[woodruffw]

> Or is class something you can buy your way into now?

In America, class has always been something you can buy your way into. Take a trip to Newport some time, and visit the mansions of the robber barons: each is stuffed with mediocre classical and neoclassical mimicry. The purpose of these ostentatious displays was to prove to each's neighbors that they were sufficiently landed, wealthy, and worthy of their class designation.

Edit: But of course note: wealth is neither necessary nor sufficient for class; it only makes it much, much more accessible.