Word: riche
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Those of us who don't buy into the widespread notion that intrinsic value is proportional to cost expected some relief from this decade's shopping spree after the stock market crashed last October. Perhaps now, we thought, the noveau riche investment bankers who have chased the "finer things in life" so vigorously will be forced to take a break. Maybe the heyday of Robyn Leach's pseudo-documentary Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, as well as all those economically patronizing advertisements, is finally over...
This has created a "cult of money," comprised of both those who have it and those who want it. It has been well documented that T.V. shows such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Dynasty are popular because they cater to the fantasies of a growing class of jet-set-wanna-bes. The immediate rewards of investment banking have made it the career of choice for college graduates concerned only about "the good life...
...fact is that the crash of the stock market did not change people's desire to be rich or their belief that money brings happiness. What the expanded indulgence in luxury goods indicates is that the financial shock only reduced confidence in the paper money of Wall Street and increased society's faith in tangible items, especially as an indication of social status. The value of a Rolls Royce doesn't fluctuate when stock values flash on a computer screen--and you can always drive...
From mining country, Clemens writes his mother that the land is "fabulously rich in gold, silver, copper . . . thieves, murderers, desperadoes, ladies, children, lawyers, Christians, Indians, Chinamen . . . poets, preachers, and jackass rabbits." A sister receives more intimate intelligence: "I don't mind sleeping with female servants as long as I am a bachelor -- by no means -- but after I marry, that sort of thing will be 'played out,' you know...
More and more, the remaining Ybor City cigar makers are bringing their grandchildren and great-grandchildren back to their old neighborhood for a look around or a day at one of the frequent festivals that celebrate the neighborhood's rich heritage. When they close their eyes and take a deep, long breath, they claim, they can still smell the sweet aroma of cigars...