Early indicator of high status in society was considered how much you spend. Now it has become matter how hard you work. About this in his article writes columnist the Guardian Ben Tarnoff – HB.
Almost 120 years ago, during the first Gilded age in the US sociologist Thorstein Veblen introduced the concept of “conspicuous consumption”. He used this term to refer to rich people, it is useless lavished his fortune. Why buy a suit for a thousand dollars, if the suit is for a hundred dollars has the same function? According to Veblen, is the power, the desire to emphasize their status. Rich people showed their dominance by showing how much money they can burn that they don’t need.
In the last decades of conspicuous consumption has not lost its relevance. Influential people allocate their social status, buying yachts and private Islands. And the current President of the United States and is the gold covers almost everything that he has.
However, purchasing expensive products is not the only way of expressing their elitism in society. Recently there was another form of displaying their status. Instead of the conspicuous consumption is gaining popularity demonstrative productivity.
Photo: Pexels
If conspicuous consumption is the deification of money, demonstrative productivity is the cult of work. Doesn’t matter how much money you spent, it is important how much effort you put to earn them.
The most conspicuous visible productivity among American entrepreneurs and leaders. For example, Apple CEO Tim cook starts his day at 3:45 am. CEO of General Electric Jeff Immelt over the last 24 years working 100 hours a week. And CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer devotes as much as 130 hours per week.
When you need to work so hard these people have. The total capital of the cook Immelt and Mayer is nearly $ 1.5 billion. Tim cook on 500 000% richer than the average American, even if he retires today, money for a decent life it will last until the end of days. The same can be said about Immelt and Mayer. But they still Wake up early and work, sparing no effort. It is not the satisfaction of material needs, is the desire to show social superiority.
Photo: Tim Cook
The irony is that such a hard, consuming all the free time, the work is not exclusively an elite phenomenon. Many people are working 20 hours a day to survive. Recent studies show that Americans spend at work significantly more hours than they were several decades ago.
Now compare a woman working in excess of to receive minimum wages, woman, working as much $ 30 million a year. The first is trying to avoid starvation and keep a roof over my head, and the second demonstrates its high status.
Conspicuous consumption was expressed in unreasonable expenses, and demonstrative productivity in wanton work. Both forms demonstrate its domination, is expressed by an excess of something.
Ben Tarnoff notes that ordinary people are like decades ago, and today, trying to impersonate people of high society. If earlier people tried to buy any luxury item, now people have become more to work hard.
But if the Deluxe stuff need money, to demonstrate his hyperproductivity will be enough desire.
