Rule 6. Educated elites are expected to spend huge amounts of money on things that used to be cheap.

 

        David Brooks tells us in Bobos in Paradise that "we [the educated elite] prefer to buy the same items as the proletariat- it's just that we buy rarefied versions of these items that the members of the working class would consider preposterous. So we will buy chicken legs, just like everybody else, but they'll likely be free-range chickens that in life were treated better than Elizabeth Taylor at a health spa." I find this quote to be extremely accurate. Packages of free-range chicken can be found in most grocery stores in the organic section, which tends to be more expensive than the other sections. To prove David Brooks' claim, I looked up a free-range chicken company online to compare prices and see how they advertise their product in order to reach the Bourgeois Bohemians, their main costumer.

  

            The website I found described their chickens as "raised on pasture (grass, sunshine, insects, etc.) and on Cocofeed" which "is an organic chicken-feed ration that contains high-quality natural ingredients." Because Bobos want more rarefied versions of ordinary products, they seek out the more expensive products. In a Bobo's opinion, organic chicken-feed, natural ingredients and free-range farming are all viable reasons for a Bobo to spend a huge amount of money on chicken. For the proletariat, spending that much money seems unnecessary because chicken can be purchased at a much cheaper price but Bobos view spending huge amounts of money on things that used to be cheap as a must. Before the rise of the Bobos, the upper classes would spend their money on fancy foods like caviar and foie gras. Now, however, the same amount of money is expected to go towards "average" foods like chicken and fruit. If Bobos spent their money on fancier foods like the old upper class did, it would seem like they are trying to show off their wealth. By buying more expensive, healthier versions, however, of cheap, everyday foods, they are allowed to spend their money without seeming snooty.

         One of the Frequently Asked Questions on the site provides a good example of what a Bobo looks for when trying to find a good that used to be cheap and is now worth spending more money on. The questions, "Why do your pastured chickens cost so much compared to other chickens?" was answered by the company with a beautifully painted picture of the chickens' happiness, our support for local farmers, and the bridged gap between urban dwellers and healthy farmers. These reasons, in the minds of the Bobos, are worth a more expensive price because purchasing it helps the environment and others. In this way, the Bobos believe themselves to be giving back while purchasing products for themselves. Brooks is quite accurate in his assessment of educated elites- they DO spend exorbitant amounts of money on quite trivial things. Although it would be impolite to spend the same increased amount of money on material goods, spending the same amount of money on organic, all-natural chicken is acceptable because it does not flaunt wealth and it helps the community.