In this episode, the group explores how people use money, possessions, and personal style to shape how others see them. The conversation examines the connection between wealth, identity, and social status, while encouraging listeners to think about how these influences affect their relationships and communities.

Website: Social Science and Humanities Department at LCC

Welcome to the Sociological pov.

This podcast emerged from some fascinating discussions.

In an introductory sociology course at Lansing Community College where we attempt to gain.

Insight into other people's perspectives, the good,.

The bad, and the world around us.

We hope to mirror that concept with this podcast as we welcome a range of voices from diverse backgrounds to share their thoughts on a current event or topic that matters.

So with that said, let's get into.

It and start gaining perspective.

Hi all, you are here listening to the Sociological pov and today's topic is the presentation of wealth.

Today we've got myself, Eliza Robison at lcc.

I teach anthropology and sociology classes and we've been doing this podcast for a while and we're just loving it.

Hopefully you'll join us for every episode.

And we've also got today with us.

Hey everybody, my name is Gu Tama.

I am a student here at lcc.

My major is kind of undecided, but I'm leaning towards a clinical mental health therapist kind of position, Something like that.

Excited to be here.

Awesome.

Hello everybody, my name is Pat Rogers.

I'm the owner of milesgen Media.

It's a small photography business.

I'm also a social work student in my last semester and I graduated from LCC and I'm glad to be here.

Hi, my name is Eric Diaz.

I'm a former LCC student.

I did journalism.

I just finished last semester.

Awesome.

Well, thank you guys so much for being here.

Really appreciate it.

Well, this should be a fun topic today.

So presentation of wealth.

In anthropology or sociology class, we would call it cultural capital.

But the first question is, have you ever bought something and thought about how it would could change the way you are perceived by others?

So something, it could be material, I guess it could be social, like non material too.

And how does it reflect your identity?

Relating to wealth, I guess is what we'll focus on.

Yeah, well, anybody got anything to come directly to mind?

So, so what comes to mind for me is my cousin, my cousin.

This is like some years ago, my cousin got a job at a law firm, at a prestigious law firm out of college.

He was like, you know, in a junior position and making a couple hundred thousand dollars a year.

And I was like, so are you gonna buy like a Mercedes?

Are you gonna buy a, like a luxury vehicle?

And he was like, well, the senior partners, like one of the senior, the head guy drives a Toyota Camry.

And he was like, I don't know how I would look buying myself a luxury vehicle, coming to work.

And the senior partner as a Toyota Camry that would just make me look some type of way.

So that's what comes to mind.

And I think that kind of represents how the way we present our wealth is often linked to, like, our status.

It's like a status symbol, you know, and whether or not we decide to show off that status or not, it just depends on the kind of context in that situation.

That's a really interesting point that I want to come back to, but that it's a choice.

Yeah, absolutely.

You're saying, yeah, you made a choice.

Absolutely.

What other examples do you guys have?

I don't know.

When you said that, it's so interesting to me because my perspective, I'm a creative, and I think that has a lot to do with that thought and the things I would do or wouldn't do immediately.

You said he seen his boss's car.

It was a Toyota Camry.

Yeah.

I would not immediately think anything connected to somebody else, despite their label, being my boss or anything like that.

So, you know, in my mind, it blows my mind that, because you're right.

I know people that would think that way as well.

But, like, for some, I know there's a pocket of people that are like, no, because I do my own thing and what I want is what I want, and how I feel is how I feel.

It's not for anything else or my label to dictate that, you know?

But then I think about it even further and I do a little shadow work with that thought.

Play devil advocate.

And I'm like, you know, as a creative, I'll do that in certain pockets because I'm not the car guy.

Or look at me, look at my house.

Like, I'm not that.

But when I shrink it down in photography, the community of photographers, maybe your equipment is where you do that.

I know, I know photographers that have access to funds, a lot of money, and they'll buy stuff that they don't even know how to use, but then they'll go around photographers and kind of like, yeah, you didn't get that?

Oh, yeah, I got that.

