Why We Worship Some Billionaires and Hate Others

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]how consumerism works for the elite class and why do some billionaires get labeled tacky for doing exactly the same thing that got others fashionista status.

[00:00:11]>> I also think of Kate Middleton's iconic wedding dress, but unlike that breezy yet sophisticated Alexander McQueen design, this is so stiff and austere.

[00:00:20]>> Becca is a vision. I also love how simple her bouquet is. Have you ever wondered who gets to decide what is the right way to spend money? And most importantly, how do you go broke trying to keep up with them?

[00:00:38]>> Wait a second. How am I going to pay for this?

[00:00:44]>> When I was in university, my parents were financially struggling. I was extremely [ __ ] insecure during that time. I was surrounded by so many rich kids. It was my first year in university and I desperately wanted to fit in. And you know what helped me to fit in?

[00:00:59]Having my old clothes. Everything is in logos. I look so [ __ ] rich. That was the only time when I actually cared to look rich because that was the time that I knew that I actually do not have the money. But it actually did work, guys, because I had my watch which helped other rich kids to spot me and that's why they're like, "Oh, she's one of us."

[00:01:18]Those superficial things unfortunately do work. No matter what they tell you, oh, old money would never show this sign. Oh, new money does this, old money does that. None of this matters, guys.

[00:01:29]Rich people have their language, and if you speak it, it's going to make it easier for you. Anyways, so how did the new educated class even appear? Well, what you have to understand is that prior to the 60s, Ivy League universities didn't really let anybody in unless you were old money.

[00:01:48]Long story short, now they started letting people in based on merit base.

[00:01:53]And now Ivy League was full not only by rich kids, but also by smart kids. And smart kids wanted to do everything differently from the previous generations because they're completely new class and they want to approach things differently. And that kind of speaks to their habits of consumerism because the new educated class is struggling with the dilemma. They want to have a lot of success, but at the same time, they're scared of selling out. So, how do they approach consumerism while being the most anxious elite we've ever witnessed? First rule, the new educated class believes that only vulgars spend lavish amount of money on luxuries. Cultivated people restrict their spendants to necessities.

[00:02:39]But your definition of necessities and theirs is different, guys. So, what does it really mean? It means that it's tacky to spend $10,000 on a bag.

[00:02:49]>> But look, what a mess. It was just >> But it's absolutely appropriate to spend it on kitchen supplies. Welcome to the Balian Farm kitchen. Because how do they explain it? Oh, I'm not buying it for attention. I'm buying it because we're going to be using it on daily basis with my whole family and that's something which will make the life of my family easier. H sounds so humble. In reality, it's just a flex in a different manner.

[00:03:20]Second, it's perfectly acceptable to spend lots of money which is professional quality. Even if your profession has nothing to do with this >> and the shoes are meant for hiking and trail running, but people have turned them into performative fashion.

[00:03:35]>> The rich people were never target audience for this product. But as the new rich educated class was born, they also wanted to seem like they're into sports and into all of those unique hobbies. That's how boots which were intended for hiking ended up on farmers markets. My dad does it, too. Third, elites are expected to spend large amount of money on something which is simple. For example, coffee, groceries, sandwiches, and my favorite, plain white t-shirts. Yeah, we're not showing off.

[00:04:10]We just appreciate quality, whatever the [ __ ] that means. And fourth, the educated elites are expected to practice one dowmanship. Everything about you should be slightly more casual than your neighbors. So, everybody is trying to keep up with the Joneses, but the educated and elite class, they're actually trying to keep down. And this is, my friends, where I think we can learn a thing or two from them.

[00:04:50]Today, because of social media, we constantly have an illusion that we have to keep up with our friends. Somebody posts a fancy picture of their vacation.

[00:04:59]Oh [ __ ] baby, we also have to go there.

[00:05:01]You all probably have friends who have $300 per months, gym memberships, Stanley Cups, and designer bags. Yet somehow they live paycheck to paycheck.

[00:05:12]We are living in a time where the basic financial milestones of adulthood became obtainable only by the rich. For example, having financial stability or owning a house. That's why in order not to go crazy, we started setting smaller goals. For example, collecting labus.

[00:05:33]But when you go online, it looks like everybody is rich as they're unpacking their fancy clothes in their rented homes. And the reality is that Gen Z owns nothing but debt.

[00:05:44]>> Generation Z is racking up debt at a faster rate than millennials did at their age.

[00:05:48]>> Welcome to the era of luxury poverty where we own nothing, pay subscription for everything and call it freedom. So first of all, what is luxury poverty?

