Soc1001f 2025 9 consumption and classification

Course Information

• SOC1001F (2025) - Introduction to Sociology

• Lecture 9: (Conspicuous) Consumption

• Professor: Jeremy Seekings

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

• Industrialization led by wealthy industrialists:

  • Carnegie: Steel industry

  • Vanderbilt: Railways

  • Rockefeller & JP Morgan: Finance

• Known as the ‘Gilded Age’ characterized by extravagance.

• Video Resource: PBS Documentary (10 minutes)

The Great Gatsby and Theories of Consumption

• F. Scott Fitzgerald: Author of The Great Gatsby (1925)

• Video Resource: Gatsby Party Scene (2013 film) (5 minutes); 1974 version discussed.

• Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929): Key social observer during prosperous yet unequal times.

• Theory of the Leisure Class (1899): Focus on spending rather than earning wealth.

  • Introduced concepts:

    • Conspicuous Leisure

    • Conspicuous Consumption

• Thesis: Consumption drives history, laying the groundwork for the sociology of consumption.

Aspirations of Lower Classes

• The leisure class as a social ideal:

  • Sets the standard for all social classes.

  • Lower classes aspire to norms set by the upper class for reputability.

  • Pressure to conform to accepted values related to wealth and consumption.

  • Wealth displayed through leisure and consumption patterns is key to social reputation.

Clothing and Appearance

• Principle of dress emphasizes notable expensiveness:

  • Clothing should not show signs of manual labor (soil or wear).

  • Neat garments suggest leisure and privilege from industrial labor processes (Veblen).

Importance of Veblen's Theories Today

• Veblen’s insights relevant to modern capitalism:

  • Working class seeks to emulate bourgeois lifestyles rather than revolting against them.

  • Question raised: Do South Africans orient more toward shopping and status than revolution?

Discussion on Consumption in South Africa

• Focus on luxury items: cars, cattle, clothes.

• Video Resource: Cars and Cattle Discussion (6 mins, start at 2:50).

Cars as Social Symbols

• Example: Patrice Motsepe

  • BMW760 Li: A status symbol costing approx. R3.5m.

• Example: Duduzane Zuma

  • Preferred Porsche 911 Turbo (approx R2m).

  • Legal controversies and persecution serve as reflections of status and accountability.

• Amanda DuPont: McLaren 570S valued at R3 million.

• Personal Example: Nissan X-Trail valued under R200,000; contrasts direct expenditures.

Cattle in Tradition and Wealth

• Consideration: Why not invest in cows instead?

• Importance of cattle in South African culture:

  • Traditional wealth symbol, fostering identity and social cohesion.

Financial Metrics from Cattle Breeding

• Sales Performances (Central Nguni Club, 2018):

  • Cows and calves averaged R15,607 (highest R25,000).

  • Pregnant cows averaged R13,125 (highest R13,500).

  • Bulls averaged R27,200 (highest R55,000).

• Cyril Ramaphosa’s Ankole Bull Sale: Sold for R640,000 in 2017.

Role of Cars vs. Cows in Social Relationships (Jeske 2016)

• Morality of Wealth: Norms dictate how wealthy individuals should utilize their resources.

  • Shift observed from investment in cattle to cars.

• Symbolism:

  • Cattle: Integral to cultural practices and social relations.

  • Cars: Represent personal success and independence.

    • Affect kinship dynamics; cars provide distinct social status but complicate family relations.

• Question: Do people fulfill social obligations to their communities?

  • Disconnection risks social isolation and moral issues over wealth distribution.

Individual Earnings and Obligations

• Research Insights:

  • Individuals prioritize financial support for immediate kin while distancing from more distant relatives.

  • Conditional support based on claimant behavior.

  • Housing decisions aim to reduce demands from extended family.

  • Engagement in savings schemes like stokvels to manage liquidity.

  • Decline in rural remittances since the early 1990s (black tax support).

Conspicuous Consumption in Lower Classes

• I’khotane (izikhotane) Movement:

  • Youth from poorer backgrounds engage in status competition through luxury items.

  • Examples: High expenditure on brand-name clothing, acts of demolition (burning goods).

  • Social critique: Reflects on Veblen’s theories on consumption and societal expectations.