I got.

I got the 35 millimeter lens that cost $4,000.

I got that.

But you're like, you know, so people do it in so many different.

I just thought that was interesting that they thought of someone else immediately and other people just want in reference to others.

Yeah, yeah, that is interesting.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think we are all perceiving based off what we buy.

Right.

But I don't believe that it is a free choice.

Like, I believe that those choices we do are just influenced by either the status we want to achieve, even though it's not conscious.

Okay.

Like, it is so strong, I think, in the whole society that we don't even think about it.

We just subconsciously just do it.

I mean, sometimes I feel I do that with when I buy clothing or not that much subscriptions, but I feel that some people feel that, that way with subscriptions.

Like either music, you know, when.

If people do not listen that music, you don't listen, you feel like more.

Oh, I just kind of unique.

Something like that.

Do you think there.

There are people, maybe yourself, who think a lot about it?

Like, I'm going to intentionally not look for a status and buy things to fit into that status?

Or do you think most people just.

Do you think everybody.

Everybody is subscribed to finding a status?

I think everybody somehow.

Okay.

I mean, not just one status, but.

Yeah.

Different kind of different statuses.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I was starting to think about this with my kids, who we have Disney, you know, the Disney Channel.

Yeah.

And then we have.

What's the other one?

Wait, the Disney app.

The Disney app to watch them.

And then we have Prime.

Right.

And they're like, we need Paramount, we need Netflix.

Well, you know, and it's like, all my friends listen to this.

And I was like, indirectly, this is a reflection of what we have access to.

Absolutely.

You know, and so it's just like little things make the bigger picture.

You know, when I was growing up, it was.

My friends had a pool.

They had, like, amenities that we didn't have.

We didn't talk about that.

We didn't think about it that way, but it was assessed.

Right.

You know.

Yeah, my fault.

Go ahead.

Some of.

Some of my earliest memories as a child, like in high school, not earliest memories, but in high school, I remember seeing everyone in the cool crowd wearing like Ralph Lauren or, you know, Polo designer brands.

And then when I would try and get those, my family couldn't afford those.

So from a young age, I could recognize that wealth, like what that was, even though I didn't understand money, the concept of money.

But, you know, they symbolize that somebody that has access to the resources to do some of, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

And I think kids just aren't aware of it.

Right.

And, you know, that also brings up something that I just thought of.

Wealth often is.

Signifies, like, the better a individual is.

Like it's tied to someone's moral.

Yeah, right.

Yeah.

And if you're not like, wearing that kind of stuff, then I think that's Where a lot of the problems come, like, with today.

Like, if you're not wearing or.

Or portraying your wealth, then you're automatically less of a person.

You know what I'm saying?

No, I definitely.

I definitely agree with that.

It's crazy for me to think about it because it's like, I see so many different levels.

Like, there's levels of.

Say if there's five levels, there's levels of that going on on level one.

And they're really competing, right?

Subconscious thoughts.

They're buying clothes.

Say if you were to get those polos, you know, when you were young, you get the polos and you'll feel good and.

But then where are you at?

What city are you in?

What's the demographic?

What's the education level?

And you're.

You're basically going at it and you're comparing yourself to people of that same element.

But then there's another.

There's a higher ceiling level two and three, that they scoff at that if you.

It's.

We're showing that on the Internet all the time.

Like, you know, we as regular people will be like, okay, I'm rocking this, I'm rocking that.

But then when you.

As far as clothes, I'm wearing.

But.

And then when you get on.

When you get on, listen to music and they're laughing at your little old insert blank name.

Or are you still rocking Louis Vuitton?

Like, we're on this now.

Like, it's so, like, meaningless in the scale of things, because the higher you go up, they're just competing with each other with the same ways.

And it shows reality.

And to go back, what you said, it made me think of prestige in the.

Right now.

It's kind of silly to think about, but I just got Disney myself.

I got it back because they deleted it.

I stopped using it.

They deleted it, Stopped paying.

They deleted it.

