Democracy in American I

"The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colors breaking through." -Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, pg. 49

I love this quote by Tocqueville.  He uses such a good metaphor for this, I guess you could say flaw, of American society.  The example he uses to illustrate this point is with committing a crime and paying bail instead of going to jail.  He argues that the rich can afford the price of bail and in turn, don't have to experience their punishment of prison, but the poor man can't pay the bail, goes to jail, and becomes even poorer because he's not able to work.  De Tocqueville says he sees many other instances of this visible aristocracy in American life- I wonder what his other ideas were.  This particular example reminds me of celebrities and pro athletes that get speeding tickets or commit other crimes and because of their ridiculous wealth, don't have to suffer the consequences of their actions.  For example, Brett Favre's sexting incident cost him $50,000.  This is hardly a slap on the wrist for him, since he makes around $12,000,000 a year.  This provides a modern example of how the "aristocratic colors break through" even today, which also speaks to the continued relevance of de Tocqueville's great work.