us dollar

Alyssa Lingerfelt – Untitled, 2013……………………………………………….. 1Matthew William Robinson - Interest-a savings account, 2013……...……… 2

Loren Alliston – Kings are born every minute, 2013………………..……….... 3Matt Speedy – Untitled, 2013…………………………………………………..… 4Romina C. Wixom – Lamb-scape, 2013……………………………………...… 5Hannah Raine Brenner-Leonard – Untitled, 2013…………………………..… 6Megan Hummell – Flexapro, 2013…………………………………………......... 7Anonymous – We’re Only In It For The Money, 2013…………………….…… 8Carolina Zamora – Untitled, 2013…………………………………………...…… 9Lana Marks – Rags to Riches to Designer Rags, 2013………………………. 10

Near extreme economic polarization has taken a strong hold on pop culture...the effects it has on the incentives and status symbols for people trying to be successful for the first time are rapidly changing the values of the culture...One can hardly listen through a verse without the author espousing their ability to get money fast and subsequently spend it faster. But the days of Biggie’s bewilderment (exaggerated for effect) that the rap game afforded him the extravagant lifestyle he enjoyed so briefly have conceded to expectation and even entitlement...the excess of ultra-fast “rags to riches” stories (true or otherwise...looking at you ricky ross) have instilled the idea that the music industry is not only a viable way for young listeners to escape poverty but probably the only way …without an acceptable middle class, the only option listeners are made aware of are the base and the pinnacle...the compulsion becomes surrounding oneself with objects as a tangible means to see where the money went. Because it is a statistical impossibility that everyone find their way to the top, it seems almost predetermined for failure.

With an incentive so unrealistic and limiting it’s no wonder upward class mobility is strangled. But what about the kids born to the upper middle class, suburban (let’s face it, probably white) parents who themselves have had the experience of an opportunity for upward mobility?..then, after growing up in a family where money is something “you need not worry about for now,” it is discovered that there is a world that was not as fortunate, a need for authenticity kicks in. Those with less seem grittier and more real because there are no do-overs, no safety nets. The new status symbol becomes about proving that you have less. The irony is that it doesn’t mean that less money is being spent...underprivileged has become almost fetishized to achieve a sense of authenticity, whatever the cost. $75,000 a year has once been theorized as an ideal income for an individual to feel successful in life. It brings with it a sense of stability and promotes the importance of financial planning and budgeting. But as the reality of the middle class disappears from the media so do the expectations of the upcoming generations.