And then my daughter wanted to watch something that was specifically on Disney.

She kept just asking me.

So I'm like, all right, I got it.

And this time I had just got a little refund back too.

So I had a little extra money.

And this time they asked, like, do you want to get the one without ads now in this day and age, I've had everything I got has some kind of ad in some kind of way.

I decided.

Cause I didn't want her to come try to find a remote every two seconds when it's gotta go to the next thing.

I decided I'm gonna get the premium one.

I got no ads.

And this the only app That I don't have ads.

And it made me think.

When you said that, it made me think like, wow, when I'm watching Disney right now, the Disney app, like, I literally can feel.

I feel different because there's no ads in between.

I have been so programmed to expect the interruption within my.

With my focus.

Yeah.

That now it feels premium.

I paid for something bad.

Naturalness.

No, not feels pretty, actually.

Not just that actually.

But you're paying for your time, you know, so another presentation of wealth is how much is the luxury of time because everybody, you know, everybody has to go to work.

Well, most everyone has to go to work.

So the.

And then also that comes back to this.

Like if you are.

You said there were levels to these things, right?

I think, I think after you get to a certain level, you don't need to wear those kinds of things as your.

To show off your status.

You know what I'm saying?

Like you.

It's just not something that you would do anymore or, or care about anymore, I would think.

And wearing.

Yeah.

And where I would say, but your house is going to be.

Yeah.

Right.

So.

So it may maybe certain things, but I think.

Yeah.

The.

The ultimate presentation of wealth in my opinion is the having the luxury of time.

I think that I want to come.

Back to Eric, you said nobody, everybody does it.

Nobody realizes it kind of thing.

Do you think it's human nature for us to be subscribed to, like wanting some kind of status?

And how.

Why do you think?

If you think it's human nature, why do you.

What's your evidence on that?

I think is it like a way to make a difference or one to.

Another, a way to make a difference between people, me and you.

Distinctions, We.

Us.

Okay.

So kind of like an identity thing.

Oh, we were talking.

We talked about that.

But it's not like a, you know, like a nation identity, like a race identity.

It's more like a. I don't know, taste.

Taste like expression.

Like how you express yourself.

You know, I think it's power driven because like, yeah, I'm with you with that.

But when I go back in time, like even with the Native Americans and stuff, like they created.

They created things to separate themselves from everybody else.

So not just to make a difference, but to make the difference clear that I'm more powerful than you or I'm higher than you.

The, the head, the headdress with the feathers, you know, that only certain chiefs.

And forgive me if I'm saying the wrong thing, but you know what I mean, that they would Wear certain.

I remember I did a photo shoot, and it was a white woman that I shot, and she had this really cool headdress, and it was like feathers, Native American style.

And she kind of wanted to do a shoot like that.

And it looked amazing.

We went out to the canyons and did a whole bunch of stuff.

It was moss everywhere she was climbing up.

It looked great color wise and creatively.

But when we posted it, we found.

Out you got a lot of fun.

In my ignorance, I'm black, so, like.

And she's a white girl.

So, like, we found out that some of the Native Americans were like, hey, this is a great image, but you need to be aware that a woman is not ever supposed to put that on.

This is only reserved for this and this hierarchy of things.

And that makes me think back to more primitive times.

You know, even shamans and stuff like that.

Shamans were the only ones that have access to psychedelics and drugs.

So that sounds kind of crazy, but, like, only I could have this mushroom, you know, you're not on that level yet.

You know what I mean?

So the prestige comes from access to be able to do certain things, to wear certain things, to sit certain places, to be elevated in certain spaces, too.

Well, and that would matter on an individual level, and it would also matter on a group level of people who have more access to resources.

Time is a resource.

Like, if I have more time, then I can.

Then I can do more relaxing or I can, you know, I can choose what to do with my time more instead of.

Instead of working.

Right?

So, yeah, I think.

And then, like, something like headdress would be a symbol of that.

Like a physical symbol of that.

But.

But there's a lot of ways we express control over those differences in resources, I think.

