March 2017
Affluence
Some of us are privileged in our ability to ignore, our ability to disregard. But others are haunted by a constant bug at the back of their head reminding them what they don’t have. It’s no secret that Silicon Valley is one of the most affluent areas in the country, and, as high school students growing up in this area, a lot of us take advantage of the affluent lifestyles we may lead. But some Monta Vista are constantly surrounded by wealth and forced to look from the outside, as they lack a certain status of wealth everyone else seems to have. This was apparent in a countless number of submissions we received. In this issue, Verdadera attempts to navigate through the depths and layers of affluence and lack thereof as they influence student relationships, privilege, and opportunity. As a friendly reminder, Verdadera remains a neutral publication whose aim is to initiate conversation regarding important topics. Editor In Chiefs, Maddie Park & Adriana Getman Furthur Resources
“Homeless and Hungry in College”: http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/07/24/homeless-andhungry-in-college-not-just-a-ramen-noodle-problem/ “Is Technology Widening Opportunity Gaps Between Rich And Poor Kids?”:https:// ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/27/is-technology-widening-opportunity-gaps-between-rich-and-poor-kids/ Monta Vista Student Advocate Richard Prinz is an available on-campus resource for students seeking guidance in any areas, extending to personal well-being, close relationships, and more. All conversations remain confidential unless doing such compromises safety. Verdadera is now recruiting for our 2017-2018 staff! Please fill out this google form if you would be interested in being a part of our staff: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1h5atpo4-_ CTG1DSmmVMJtKDoPO63vshL56j1c0rtyvo/edit
Experiences that made you aware of your affluence or lack thereof:
“The first time I went to a friend’s house, I realized how small her house was to mine. While mine had big hallways, multiple rooms, and somewhat high ceilings, hers had only a few rooms and the hallways were very narrow. Every room was filled and squished with belongings, while my house has our belongings organized in shelves and wardrobes. When I brought take out food to school, my friends were jealous because they told me they would only eat that kind of food at a banquet.” “Applying for the FAFSA was one of the most eye opening things for me. Because I never knew exactly how much my parents made. We always had money and never had a problem paying for things but I never knew to what extent.”
“Most of my friends grew up with afterschool programs and tutoring while i only got tutoring when i was absolutely struggling with consistent lowest scores in the class. when i asked my mom why she stopped working she replied that it was too expensive to put all three kids through afterschool and daycares, so she stayed home instead.” “My friend is not able to go to junior prom because it is expensive for her, whereas I thought it was pretty cheap.” “I guess the biggest experience was last Christmas, where I got 0 presents because I couldn’t think of anything to ask for. If I ask for anything throughout the year, I can get it. I realized how insanely privileged I am. So many people have to wait for a few days a year, like their birthday or Christmas, to get the things they want. All I have to do is ask.”
“ I have a friend who moved because of her dad’s job. I still talk to her, and when she tells me about her life I realize how I’m able to go out all the time and have my own car and be able to not worry about buying too many things online because those worries never occurred to me. It’s strange to hear even from Monta Vista students that they have to pay their own college tuition - my parents always guaranteed that they would pay my undergrad tuition for college. When I realize that people have to work for money to save for college instead of money to save to buy material items (like I do), it’s shocking.” “There was a time when my parents were looking for a new house to move into. I was always aware that the homes in Cupertino, Saratoga, or Los Altos are pricey, but my house is pretty small and old, so I wasn’t really sure how much my house would actually be able to sell for. A lot of the houses near mine are in the same condition, so I was never really sure what the actual price of my house would be. For years and years I saw the pamphlets in the mail, with the labels of each house’s address and a number in the millions written right next to it. I never imagined that a house like mine could be placed at the same price. One day, however, the owner of the house right next to mine decided to list their house for sale. Their house sold for nearly two million dollars, a price I could never imagine for a house like that. The price of my house in my neighborhood today is a wake-up call for the affluence of our society.” “I think just going to other parts of the Bay Area, like I went to this charity event where instruments were being donated to schools in East San Jose (I think), and they seemed really grateful for the donations because their school didn’t have that many, and I realized how I’d been living in a much more affluent area.”
“When I was 11 and I wanted a birthday party. My parents said choose between a birthday party or presents.�
What is your attitude towards affluence or affluence-related privilege?
“I think that people with more money should not be given an advantage for that reason alone. I think people should be seen for their abilities, and money should just be seen as a tool for enjoyment.” “I think that if you are privileged, it’’s definitely important that you recognize that and try to give back, because a lot of people would kill to be where you are. I don’t understand people who are privileged and selfish, there is seriously no NEED for so much money. It’s good that they got to where they are, but it’s important that they also give back to their community or charities to try to better others as well.”
“I deeply despise it, especially when people act like those less privileged are less privileged because they are less intelligent/ dumb/have less skills - which is only due to the fact that they cannot afford piano classes, dance classes, art classes, etc.” “Wealth inequality should not exist to the degree that it does today. We all deserve good opportunities, but it sucks to know that the vast majority of people in the world do not. I would like to use my affluence to remedy this problem.” “It can be a flaw in that people only see others in that light and assume their way of acting without understanding who they really are. However at the same time it is good because capitalism promotes progress and getting better.”
