas. And the worst in the poor areas are those with $50k vehicles living in $100k houses or fairly inexpensive houses.