And yeah, I mean, so.

So going back to that, what do you guys think?

Is it something that is innate in human beings as a social animal to want to express one's status compared to others, that you have a difference, a control over resources that's different from others?

For me, you see, it.

It's just.

It's just in us.

I mean, for me, I think, you know, like, I recognize that.

Let us talk about, like, the way I dress is.

In.

In a society, that presentation is very important.

I think the way I dress or express myself that way, whether.

Okay, so let's give.

Let's give this example.

All right?

I got these pair of glasses right online that were fake.

They were designer glasses, but they looked real, right?

And my thought process was like, okay, well, I always want to look at least like I am a certain way.

And I don't, you know, you can call that insecure, whatever.

But I'm recognizing that in a society that we live in right now, the way you present yourself can get you into situations.

So.

So it's not just that I am doing that doesn't make me fake or anything like that, but I'm using the tools that I have, you know, like, at my disposal.

And you can call that whatever you want.

But, yeah, I still look this way, and it's gonna get me, you know, less judged.

So I don't know how.

That's a great point.

Yeah.

So, hey, like, I'm just being honest, though, because that.

That makes me think about how, you know, you.

Because you said, you know, call it insecure or not, but, like, it is.

There is stock and value and like I said, where you originated from the values that your family put into you as well.

Because some people are taught to truly be themselves.

When you think about it, it's funny, the people that we deem and we.

And we, we, we.

We let them ascend up the social ladder and we call celebrities.

If you look at the celebrities, they always tell you to kind of just be yourself, right?

And it's almost like you don't know that until you get it and then you find out.

And we always like those people who may, you know, how they say, dress how you want to be, you know, respected or right or whatever.

You.

Even if you're not, you know, I don't really subscribe to that because it's always the people who come authentically them, like, authentically.

Like when you think about the billionaire on movies, the billionaire that comes into the office, you find out rags, he.

Everybody has suits on, but he has.

What, a T shirt, sandals.

It kind of.

It's like you.

You got a certain amount of prestige to be able to do that, but yet you run everything.

You know what I mean?

And for me, it's a more of a mental ideology when it comes to how you see yourself.

Because if I came in today, I decided I like Sherpa.

Lately, my wife been putting me on Sherpa stuff, and I had these.

These brown ones that I about to come in because I feel comfy.

I like to be warm and comfy.

And I told myself, maybe I just throw some jeans on or something like that because, you know, I don't want to come off a certain way.

Like, I don't care.

Or laxadas, you know, I mean, So I think it all goes.

I think it all goes together.

It's on both sides.

What do you guys think?

Like, I was kind of getting at this with the time one or you guys brought it up, but comfort.

I was thinking about comfort the other day as a reflection of wealth.

Being comfortable.

I forget what it was.

We were reading a Little House on the Prairie with my kids.

So, like, 200 years ago, people were putting a sheet over corn cobs, and that was a mattress, you know?

And, like, how does comfort play into, like, your.

You're saying the billionaire can come in.

In a T shirt.

Yes, and that reflects I can be the most comfortable.

You still have to wear a suit.

You still have to.

You know, so in a way, it's like, you know, we give these individuals in our culture a lot of choice.

Right, Right.

And yet there's still a pretty strict expectations for each way, each status you're gonna hold, how much power you have over.

Over your life.

And I think a lot of that has to do with comfort.

I mean, even the commercials, the type of glasses you have, you know, are they gonna work as well as.

I don't even know anymore if they would work, if that matters.

Right.

Are they?

What kind of phone you have?

What kind of phone you have?

Yeah.

I mean, if you don't have an iPhone, you'll get looked at a certain way, you know, or the newest phone, or even if you do have an iPhone, it's subgroups in that.

Oh, which iPhone do you got, though?

Do you got the 11?

Like.

Like.

But we can all do the same things.

So it's.

It's just like you said, it's subconsciously embedded.

Well, and they're gonna be older, right?

If you can't afford it, the phone's gonna be older.

