Working Theorys

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Working Theorys
Working Theorys
The Prestige-Prosperity Gap

The Prestige-Prosperity Gap

In an ideal world, prestige and wealth rise hand in hand. But the modern world of ambition is a lot messier.

Anu
Jul 06, 2024
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Working Theorys
Working Theorys
The Prestige-Prosperity Gap
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Victor Dubreuil - Barrels on Money, c. 1897

If the Old American Dream was being able to go from nothing to middle class, the New American Dream is to go from middle class to wealthy, well-respected, and well-known. I could write an entire essay on the “New American Dream,” but for now, I want to talk about a phenomenon I’ve noticed among people chasing it.

In an ideal world, prestige and wealth rise hand in hand. But the modern world of ambition is a lot messier. The reality is often a bizarre mismatch where some people find themselves with more of one than the other, sometimes a lot more. Plenty of people are prestige rich, cash poor. And plenty others are cash rich, prestige poor. It’s relative: which do you have more of relative to expectation?

You probably know people like this (or maybe this is or was you in a past phase).

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