I read an article in The New York Times (sorry, I lost the actual link somehow, but I'll bet you, of the Internet savvy, can find it) that wondered what constituted being wealthy in Manhattan, comparative to other places in the country. The author's conclusion? Being rich in Piqua, Ohio does not necessarily translate to being rich in Manhattan.
Well, duh.
But this article got me thinking about my own life, and in that fact the author should take a little pride. After all, isn't that what these pieces are supposed to do? Make you examine the world around you and try to establish your place in it? Obviously.
I can't exactly comment with any kind of authority on this question in Manhattan, unless we're talking about 2000-2001 here, but I can try to apply the same set of principles to present-day Los Angeles. What's wealthy here? A quick answer -- it's complicated.
The article I read asked some people in Cupertino, California what they considered wealthy, and some shallow jackass replied like this (and I paraphrase): "We compare social status to the kind of BMW someone drives: lower, a 3-series; middle, a 5-series; upper-middle, a 7-series; and upper, the M-series, Bentleys, and etc."
Gag.
But that doesn't seem to far off from the way we guess someone's wealth here in LA -- what kind of car do they drive (full disclosure: I drive a 2005 Toyota Matrix)? Seriously, though, I can't think of a worse measure for personal wealth -- I lived in what was essentially assisted housing in Canoga Park, and there were many a Lexus and BMW and Mercedes in that parking lot. Does that mean the people who drove those cars should be considered wealthy? No, but they should be considered stupid, since they no doubt paid through their noses for their cars each month while living in a dirty shithole that had the occasional shooting in the barren, postapocalyptic-looking courtyard (it even had the abandoned-looking, rickety swingset that is often used as movie shorthand to denote the death of hope, innocence and the future).
So what's wealthy in Los Angeles, and how do we determine the wealthy from those who merely pose as wealthy? For example, does a dog in the purse mean someone is well off, or is it a pretty telltale sign that someone's a poseur? What kind of jeans does the wealthy citizen wear? Where does he or she eat?
My point is this -- the outward symbols that we as a culture use to pigeonhole someone we pass on the street are no longer reliable. A nice car could mean that person is well off, or it could mean that the person driving it lives in a hut because all their money goes to making that car payment so they can look successful to someone who passes by. And I think it's a problem -- when we place so much value on appearing wealthy that we're willing to forgo the basics, such as a shelter that's commensurate with our income, in order to get things that make us look like we have more money than we do, something is wrong.
That's only one thing that's wrong with this place.