It might get broken, and you don't.

Can't fix it.

I mean, cars you could look at that way.

Most definitely.

Yeah.

Do you guys think it's, like, functional?

Functional meaning not necessarily good or bad, but does it help our society run?

Does it help our society function that we have these different ideas of wealth and control over resources?

Because you were kind of talking about it like it's something people can manipulate and work towards.

Right.

You can manipulate how you present yourself and then work towards a higher level.

Right.

I want to have that level of property, power, and prestige.

So I'm going to present myself that way and manipulate it so that I can move up.

And so is that.

Is that functional, or should it be that everyone has to have the same.

That's interesting.

I mean, you know, there could be a society where it's.

That's controlled, where we all need to.

Wear the same thing, wear the same stuff.

So, yeah, that was one of your questions.

Like, what do we.

What would we value if.

Yeah, if.

If we all.

If we all dress.

Yes.

What would we value?

Function.

For me to answer that part, is it functional?

I don't think it's functional, but I think it plays towards the.

I think the beginning of this in human nature came from the ego.

And I believe most of it comes.

So who.

Whoever's in power with an ego will control history kind of period.

So I think.

I don't think it's functional.

I don't think it has to exist.

I think if.

If we depleted it, I think those who lust for power would be upset.

That's an internal thing.

I can't.

Like, some people don't want you to live by them because they don't want somebody that looks like you living by them.

And that's the real reason.

Not that you shouldn't.

Not that you didn't work hard.

Some people simply don't.

And I think that comes from an internal kind of thing that, you know, if they.

If everybody.

If the world was.

Had an equal playing field, it'll make me upset.

It'll make me not want to share space with y'.

All.

And I think that's where truly originates from, honestly, because it's not needed.

And if it was needed to function, then there wouldn't be so many different varieties of societies interacting within each other the way that they do.

Some don't do anything like what Americans do.

Some do everything completely opposite.

There's societies and cultures that have been cut off from humanity for a while.

I can.

I can imagine in Peru in the mountains, there are people who.

Who just do that.

And they wouldn't even think about living the way we live or thinking what we think about in 24 hours a day.

Yeah.

So for it to exist means it's just not concrete.

I don't think it has to.

I don't know.

What do you think about that, Eric?

Do you think there's example.

I mean, you've traveled and looked at other cultural groups.

Is there anything that stands out to you as an example of that?

Yeah, something I perceive either here in the United States or, let's say big cities that align into the American culture, like, they just show their wealth individually just so they can difference themselves.

But when I.

When I saw in, like, let's say, indigenous communities or smaller communities, they just show the wealth as a whole.

As a whole group.

So they make difference between the other communities.

I mean, you can see them dressing the same, literally the same.

But I mean, just a few glimpse of individuality.

Right, right.

But they work as a whole and they show the wealth as a whole and so they can make difference.

Oh, I'm superior than they.

The others.

So it is.

It is still somewhat of a comparison between groups, but not individuals within the group.

Okay, you say individuals here do that more.

Yeah, it's more individual, which makes sense.

Yeah.

But it's the freedom to be expressed too.

Within those confines of different places, there's different authorities.

Because actually if I once I travel to a small, very small community, they are farmers and cattles.

Cattle.

Yeah, yeah, they have cows and, you know, sheep and.

But this small place is getting full by tourists.

So tourists rent their houses and stay for a weekend because it's very beautiful, especially at night because.

Because the sky is so clear that you can see the whole stars and all of that.

And you come out through the mountains and it's very, very nice.

But since every single family is renting their houses, they are.

They are receiving different amounts of income.

Right.

So they are developing individually and the community is not.

Is not developing as a whole anymore.

So there are clashes of like, cultural clashes.

Because it's not normal of somebody to have more than the other one.

Because why?

Because the resources around are limited.

So you have more than the other one is because you took something from the other.

It's deliberate.

But, you know, this touristification thing is new, so it's hard.

It's still hard to understand.

So there is this clash of individual growing, developing.

