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goods and commodities, which in
turn gives rise to increased carbon
emissions and climate change.
Veblen’s concepts of
conspicuous consumption and
conspicuous leisure are “political”
ones because they contain within
them a strong moral stance toward
the actions and lifestyle of what he
sees as the predatory and parasitic
leisure class.
Pecuniary emulation
Aside from the wastefulness that
the lifestyle of the leisure class
necessitates, a further negative
consequence of their activities
is captured in Veblen’s notion of
pecuniary emulation. This concept
refers to the idea that individuals
from lower social-class groups try
to emulate, both consciously and
unconsciously, the consumption
practices of their social
“superiors”—members of the leisure
class. This is an attempt to signify
to others their affiliation to the most
socially powerful and dominant
groups in society.
Pecuniary emulation is firmly
rooted in the idea of ownership:
once the immediate material needs
of individuals are met, consumer
goods are purchased for their utility
as signifiers of social-class status
and affiliation to the identity and
lifestyle of a given social group.
In capitalist society, social-class
groups are stratified hierarchically.
Attached to each class group is a
specific amount of social status.
Ownership, power, status, and
dominance become inextricably
bound together, such that the
struggle for status is founded
primarily in displays of economic
wealth and pecuniary respect.
Veblen claims that people are
constantly comparing themselves—
and what they have—to those
around them. There are, he says, a
number of very real and negative
unintended consequences arising
from this phenomenon.
Individuals and entire groups
are subjected to the pressures
of “invidious,” or unjust,
comparison with one another,THORSTEIN VEBLEN
The carbon-copy lifestyle of
some middle-class neighborhoods
arises from pressure to emulate the
consumption practices of residents in
an attempt to gain status and prestige.according to Veblen. As capitalism
becomes increasingly competitive,
so the process of invidious
comparison proliferates. The
dominant mode of evaluating
other people is “with a view to
rating and grading them in
respect to relative worth or value.”
But in addition to generating even
more waste across the population,
the process of pecuniary
emulation does not guarantee the
accumulation of social respect
or prestige. Here Veblen uses the
term “nouveau riche,” or recently
acquired wealth, to describe people
who engage in conspicuous acts of
consumption, such as buying flashy
cars or designer-brand clothes. This
may result in disapproval from
people whose wealth or status—
and what may be considered as
more understated or subtle taste
dispositions—is inherited from
previous generations. This could
serve to alienate the nouveau riche
even further from the dominant
social groups they aspire to
emulate. Purchasing conspicuous
consumer goods can lead to the
attainment of social prestige, butWealth is now itself
intrinsically honorable
and confers honor on
its possessor.
Thorstein Veblen