This reading is all
about the nature of consumption amongst the leisure class. Often a gentleman
will have servants and/or a wife that consumes goods for him, which adds to his
reputation. Early phases of predatory culture show that there is an honorable
class of men and a laboring class of women. Women only consumed what was
necessary for life, which was not honorable; they did not consume anything for
added comfort or fullness of life. Also, the use of alcohol and stimulating drugs
amongst upper class men was seen as honorable. There are also different ranks
among the leisure class. Some men inherit the status of gentleman by blood but
do not inherit the money necessary for living the leisurely lifestyle of a
gentleman. In this case, these lower gentlemen will be in a state of dependence
on the higher class gentlemen. The nature of the consumption of the gentlemen
is that it is wasteful, that is, it is not necessary for life.
One
statement that stood out to me was, “Drunkenness and the other pathological
consequences of the free use of stimulants therefore tend in their turn to
become honorific, as being a mark, at the second remove, of the superior status
of those who are able to afford the indulgence. Infirmities induced by
over-indulgence are among some peoples freely recognized as manly attributes.”
At this time, being drunk and intoxicated from various drugs was an honorable,
manly thing, simply because they could afford it. Perhaps they did not know the
adverse effects of the drugs and alcohol as much as today, but the abuse and
wasting of money that comes from alcoholism should have been evident. I cannot imagine alcohol and drug use being
an honorable thing.
One thought I had, was about how the
luxurious class seemed to buy things just because they could. It was part of
the definition of a luxurious and gentleman class to buy extravagant things
they did not need. This reading makes it sound like a finely oiled machine or
system, where the men and women are continuously thinking about their
reputations, and what they need to buy in order to maintain or improve their
position. I am hoping that this system of life was more subconscious than that.
Hopefully it was just a way of life to buy luxurious things, and become
intoxicated if you had money, and it wasn’t such a calculated thing. Perhaps
the author of this reading has the perspective of an outside, analyzing the
ways of life, and that is why it seems so formulated.
Nowadays, people with money get the latest
iphones and cars, and have nice houses. While it is a mark of luxury to have
those things, I do not think that people are strongly looked down upon for
having average items. It seems that the lifestyle in this reading resembles how
teenagers function. Teens often are all about getting the latest and greatest
thing so they can be popular. Teens want iphones and the most expensive name
brand clothes. They fear they won’t be liked if they do not have these things.
I think that is the modern parallel I see, that teens behave the way the
luxurious class behaved. While some people operate this way their whole life, I
hope most adults outgrow this need to impress people with material possessions.
Conspicuous consumption is spending goods mainly for displaying income or
wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, these display served as a means
of attaining or maintaining social status. Thorstein Veblen was an
economist and sociologist. He used the term conspicuous consumer to describe
the nouveau riche, which was an emerging class with wealth as a result of the
second industrial revolution.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspicuous_consumption
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