I don't know if I qualify as an "elite", given that I'm "merely" in the 86th percentile of American households by income, but I take issue that the article equa

I don't know if I qualify as an "elite", given that I'm "merely" in the 86th percentile of American households by income, but I take issue that the article equates things like fair-trade food, going on a nice vacation, seeing a show and going to a nice gym as status symbols. I buy free-range/organic whatever because in some cases it's genuinely healthier/tastier (ex: grass-fed beef, uncured bacon, hormone-free chicken, legit Extra Virgin Olive Oil, etc), and the benefit to the animals/farmers is a bonus. I see shows because I enjoy them, I take nice vacations every once in a while because I enjoy them. I buy nice coffee because I use a french press and can taste the difference over Folgers. I go to a nice gym because I enjoy the jacob's ladder machine, the general cleanliness and high availability of equipment. None of that is to show off to anyone. Sure I might bring it up in conversation if I think it's interesting and relevant, but it's hardly the "look at me and how awesome I think I am!" vibe that driving a Hummer, living in a Mansion or wearing $50 designer T-shirts is.