g people, depending on the type of position that they occupy. The higher the rank that they hold, the greater amount of prestige they receive, "Prestige is the value that others attach to an individual occupying a particular network position.'(2001,de Swaan, 43) Prestige exists only in the eyes of others; it is quite literally the regard in which someone is held. Sociologists, for more than half a century, have assessed prestige with various occupations. People in general, have a tendency to attach high prestige to occupations such as medicine, law and engineering that generate hig income. "People may derive from prestige from many things in which they are better or higher or more that others, as long as it counts in the estimation of those around them."(2001,de Swaan, 43) "But prestige reflects more than just pay since favoured occupations typically require considerable ability and demand, extensive education and training." (1998, Macionis and Plummer, 268) Prestige is constantly visible and considered by all sorts of insignia. For instance, when someone receives a medal, an award for merit, or even a sports trophy, we ourselves like put ourselves in a pedestal of prestige because it makes us feel better about ourselves and we also get pleasure from getting attention from our peers and total strangers. On the other hand, people like to flaunt and increase their prestige by "displaying their possessions." Some do it by driving around in fancy cars or wearing expensive clothing. Based on my own experiences, I know what it is like to deal with those who flaunt off their wealth. I grew up in the Bronx, NY, for 15 years, and moved to a tiny community located 20 minutes outside the city. Thrown into a town like this. I had to deal with others who were better than me and flaunted it in every way imaginable. To me, looking at my peers driving around in their Porsche's, BMW's, and Ferrari's, it was hard. For awhile in the beginning, I was a bit...
