Nima Alian

Professor Thomas
1102-34
6 April 2015
The Power of the Beholder

Have you ever dreamt of riding your own multimillion dollar private yacht across the
Mediterranean Sea? I sure know that I have! Unfortunately only a handful of people can afford
such amenities. The wealthiest people in the United States and around the world consist of a very
small percentage of society. Yet the wealthy are more highly regarded than those who are not as
wealthy and often even those who are more educated. I would like to know why the wealthy are
highly regarded in society, especially over those who arent as wealthy. Although the wealthy are
smaller in number, they certainly have a prominent role in society. There are many factors that
affect the perception of the wealthy including, psychology, biology, history, geography and
sociology.
Each and every society is stratified whether people believe so or not. Some societies are
stratified based on unique abilities, social roles or qualities while others are stratified on wealth
or prestige. While hunters are not highly regarded in todays society, they held very high status in
older societies (Lee). In other older societies healers and entertainers held the highest status
(Lee). A common method of characterizing society privilege is by breaking it into two main
categories- ascription and achievement. Ascription is society that favors those who have
hereditary qualities such as those who come from a particular family or race. Achievement
societies are those where the privilege is determined by accomplishments (Lee). Achievement
societies would be those where the professionals and educated would have the upper hand in
society. This would be true in many first world countries in the Americas or Europe. People who

have large fortunes may be classified in both the ascription and achievement societies. Stratified
society may often lead to social inequality where certain groups of people have more power than
others in the society.
There have been distinct social classes throughout the span of history. The different social
classes construct hierarchies that place certain officials who are more highly regarded than others
at the top. One particular civilization is the Aztecs of Meso America. The Aztecs comprised a
civilization that is located around modern day Mexico. The Aztecs had a very stratified society in
which the members were classified into specific groups. The Aztec society was composed of
nobility, warriors, priests, middle class (included the lawmakers, potters, weavers and
goldsmith), servants and slaves (Steenberge).The nobles were the most highly regarded and
wealthy members of the society and they were also born into their positions (Steenberge). The
nobles were granted immense power over society because they basically ruled the entire
civilization. The Aztecs demonstrate how wealth was highly regarded earlier in world history.
The perception of wealth carries itself throughout history and different civilizations around the
world.
One example of a more modern stratified society is the caste system of India. Although
the caste system of India was prominent during Indias past, it is still practiced in various rural
areas across India. The caste system is a system associated with Hinduism (the dominant religion
in India), where the Indians were categorized based on their occupation. The occupations are
determined completely by heredity, similar to the Aztec society. The caste system is divided into
four primary castes: Brahmin, Kshatriya,Vsaiya and Shudra. The Brahmins were the highest
caste and consisted of priests and teachers. The priests and teachers were so prestigious because
religion and education was greatly valued in India. The Brahmins were also the wealthiest

members of the country. The next highest cast is the Kshatriya, which consisted of the nobles and
warriors. The Kshatriya inherited large fortunes like the Brahmins. The Vsaiya were farmers and
had to perform difficult labor. The Shudra were tenant farmers and servants, therefore very poor
(Szcepanski). Others were born as untouchables, who were at the bottom of society. The caste
system determined most aspects of life (Szcepanski). Marriage, meals and religious worship
were based on the caste. The caste system often created significant inequality. The other
members of society did not eat or drink anything from the untouchables. Many of the lower
caste members were also harassed and perceived as being non-human. The Indian caste system is
a prime example of the role that money plays in society. Although the caste system is based on
occupation, it is easy to realize that money is associated with the occupations.
The United States is a modern first world nation that has a complex and unique social
structure. The main structure of society is divided into three categories: upper, middle and
working class. The upper class consists of capitalist elites who own lots of property. The upper
class holds the highest status and many of them inherited large sums of money over many
generations. The upper class has historically been the most prestigious social class in the United
States. The middle class is divided into two groups- the upper and lower middle class. The upper
middle class consists of professionals such as engineers, doctors, lawyers and managers. The
upper class holds the members who are usually the most educated. The lower middle class
consists of blue-collar workers and clerical positions. The last class is the working class which
generally consists of laborers and other lower paying job. The upper class has held the highest
status for most of American history. Yet fortunately the upper middle class is steadily rising
(Carter and Gebeloff). Education is becoming much more important as people head to America
in hopes of achieving the American dream. The upper class certainly holds high status in the

United States. However, Americans have transitioned into valuing education, which increases the
status of the middle class.
The debate on why the wealthy are more highly regarded can be looked at through a
psychological and biological perspective. The rich are believed to be less caring or emotional
towards those are poor. Those who are not as wealthy generally rely on others frequently and
therefore develop more empathy towards others. The wealthy are more likely to feel ashamed
when asking for help and as a result become more self-reliant and selfish. The rich do not spend
as much time relying on others and therefore are able to spend more time on themselves
(ScienceDaily). The extra time gives rich people more time to focus on activities that they
personally enjoy. In the long run they may be healthier and have more time to build their image
towards society. These psychological aspects may contribute to why rich people are more highly
regarded. This allows rich people to make more money without everyday stress that people who
arent as wealthy deal with.
Several studies have been conducted about the psychological affects that money has on
people. Money plays a vital role in the way that people think, act and perceive others. Studies
have shown that wealth can lead to unethical behavior and aggression (Gregoire). The perception
that people have when exposed to money is a major cause of the aggression that can be exposed.
The rich may feel superior to others and feel entitled to acts that are outside the norm. The rich
are more likely to disregard others and do as they please, which may not always be beneficial.
One very popular debate is regarding old money versus new money. Old money is the
wealth that was been passed down through generations of families. There was believed to be a
large number of old money families in the city of Boston, who shaped the city in many positive

