Soc1001f 2025 9 consumption and classification

Introduction to Sociology Exam Notes

Lectures Overview

• Course: SOC1001F (2025) - Introduction to Sociology

• Lecture 9: Focus on Conspicuous Consumption

• Instructor: Prof. Jeremy Seekings

Social Change in North America (Late 1800s - Early 1900s)

• Industrialisation Period: Marked by wealth concentration among super-rich individuals:

  • Key Figures:

    • Andrew Carnegie: Steel

    • Cornelius Vanderbilt: Railways

    • John D. Rockefeller and JP Morgan: Finance

• Cultural Era: Referred to as the 'Gilded Age', known for its overt extravagance.

• Recommended Video: PBS documentary on this era - Watch Here

F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby

• Context: Reflects societal norms of conspicuous consumption in the 1920s.

• Watch the Party Scene: 2013 adaptation highlights excess - Watch Here

• Theoretical Framework - Thorstein Veblen:

  • Notable Work: Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)

  • Focus: How wealth is spent rather than how it is earned.

    • Concepts Introduced:

      • Conspicuous Leisure: Wealth displayed through leisure time activities.

      • Conspicuous Consumption: Displaying wealth through buying goods as a status symbol.

Impacts on Social Stratification

• Aspirational Consumption: Lower classes emulate the consumption patterns of the upper classes to attain social standing:

  • Veblen's Argument: The upper class sets social standards that influence lower classes, creating a cycle of aspiration.

  • Normative Behavior: Lower classes strive to mimic lifestyle choices of higher statuses to maintain social reputation.

Clothing and Appearance

• Veblen on Dress:

  • Principle of conspicuous expensiveness in garments: Clothes that reveal signs of manual labor are considered undesirable.

  • Neat, spotless garments are symbolic of leisure and wealth—divorced from industrial labor.

Theoretical Reflection

• Posel and Van Wyk's View: Suggests Veblen's insights remain relevant in modern capitalism where the working class aspires to emulate, rather than revolt against, the bourgeoisie.

• Contemporary Context: Are South Africans currently more focused on consumerism than revolutionary change?

Discussion of Consumption in South Africa

• Focus Areas: Examining patterns of consumption around cars, cattle, and clothing:

  • Video Resource: Cars, Cattle and Clothes

Case Studies on Cars and Social Identity

• Vehicle Ownership as Status:

  • Patrice Motsepe's BMW760 Li: A symbol of wealth and social standing.

    • Interpretation: BMW = “Black Man's Worry” or “Be My Wife”.

  • Duduzane Zuma: Preference for high-status vehicles like a Porsche 911 turbo, which symbolizes wealth, but also controversy due to legal issues.

• Amanda DuPont's McLaren: Highlights luxury and aspirational consumption in women.

Cattle as Wealth

• Cultural Significance: Cattle ownership historically signifies wealth and social cohesion in South African society:

  • Discuss how the narrative of traditional wealth contrasts with modern concepts of consumption.

Evolving Symbols of Wealth

• Johannes Jeske's Analysis (2016):

  • Cattle and cars as symbols of wealth elucidate the moralities surrounding wealth in South Africa.

  • Shift in spending patterns: From investment in cattle (social cohesion) to cars (individualistic status).

  • Cars symbolize success, independence and may disrupt traditional kinship obligations.

Individual Earnings and Social Obligations

• Social Dynamics: Individuals with assets manage claims made by kin and community; evolving expectations highlight a changing social fabric:

  • Decreased support for distant kin.

  • Increased individualism resulting in reduced communal obligations.

  • Research indicates growth in private housing choices to minimize kinship claims.

Conspicuous Consumption Among Lower Classes

• I’khotane Phenomenon: Youth from low-income families showcase status through luxury clothing:

  • Engaging in extreme acts such as wearing and burning high-end goods to display wealth.

  • Links to Veblen's concepts of conspicuous consumption and emulation suggest a reinvigoration of these ideas in modern societal contexts.

• Further Reading: Explored through Mnisi's work on youth culture and consumption.