Good thoughts, Peter.  I remember reading a Neil Peart book on cycling about 10 years ago (I know, but it was a really good book).  Neil commented that on his cycling trip through Ghana, he constantly ran into young people who (when learning he was from Canada) would talk about their dreams of "having this" or "having that."  Neil's observation was that back home, he noticed more people talking about "doing this" or "doing that" with the material rewards being a logical result rather than necessarily being the goal. 

The comment kind of flipped my perceptions about Africa and banished any remaining condescension about the noble third worlder.  Later, while living in Venezuela, I noticed the same thing . . . lots of aspiration for first world wealth but little to no realistic action (excepting criminal) to put oneself into position to get it.  And class movement used to be an achievable goal in Venezuela.

The song seems to highlight a different problem in our culture which is a sort of expectation of wealth and opportunity without any sense of shame or humility.  It actually makes me long for the well-healed, quiet rich of the old WASP establishment-types.