So if it'll continue or not, in my opinion, will be based off whoever has power there.

Because if you're getting kickbacks from those.

The tourist stuff, then you're going to have the western conflict of should we take the money or should we listen to the people that.

That are rightfully from here?

So whoever wins, we'll see.

Interesting.

Yeah, that's something I saw.

Let's.

It was last year, but yeah, it was just something new that was going on in that small.

It's not even a town, it's a community.

Because there is no like in town.

There is like a small plaza and houses around, but it was just houses around and you had a river next to it.

Less symbols of the community happening.

Yeah, well, I mean, from what I've read that's happened around the world.

Yeah.

As westernization and has happened.

Yeah, yeah.

With the signs of wealth is how these families are building bigger houses, you know, getting car.

New cars.

And there are some others that didn't used to this, didn't take advantage of the tourists.

Right.

And they just have their farms and.

Right.

It's more culturally.

Sound like they're keeping it anchored.

Home.

Yeah, man.

That's the, that's the inner thing, though.

What was that, that quote?

The root of evil is.

What is it?

Money is the root of all money.

I think pursuit of money.

Okay.

Is.

Is the root of all evil.

Because, I mean, I'm not.

I'm not a fan of billionaires because I personally believe that you had to.

To gain that amount of money, which you can't even spend in your lifetime is just completely unethical.

But, but also.

Not only that, but you had to put somebody.

Not necessarily, but take advantage of somebody else.

Exactly.

Gotta step on people.

Yeah, you have to.

Absolutely.

You know, and I'm not saying, like, money's not good, but.

Well, and money is a collection of wealth that is.

I mean.

Right.

I mean, it's.

It's like storing it away and then you use that money to then present your status.

You don't.

I mean, there are billionaires that don't present wealth, and I think that.

What do you think about that?

Do you think there's a difference?

You know, I think that's because.

I think if it's millionaires that don't present their wealth the way we think.

Billionaire.

I said millionaires.

Billionaires that don't present it.

I think it's debauchery going around in the background, period.

I mean, look at.

We're in.

We're in America right now, and the elite, the people with the most money, they have, what, floating around going on right now, like debauchery.

And I think not just in one sense, like on your personal lives, but in business as well.

Like in my life, in my world, if, if, if these things can exist with the people with the most money can exist within their personal lives.

You can only imagine in a business life like it's on a Monopoly game, like if you got all the money and you can control the board, your inner self is what will reflect upon everybody that stays around the board.

So.

Yeah, yeah, well.

And now it's getting tied up with morals, like you mentioned earlier, I think.

And in the food class, we talk about sustainability, Right.

And that's associated with, like, the things you buy.

Are you.

Are you purchasing sustainable?

Are you purchasing organic or natural or, you know, what's a fair trade?

And those Things then get associated with wealthier, but also now it's attributed to being more moral.

Right.

And I don't think that used to be that way.

I think that's more of a recent trend.

It used to be just like an expression of my.

My wealth and now it's like my.

An expression of my wealth and my moral right.

I think to justify their.

Some of their moral wrongdoings though.

Sure, because you can get back to a community, you can give back to a certain community and still rehab it within it.

But the only difference is you're able to actually put an actual quantifiable number to say I did this.

Did you do it?

Then I seem higher.

I seem better spiritually more grounded than you because.

But you can wreak havoc in it,.

You know, like it also allows kind of like ignoring of the inequality that is exist.

Yes, I'm wearing sweatpants too, but my sweatpants cost right.

$200.

Any last thoughts?

I see we got to wrap up real quick here.

That was a great conversation though.

Any last thoughts?

Words of wisdom?

Yeah, I got some words of wisdom real quick.

Real quick, real quick.

Just live your life, be you, and what's for you will come to you.

That's it.

Nice.

My words of wisdom is be a good person even when you're pursuing, you know, wealth.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Eric, anything?

Not really.

Thank you for having me.

It was great.

Awesome thoughts.

Thank you so much.

You've been listening to the Sociological pov.

Thank you for your time.

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