Tuesday, October 7, 1997
Gimme Gimme Money
Surprise! A study of UCLA students found that most admit to
greatly valuing material goods.
By Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Contributor
As the high school senior graduates to Bruinhood, not only does
he automatically become graced with the essence of maturity and
intelligence, but according to a recent study, a teaspoon of
materialism is added in as well.
Last fall, the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies conducted a
survey on approximately 250,000 college freshmen across the nation.
It reported that 76.7 percent said that "finding a well-paid job
was the primary reason for attending college."
The unsettling news – that students have possibly traded in an
honest desire for acquiring more knowledge for the love of money –
compelled UCLA anthropology instructor Rudolf Colloredo-Mansfeld to
turn to his students for answers.
"I wanted UCLA undergraduates to say what they believed of
themselves," Colloredo-Mansfeld said, "so I designed a study so
students could do it and analyze it themselves. It gave them a
chance to speak. I want to make my class a forum for students to
analyze current issues that matter to their own lives."
In response to the study done last fall, the students of
Colloredo-Mansfeld’s Anthropology 132 course conducted their own
in-depth interviews. The students talked with over 100 UCLA
undergraduates about the existence of materialism on the UCLA
campus.
When those being interviewed were asked if they considered
college students to be materialistic, an overwhelming 77 percent
said "yes."
But what exactly does it mean to be "materialistic"? Is it wrong
to want to be able to survive in a capitalist society? When does
"getting by" develop into materialism?
Apparently 36 percent of the interviewees said "students are
materialistic because they consume material goods to become part of
the group."
"UCLA is a great big place in a big city, and people don’t have
a way to check their status unless they do it with something like
clothes – that’s what the students found," Colloredo-Mansfeld
explained.
In fact, clothing was at the top of the list of belongings that
students felt were necessary in order to maintain a high status
among peers.
From the Gap and Banana Republic to Calvin Klein and Structure,
the power of the name brand – usually only visible on the inside
tag of a garment – runs strong.
"They could change the name of Bruin Walk to the Catwalk," said
one of Colloredo-Mansfeld’s students, Samantha Ramirez, in a
previous interview.
An additional 36 percent of those interviewed connected
materialism with the attainment of a college degree, aiming solely
to acquire a high-paying job.
One student challenges that perception.
"My goal is to become a lawyer," said Kasey Todd, a first-year
political-science student. "Although (money is) a slight incentive,
that’s not why I’m doing it. The thing that drives me is that I
like to prove my point. I’m here to accomplish my goal in
life."
Todd said even though people may have a well-paying job as an
aim, the money doesn’t have to be the reason behind it. Being
successful doesn’t equal materialism.
"It just so happens that people who are successful tend to have
nice things. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the causation," she
said.
In conducting their own analysis of the data, the
student-researchers came up with opposing interpretations as well –
those who saw materialism as a negative force and those who saw it
as a positive one.
When discussing how students become so preoccupied with the
power of money and all that it can buy, one student, Xavier Rosas,
wrote, "Images of macaroni and cheese, Top Ramen, and spare change
are replaced in UCLA’s case by Ferraris, BMWs, million-dollar
homes, and celebrity double murder." This, he added, is why Bruins
live "in a world of high rents, high expectations, and high
hopes."
This view suggests that students at UCLA have been caught up in
the society around them, in the surrounding norm of consumerism for
Southern California, which is frequently portrayed as
materialistic.
"The way we consume at UCLA doesn’t give us uniqueness. Our
identity is less tied into campus life and more tied into other
interests," Colloredo-Mansfeld said.
Is UCLA adopting the lifestyles of its high-profile neighbors –
Hollywood, Brentwood and Beverly Hills – in place of creating its
own? Todd doesn’t think so.
"You can’t say that students here are more materialistic –
that’s not true," she said, "If you go to any other college it’s
the same. Just go to USC."
Todd did collaborate with Rosas when she said that campus
materialism is the result of falling into a "trap" created by
powerful influences like the media who develop ideas like "we have
to dress a certain way in order to be successful."
"But," Todd added, "it’s not all (the media’s) fault: People are
responsible for their own actions too."
On the flip side, some of Colloredo-Mansfeld’s students saw
materialism as a way to express oneself.
"They are capturing their own life space implicitly through
consumption," said another one of Colloredo-Mansfeld’s students,
Alicia Goodyear.
It was argued that possessions provided outlets for stress and a
means for freedom – like a car, for example.
Also, objects play a role in social relationships. Students may
buy things for others, as opposed to satisfying their own
desires.
"When asked (about) gifts, (students) replied they were ‘just
giving to give’ or ‘just because I love her.’ Is this the sign of
an egotistical, shallow person?" Goodyear asked.
Whether or not materialism makes or breaks the student, like
Todd put it, those trends "come and go."