ENTRY LEVEL?

rider997 wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I can't understand why people must make a correlation between entry level and social economic status. It's a rating system, nothing more.

You explained it to yourself in the second sentence!

"It's a rating system" is exactly right. "Entry level" is used as a not very subtle economic status indicator, usually by those wishing to imply that it's the lowest rung on the socio-economic ladder.

The phrase "entry-level" is widely used to describe the least expensive way to "enter" or participate in a sport or activity, and applied to gear often times purchased by people new to the activity who do not know what gear they'll ultimately want. It must take quite an inferiority complex for one to actually take offense from the phrase.

I see people utilizing "entry-level" motorcycles, "entry-level" climbing gear, "entry-level" RVs, "entry-level" boats, and more- and I guarantee many of them are simply new to the sport, and not lacking in socio-economic status.

You do know that you can buy an "entry-level" Porsche or Mercedes? The "entry-level" product can be a brand's offering to get people to try their wares... Often times "entry-level" products are the best value and offer the manufacturer the lowest profit margin, again to entice people to sample their brand.

With the pages of discussion following the initial soapbox, I've yet to see any meaningful suggestions as to another phrase that would better describe the gear that's typically labelled as "entry-level", leading me to believe that either A) people just like to gripe, or B) entry-level isn't such a bad way to describe it.

I own top-of-the-line equipment related to activities I take seriously or in which I've a lot of experience, but I own "entry-level" gear for activities in which I merely dabble . I'm certainly not offended by the phrase and generally think it's quite accurate.