[00:06:02]It's a state in which somebody has the buying power to splurge on meaningless consumerism without having enough money accumulated for life important purchases such as a home. But brands push the new narrative on us. The true wealth is in things which you consume not in what you own. And I myself as a rich kid fell for this too. Let me take you to the time when my dad actually offered to buy me a car. I was living in the United States and nobody was really familiar with the concept of actually buying the car for cash. Everybody would lease the car. So when I called my dad after seeing the expensive car and understanding how much money it actually is, I called him and I was like, "Um, dad, actually listen, I did some math here and as a professional math person, I can tell you that we should lease the car. Why would we waste 180K? instead we can just pay like 10k and then every month I have to pay blah blah blah and my dad was like listen Albina you've never been good at math and I don't expect you to start now and actually what my father told me is that Albina you do not own anything you live in this rented house you refuse to buy an apartment I was refusing to buy an apartment because I thought if I will buy an apartment in Boston then it makes me tied to this place anyways my dad was telling me you own nothing and now you also want to lease a car No, you have to own at least something because if things go south, at least you can sell this car. And if you're just leasing it, you're just constantly wasting money on it. Anyways, I hanged up on my dad and I was like, he sold fashioned a boomer from USSR. He doesn't understand anything, but I'm not going to fight with him. If he wants to buy me a car for 180k, I'm fine with that. I'm not going to argue. Corporations created an illusion for us, which my dad stopped me from. is if you're not paying for this right now, if you're paying for this later, then it's not really your problem. It's the problem of you in a few days. And a lot of people have an illusion that if you do not have mortgage, if you are not paying a student loan, then you don't really have any credit, but check your credit cards.

[00:08:12]>> I spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live. In movies like Sex in the City, that it's something which makes the character quirky. If you have loan, you can just call your ex and he will give you $10,000. Or in Car's case, I think it was $100,000.

[00:08:33]And if you're a cool girl, you will say, "No, my dear ex, I do not need any money from you. I will demand that my rich friends pay for me." And if you want to hear about entitled friends and relatives, we also have an episode about this. Check it out. But in reality, heaven alone is a life-threatening decision. Yeah, you might take this right now. You might not understand the consequences. And this is where the trap happens. Because what are they teaching us at school? Nobody is teaching us how to do taxes, how to approach financial education. And as a result, when we're 18 and we're going to universities, we're assigning those student loans without understanding for the rest of our lives, we have to pay for it. And the majority of you don't even know what is the interest rate on your loan. And I'm not surprised about that because you never got this education. And I'm starting to think another conspiracy theory that this is on purpose. Guys, we are the subscription generation. Before people would own at least something. Now we borrow everything. I'm sick of having subscription for everything. And talking about that, are you subscribed to our Patreon yet? Because every other subscription is useless. But guys, we are different. I'm not like other girls.

[00:09:48]What originally started as a good business model, for example, such as Netflix, now became just so annoying because do you know who Netflix says is their biggest competitor? It's not Hulu.

[00:10:00]It's not HBO.

[00:10:02]It's sleep. Because as you're sleeping, you're not scrolling.

[00:10:15]I'm going to tell you four tips which my rich parents taught me when I was a child. Unlike you guys, I got some financial education. Doesn't mean that I use it based on my MX credit score. But anyways, I'm just going to share the advices which I do not take myself. Step number one, stop comparing your relationships with relationships which you see online. Because when you see that the husband of your friend gave her a car or an apartment or every day he brings her roses, even if you do not want that [ __ ] you'll start thinking that you do. And then you'll start stressing yourself out and your partner.

[00:10:52]Stop. You will notice how your romantic relationships actually get better when you stop keeping up with the Joneses.

[00:11:00]Second, if your income grows or if you now have dual income household, it does not mean that you have to upgrade your lifestyle. It doesn't mean that you have to move to a bigger house, rent a nicer apartment, or to buy a fancier car.

[00:11:17]Instead, put those money towards your saving account. Third, remember, not a single purchase, unless it's an investment, will give you the same peace of mind as the big amount on your saving account. And lastly, the final tip from me, unfollow all of the creators who constantly promote consumerism. When you constantly follow them, even if you think that you are resistant to marketing, none of us are. We are all victims of marketing just in different scale. Do not tempt yourself. Unfollow them. Follow people who talk about philosophy. Follow privileged few. Are you subscribed yet? You better be. That brings me to conclusion. When I was growing up, my mom was always telling me one thing. Albina, do not be the slave of the financial system. She urged me that this is the easiest trap to fall into and the hardest one to get out from. We all want to be rich for different reasons. Some want to buy a fancy house. Others want to take their parents on vacations. Somebody is just proving to themselves that they want to do it. And some get rich on accident. I was taught that in this unfair and corrupt world, often being rich is the only path to freedom. When you're rich, you can afford to escape the country when the war begins, and you can afford to own things, which is probably the biggest luxury of 2026. If there is one takeaway I want you to take from this video is that consumerism is the perfection of slavery. And your quiet rebellion starts when you pause before making a purchase and think twice if you actually need this. Because wealth is not about having more things. It's about having an option to rest, control your own time, and have real things which you can pass down to the next generation. So the question is, if wealth can't buy you, time, peace, or sleep, what exactly is it buying? Like, subscribe, and as always, do whatever you want with this information.