“Politics, war, marriage, crime, adultery. Everything that exists in the world has something to do with money,” said Graham Greene, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Think deeply about that statement. Think about how money determines their life. A person goes to school to receive an education to be able to make what? Money. And when that person earns their money, they spend it on things like a house, a car, groceries, clothing, entertainment, etc. Even a kids’ basketball game will cost money to enter or possibly a glass of water at a restaurant. The smallest details in life, like a sticker one puts on a paper envelope to mail, will cost money. It is incredible to think how life is based off of this small, paper object. The economy is the key to interpreting modern society. It can correlate to crime rates, to materialism, or even to determinations in life. This is about the money world tying into the real world.

The man standing on the trashed sidewalks with a cardboard sign that reads “Homeless. No job. No money. No food. Will take anything” or the man who drives a Benz to his mansion, that lies on a golf course after work every night? Who is more likely to do wrong? Who would have ever thought that one’s life savings could depict their doings in life? That question can easily be answered; life savings do determine right and wrong doings. As statistically proven, one with less economic stability is more likely to commit crime than one with more economic stability. “The total cost of crime in the U.S. is $2 trillion per year—$1.3 trillion comes from street crime and the remainder from economic crimes such as fraud,” (Source 1) where people steal money because they have none of their own. Impoverished people who need the money and decide to take from others, are the same people that raise”…the cost of crime by at least $170 billion annually,” (Source 1). Take a second and think about the youth. While going through stages in their lives, the youth is supposed to look up to and learn from their role models that may consist of parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc. “Lower-class youth commit four times more violent crimes than middle-class youth,” (Source 1). As said earlier, youth are expected to look up to their role models, such as their parents. How are they supposed to do well and look after someone who is constantly committing crimes, paying bails, losing privileges, etc.; being an unstable figure in the family? Maybe an unplanned family, by that I mean, a teenage mother who unexpectedly had a child. The teenage mother is struggling to pay for things like baby formula, diapers, clothing, and what not, but also has to deal with an abusive boyfriend. As hard as it is to process, “young teenage mothers are often victimized by their boyfriends,” (Source 1). Not only that, but “A one-parent household headed by a female is more vulnerable to criminal attack,” (Source 1). It is sad to think about the horrible situations, people put themselves through only for valuable paper and objects. Although there are different types of instabilities, they all link to fall under one condition: higher crime rates. “Whatever the incentive, whatever the situation, dishonest people will try to gain an advantage by whatever means necessary,” (page 24, source 3).

While one is driving away from a crime scene, they will notice many advertisements and billboards on the sides of the streets, in the window of different gas stations and pharmacies. There are advertisements everywhere. At some point in time, they may pass an area like a shopping center. They will start reading the big billboard with all of the store names and read some of their favorite stores off of the list. Then they realize that they have their wallet with their credit card inside of it and decide to go shopping at the mall. No worries, just window shopping. Until they see all of the “cute” shoes and purses that is the new trend. “Shopping is not a problem on its own; It is the obsessive accumulation of unnecessary products, along with the hope that buying a Chanel bag will somehow make one happier that is problematic.,” (Source 2). It is almost an insecurity that a human being has to have a name tag on their clothing in order to be spoken to or have a certain type of phone to not have to hear that having an older phone “sucks” over and over again. One may be astounded to hear that the “average credit card debt is $15, 611,” (Source 4). There is always that same old, cliché saying that money cannot buy happiness, but it has come to the mark in time where money can buy absolutely anything. There are outrages over things like the iPhone 6, Mac-Books, shoes, jackets, fleeces, and all different types of things that is all overly expensive due to the label. People buy the labels. Often times, impressions are given off by the clothing a person wears. If the person is wearing a Patagonia jacket with J. Crew jeans, they are a prep. If the person is wearing a long T-shirt with long, baggy jean shorts, they are trashy. Higher priced items give off the better impressions, make one look richer, and/or keep one in style. As said earlier, economy illustrates society. “Economics is, at root, the study of incentives: how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing, (page 20, Source 3).

Having the big, over-priced labels on their possessions is just another cost to add to a lifetime budget. A person will have several other expenses throughout their time-being that are in a way, mandatory. First, they have to worry about student loans in college and all of the expenses that come with it. “According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2013–2014 school year was $30,094 at private colleges, $8,893 for state residents at public colleges, and $22,203 for out-of-state residents attending public universities,” (Source 5). These amounts do not include the expenses for room and board, which will likely double the cost of attending college. The major they decide to study for and the job that comes with it is what will keep them living; their life depends upon it. Having to worry about student loans and expenses is, of course, under the circumstance that they did not start paying for different transactions before college. Throughout this process, they will need to find a place to live that will meet their budget and they have to tag along other payments with it. “A high-end, one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with nearly 800 square feet of living space in the heart of Kansas City, Mo., will run about $1,000 per month, while the same kind of space in San Diego -- the 10th-most-expensive city to rent an apartment in the country -- will cost you around $1,700,” (source 6). As proven, different areas have the same styles of living for significantly different costs. One will have to factor in the location they want to live in according to how much homes run for in different areas. Then, when they have their children, they will have even more expenses to worry about, again. The amount of money they have will determine their living standards. One may live in a cooped-up apartment with their family of five, or in a mansion with their family of three; it is all dependent on the amount of money they have in order to afford their price of living.

When one thinks about it, what does not involve money? One would think that walking their dog on the sidewalk does not cost money, but think again, one paid taxes for those sidewalks. Maybe one wants to have a glass of water at a restaurant and sit down to eat. Free water and seat? Nope. Their water is likely to be about $0.35 and one must pay eat-in tax. Impoverished people are committing crimes, striving for money. Materialists are spending money that they do not have, on clothes and items they do not need, and raising their credit card debts. Their life is practically dependent on how much money they have. Let’s face it, it is reality; everything costs money. The closest thing to being free is breathing, otherwise, nothing is free. My point is: life is not complimentary. One is surrounded by price tags and bills that they have to pay for. “Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work—whereas economics represents how it actually does work. Economics is above all a science of measurement,” (page 13, source 3). The economy is incorporated into modern society. It is the real world, and everything has its effects.