Wealth in Mainstream American Culture and Dakota Culture
Wealth in Mainstream American Culture and Dakota Culture The dominant American culture and the Dakota culture define wealth in opposite ways. To most Americans, wealth is a measure of the value others place on the material goods that they own; for the Dakotas, wealth is defined as how many strong social ties one has. For mainstream Americans who wish to be viewed as wealthy, it is imperative to hoard as many possessions as one can get his or her hands on. ... This has lead to some negative social effects, one of which is illustrated in this excerpt from Madonna’s song “Material Girl:” They can beg and they can plead But they cant see the light, thats right Cause the boy with the cold hard cash Is always Mister Right, cause we are Chorus: Living in a material world And I am a material girl You know that we are living in a material world And I am a material girl This excerpt describes a woman who is so focused on gaining material possessions that she rejects all possible lovers who don’t have enough money to satisfy her desire for wealth, an occurrence which is unfortunately not uncommon in mainstream America.