“I believe that affluence or affluence-related privilege shouldn’t bother others in society, unless those that are wealthy take advantage of this and begin to think they are better than others due to their financial situation. Some people are just born at different places in the financial ladder, and to judge a person based on this would be unjustified. I personally try my hardest not to form initial opinions on others due to affluence, and rather judge them based on their personality. Throughout my life I’ve met various kinds of kids that come from wealthy families. Some are arrogant and believe they are better than others, while on the other hand, some of the most modest people I know are wealthy. In conclusion, unless people abuse the privilege that comes with affluence, it would be unjustified to judge them on anything besides their personality.” “I feel like those who are more privileged struggle to open their mind or view of other cultures and ways of life, but I don’t really blame them for being “spoiled”. It’s difficult to step out of the bubble that we live in when it’s what we know and it is comfortable. Many of our parents have worked very hard to get here, however it is often difficult for Cupertino teens to live in this abundance of opportunity that we are being pressured to capitalize on. Although I often get frustrated at those who fail to look beyond the Cupertino bubble, we should channel our anger towards finding new ways to get students interested in stepping out of it!” “I think that there’s a certain degree of privilege that can get annoying. I think it all depends on how you spend your money or use your privilege. There are some kids who can total their car and their parents would just replace it. There are some like me who would get into an accident and their parents would cover the repair costs completely because they don’t want the kid’s insurance rate to go up. The line I see is whether or not the child is spoiled or not. I can see myself as spoiled.”
“I find it extremely disrespectful when people at school talk about how they used to steal from Sephora or Brandy Melville when they drive themselves to school in Mercedes and BMWs.�
OUTCLASSED STAFF ARTICLE
A friend once turned to me and nonchalantly said, “You know, my parents are probably multimillionaires, even without including our assets… ” I think she expected me to say “same”, but I looked at her blankly instead. A friend once turned to me and nonchalantly said, “I don’t think I can afford to pay for my AP tests this year. We’ve really been struggling financially recently...” That wasn’t a situation I could say “same”, too, either. At Monta Vista we have a habit of assuming everyone around us is wealthy. This assumption is by no means baseless — statistics and figures have proven the affluence of Silicon Valley/Cupertino/Bay Area countless times — but there are stories of people in situations that might be unfamiliar to you, regardless of which end of the spectrum you lie on. It’s difficult for me to talk about the situations of those who don’t have a lot of financial freedom because it’s not something that I can really relate to, and I feel some level of guilt for that. Why do I feel guilty? The source of this guilt is a deeply-rooted, widely-held subconscious relation between wealth and superiority. I feel guilty for being (relatively) rich, because society has told me that that means I’m “better”, because that means there are people that are automatically “worse” than me. And this guilt has manifested itself in many strange ways. When I first learned that my parents were thinking of buying a BMW two years ago, I didn’t want it. I worried that others would think of me as “that spoiled kid with an expensive car”, I worried people would think I was trying to inspire jealousy in them, I worried about the negative attention it would draw to me, the resentment directed towards me for such a flashy show of wealth. (Were these worries unwarranted? Maybe, but maybe not. What goes through your mind when you see that car—you know what car I’m talking about—in the parking lot? What about when you see those $800 shoes?) Nevertheless, the car came. I used to hang my head in shame as I sat in the car, apologizing to no one and everyone for having something nice.
INTERVIEW WITH WESLEY BORJA
Wesley Borja: Instructor at Elite Educational Institute with experience teaching students in underprivileged areas
Q: Have you noticed any difference in attitude between students from affluent areas and students from less fortunate areas? Have you noticed any patterns of academic performance that are specifically characteristic of students from affluent areas or of students from less fortunate areas? A: Generalizing about students’ attitudes from different areas is difficult because students even in the same area have variegated experiences. From my experience, however, students from different areas possess comparable adolescent attitudes, as they share similar social concerns and goals – from peer acceptance to college. Although these students possess similar inclinations, the amount and type of pressure on these populations I’ve noticed is distinct. When it comes to academics in more affluent areas, one unmistakable distinction is the competitive attitude. More affluence appears to produce more competition. Much like when a baseball player moves up the minor and major league divisional ranks, competition increases when the stakes do. Unfortunately, this competition can be counterproductive. Where schools aim to foster collaboration and community, hypercompetitive environments lead students to sabotage one another, seek shortcuts, gain the system, disparage others’ performances, and belittle peers’ academic pursuits. To be fair though, this competitive attitude seems to have a top down influence. Well-intentioned parents and other community stakeholders intensify competition and shape student attitudes when we strive for advantages and project our anxieties. Q: How does having an affluent background or lack thereof influence student opportunity and their potential to succeed? In your experience, how much of a role has affluence played in student success? (Feel free to define success for the purposes of the response.) A: Affluence ensures more quality resources, so affluence greatly influences student opportunity and their potential to succeed. A student’s success boils down to the individual’s access to resources and that individual’s willingness to take advantage of those resources. While effort seems to have a role in success, affluence appears to be the major determinant for success. If a student is unwilling to put forth effort, he/she will likely struggle; conversely, a student can put forth as much effort as possible yet not sufficiently progress with inadequate resources. These disparate resources come in various forms (e.g., academic assistance, curriculum, extracurricular activities, facilities, instruction, nutrition, and opportunities). Students in more affluent areas maximize their consumption of resources. Thus, the norm includes enrolling in outside tutoring/enrichment programs, signing up for countless extracurriculars, engaging in professional internships, and loading up on advanced placement courses. These experiences stand in contrast to many students of underserved communities who are more preoccupied with food security, individual safety, and/or personal stability. This resource gap is only compounded when schools in more affluent areas receive disproportionately more funding than underserved schools.
Brought to you by the Verdadera Team: Advisor: Hung Wei Editor-In-Chiefs: Adriana Getman and Maddie Park Design Head: Cheri Zhou Design Team: Apoorva Sirigineedi and Carolyn Duan Head of Web Design: Saagar Godithi and Akhil Palla General Staff: Olive Wu and Advait Gadre