Arts: A symbol of wealth or culture?

I came across a rather stupid comment the other day on YouTube about buying an Erhu. ” $40-50 will get you a very poor quality instrument. Even in China.” This a typical upper class opinion that only the best quality is more expensive. What the person here is doing is excluding the less wealthy people from music and culture. I believe that music and culture belongs to all people regardless of wealth and status. In the 21 century the gap between the rich and the poor is rising especially true in Asia but you still see less wealthy people on the streets in China playing music, playing music, polishing shoes and so on. Besides the wealthy are really only concerned about making money and not the arts, they do not take it seriously – only as a hobby or past time while the people on the street are the really serious ones who depend on it for a living. Rather than saying “$40-50 will get you a very poor quality instrument.” which seems to only make it more impossible for the less wealthy who cannot get a 2000 dollar Erhu. What we need to do is encourage the production of high quality instruments for everyone.