aspects (Tulley). New money is wealth that is made through professional careers of innovative
ideas. Old money is generally believed to have the better image throughout society and they are
often pictured riding a Mercedes and being dressed in fancy clothes. New money has not been
regarded very highly until recently in the United States.
Many people believe that societys high outlook on the rich is actually not unfair yet well
deserved. The author Bryon Tulley states that Old Money is a culture and a philosophy that
creates great people, great cities, and great nations. Families that inherit large sums of old
money are believed to have made significant contributions to society in the United States as well
as other countries around the world. Many families of old money have donated large sums of
money to various organizations, buildings, universities, hospitals, and charities. These large and
impactful donations could be a major reason for why the wealthy are very well known and
regarded by many members of society.
Author James Pethokoukis states America has a lot of problems, but too many
billionaires isnt one of them . The top .01 percent or.1 percent of the upper class are often
important risk takers. Intelligent entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and the Google
inventors made significant contributions to society. These innovators made great new goods and
services that have benefitted the entire society (Pethokoukis). These inventors opened new
industries that created lots of jobs for much of the country. These contributions to society create a
positive image of those who are wealthy. They are also role-models for many who dream to
become just like them.
Geography plays an important role on how the wealthy are perceived by others.
Throughout the United States and around the world, the rich are spatially distributed in particular

areas. An example would be the iconic city of Beverley Hills. Beverley Hills is home plenty of
accomplished businessmen and famous actors. The glamour around the city of Beverley Hills
stems from the wealth that the residents earned or inherited. Members of society may choose to
live in high end neighborhoods because they wish to mingle with the rich because of their
superior perceptions.
Spatial distribution is very evident in the central business district of Tel Aviv, Israel. Most
of the prestigious and wealthy people in Tel Aviv work in the central business district (Blumen).
The social structure of the city is based on occupational prestige which establishes the power and
authority in that society. Most of the people who have the high paying jobs live outside of the
business district while the poor people tend to live around the business district (Blumen).The
transportation that the poor use in Tel Aviv is also very noticeable. Much of the poor take buses
around the city while the wealthier people have cars and usually dont commute using buses.
The special distribution of the wealthy creates distinct groups which generally socialize within
each other as opposed to everybody. Geography seems to separate the wealthy from the poor and
make the gap between them larger.
There are two sociologists that contributed to the understanding of social class- Karl
Marx and Max Weber. Karl Marx realized early on that society was divided into different classes
and different people had different status. Marx believed that the capitalists exploited the workers
and that the social system was unjust (Johnson). As a result Marx liked the idea of communism
and played a huge role throughout society around the world. Max realized that here are several
factors that could indicate status in society. Marx believed that the wealthy people tend to have
the most power over society. Other factors that influenced social status include land ownership
and education as opposed to just wealth (Johnson). Both these sociologists were important

because they discussed the impact of stratified societies and the role that wealth has on a social
system.
A counter argument is that the wealthy are not highly regarded in society. Many
believe that the rich are just sources of envy and jealousy. There have been lots of Hollywood
representations where the rich are often associated as being the bad person (Singapore
Management). The rich are often associated with being less humane, greedy, less happy and evil.
The idea of materialism also affects this argument. Many believe that money can only buy
material goods and cannot buy happiness; therefore wealth does not ultimately provide
happiness. Interesting studies have been held in Singapore regarding how other people perceive
the rich. Studies have shown that people in Singapore report that they believe the poor live more
meaningful lives than the rich (Singapore Management). Other statistics show that residents of
Singapore believe the poor are also more likely to go Heaven. In our society the rich seem to be
very highly regarded and looked up to. Yet many residents of Singapoe believe that money does
not provide happiness and that the rich are not positively looked upon.
I believe that the wealthy people have been and still are regarded more highly than the
less wealthy. Throughout history various civilizations have valued the wealthiest among their
societies and in many cases the less wealthy were not able to participate in government or other
important events, they also were not viewed highly. Many psychological and biological factors
may explain why the wealthy feel superior others. I believe that the psychological factors are
very important in this debate. The psychological factors provide testable evidence for the
perceptions of the wealthy. Although the wealthy are usually regarded more highly than the less
wealthy, I believe they have also made very important contributions to society. Many important
contributions of our society have been made by the rich. I personally disagree with the counter

argument because I definitely believe that younger people generally look up to great
entrepreneurs who make large sums of money. These people serve as role models for success and
self-fulfillment. I believe that there are many other factors that affect the way the United States
and other countries view wealth. The rich have very high status, yet I believe that those who are
educated and work hard can achieve just as much status in our society.

Works Cited
Association for Psychological Science. "Social class as culture." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9
August 2011.
Blumen, Orna. "The Spatial Distribution of Occupational Prestige in Metropolitan Tel Aviv."
N.p., Nov.-Dec. 1998. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2015.
Carter, Shan, and Robert Gebeloff. "The Shrinking Middle Class." The New York Times n.d.: n.
pag. Print.
Gregoire, Carolyn. "How Money Changes The Way We Think And Behave." Huffington Post.
N.p., 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
Goleman, Daniel. "Rich People Just Care Less." Web log post. New York Times. N.p., 5 Oct.
2013. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2015.
Johnson, Lee A. "Social Stratification." Biblical Theology Bulletin V. N.p., 2013. Web. 15 Mar.
2015.
Steenberge, Zoe Ann. "Aztec Social Classes." Mexicolore. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
"The Great Gatsby And Old Money Versus New." Web log post. Ivy Style. N.p., 13 May 2013.
Web. 3 Mar. 2015.