Bragging Tactics as (P)Art of Impression Management
When I met my wife, the first thing I tried to do was impress her with my expensive car.
What stratagem did I use?
Two stratagems can be considered: 13 & 29.
Number 13, “Beat the grass to startle the snakes”, would be the case if I own almost nothing at all apart from the car and invest most of my resources in the ride. Ideally, I would even drive a rental car in the short or medium term (Senger 1993: 185-214).
Number 29, “Deck dead trees with bogus blossoms”, would be relevant if I also live beyond my means in other respects and perhaps even secretly avoid debt. At the very least, I have little financial leeway for anything else than the obvious luxuries I possess (Senger 2004: 551-559).
Alternatively, there would also be the inversion of stratagem 1: “Cross the sea openly”. In this case, I would be a rich bastard for whom the car represents a strategy of truth, i.e. my true financial conditions (Leonhardt 2023a).
In my case, that wasn't the case: I lived in a shared flat next to my fantastic Jag and was happy if my running costs were covered. Repairs alone would have quickly got me into trouble.
Ergo number 29.
Sources:
#36stratagems