Homology Between the Spaces

Although this article is an analysis of French culture in the late 70s, its main theme resounds in contemporary America: "...income plays an important part in determining distance from necessity." (Bourdieu 176)

Purchase is located in an area especially disparate between rich and poor. One can see this illustrated in three malls found in the city of White Plains. The Westchester is an unnecessarily large structure which houses dozens of expensive boutiques where one can purchase a simple commodity like a hoodie for $350. Nannies push strollers of other people's children, holding credit cards of their employers to purchase a new iPod for the young ones just old enough to know they want one. There's a crepe bar - exotic fare for a food court, or anywhere else for that matter, and, in line with Bourdieu's findings, light, naturally tasty, and filled with fresh fruit or salmon.

Down the road, past the Trump towers, is the Galleria. The white population is no longer the clear majority, nor is the physique and dress of patrons of the Westchester. A hoodie may only cost you $15. Still, Victoria's Secret and H&M reign supreme in size and traffic. The token going-out-of-business Bonsai Tree Shop is still there. The food court contains plenty of choices for pizza, ice cream, and fried foods, but almost nothing in the way of freshness, and definitely nothing too exotic.

Closer to the tracks is the discreet White Plains Mall. There's a uniform store, a hobby shop, a McDonald's, a Chinese grocery, a hardware shop, and a tiny parking area suggesting that its patrons probably don't drive. It's poorly lit, somewhat empty, and smells like the basement of the VA building at Purchase.

Whether or not the relationship of "opposites" is as true here as it is in France is definitely up for debate. Based on what I've seen, there are certainly trends, but I would need to see more statistical data and hear what people think. Bourdieu seems to want to show that it is the result of class division that different taste is created. In reality, though, I think the polarising factor in taste is just merely the extra time and money the upper classes enjoy, and there is no conscious "opposition" so to speak. Further analysis of these examples are superfluous for my purposes - if you read Bourdieu's article, you probably understand where I was going with all of this. And since I read it myself, I'll go back to the subject and share some thoughts.

I work in a restaurant that is located on a farm and serves mainly local produce in unpretentious ways... with an average per-person tab over $100 before tip. While there are some definite contradictions with the patterns recognised in Bourdieu's article, there are plenty of supportive examples. The wealthiest patrons don't drink as much, don't order the charcuterie plate, often eat fruit for dessert, and enjoy veal, salmon, lamb, and sweetbreads above all else- despite that the pork is local to the property of the restaurant itself. They bring along business partners and acquaintances. The restaurant owners invite their children's friend's families to dine. The culture and its tastes are right on par with Bourdieu's observations.

All this aside, there is plenty in this article that anyone exposed to American media will likely find intuitive correlations. The inverse relationship between waist size and income in women is telling, as is the security (in matters of appearance) of those of the upper-class. One only needs to look at a recent issue of Us Magazine's cover story of "Best and Worst Beach Bodies" to see this. The magazine (and countless others like it) is merely demonstrating what we all are supposed to believe: that fit is not only better, but it's integral to popularity and respect. Those with the worst beach bodies are the subject of ridicule, despite their celebrity status, to the readers - who are made up largely by women who are not upper-class, if my presumption is correct. If it isn't, some one correct me. And if it isn't, the readers are certainly no more than petit-bourgeoisie by Bourdieu's definition, if only by taking pleasure in some one else's physical shortcomings and therefore reflecting their own insecurity.

One closing note on Bourdieu's petit-bourgeoisie: the description sounds eerily similar to the condition of Dostoyevsky's Underground Man. The Russians, apparently, were onto this long before the French formalised it.