I'm not really sure what you mean, but if you are referring to the fact that many FTers put their statuses in the "From" field, there is actually a very sane, rational and well-thought-out reason that has nothing to do with ego. Since this is a board about FF, it is simply a shorthand way for a reader to put the comments of the poster in perspective. It's something that I encourage all FTers to do.
Perhaps. But is it really used that way? I know that when I look for advice on a topic here, I don't even look at people's statuses -- I tend to look for either good specific arguments, or for "brand name" posters, such as you, Rudi, and others. This is the internet: anyone can claim to be anything they want, including 1K, diamond, platinum, whatever. But a well-reasoned argument, or a history of informative posts, can't be faked. In fact, not only is ff status fakeable, but even when real, I don't think it correlates with knowledge. Having your butt in an airplane seat for 100,000 miles a year doesn't automatically make you knowledgeable about travel or ff programs.
As for the overriding theme of the thread, I am a big ol' eliteist and will not apologize for it.
Fine. And others won't apologize for poking fun at that. To each his own.
I wholeheartedly agree, however, that as a customer, I get far more from being nice then by being surly.
Homey makes the same point. I also think that as far as things the individual employee can influence (this excludes bonus miles or SWU's), I get far more out of "people skills" and a passing knowledge of psychology than I do out of all the super-duper-platinum-status cards I have.