Reply to What is wrong with conspicuous consumption?

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Reply to "What is wrong with conspicuous consumption?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The attack on conspicuous consumption is misplaced IMO. It is often hinged on characteristics like "need", or "public display", but none of these exist solely in the market for extremely expensive or luxury products/services.

The fact is that at every income level, people spend money in a way that their finances allow them to do. In terms of absolute "need", the line drawn is typically very arbitrary and entirely self-serving to the argument. When does an "Italian dinner" become more than need? Is the Italian nature of the dinner in and of itself beyond the definition of "need"? Is a $10 plate of spaghetti a need? What about $20? $30? Why could you not just boil some spaghetti at home for the price of $0.50? As people's lives have gotten better, what was previously considered luxury goods have become cheaper and cheaper to obtain. Things like automobiles, digital watches, cellphones, big screen TVs, were all at one time considered luxury items. Clearly, then, none of these things meet the definition of "need". Or do they?

Public display is also a rather subjective bar to meet. Even the clothes sold at Wal-Mart gives *some* consideration to how it looks to other people. Is that public display? A $2000 Burberry sweater can certainly be considered "public display" but where is the cut-off line between Wal-Mart and Burberry? Again, this is an arbitrary standard.

So what conspicuous consumption amounts to, is one group of people using their lower standard of living to cast aspersions on the higher standard of living of other people, until they themselves begin to enjoy that higher standard of living. [/quote]

Really? My $10 NASA hoodie from Walmart gives the same public display as something with the obvious Burberry print on it? Someone's non-brand-name purse is the same as someone's Chanel? Come on now. [/quote]

Who said they are the same? Read my previous post again. It says nothing of the sort. [/quote]

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