The discussion we had about the effects that the second industrial revolution, in the late 1800's, had on the middle class made me wonder, "What is class?" I guess it really depends on how you use the word. Class can be, a group of students that are instructed by an educator, a collection of things sharing a common attribute, a ranking or grouping of people with common means, values, and methods of behavior, or just a method of behavior. What is it that we take into account that place people in classes in our society? Many more questions could be asked, but like my buddy Karl, I don't think that they are necessary so I am going to leave them out.
For our discussions in class we were talking about the ranking or grouping of people with common means, values, and methods of behavior. This social ranking was being accomplished by display of consumption. The more extravagant and over indulgent (wasteful) the display was the higher your perceived rank. We may find this to be ridiculous. I even heard in my own head, "that's the wrong way to be, I don't think our society is like that." Upon further review, that is exactly how our society works. Not in the classical bourgeois way, but in our own slightly more twisted way. The people with this bourgeois mentality in the late 1800's would buy a house that was way too big for them, fill that house with extravagant furniture and other pithy belongings, hold dinners, throw party's, and show off their wealth in any other way they possibly could. In the upper echelons of our society this behavior has not changed very much, though it is hidden, as much as it can be, by those whose livelihoods depend on the approval of the lower masses. This behavior has to be hidden because in the middle class in our society it has become the status symbol of higher class to be a conservationist, recycler, crusader, or at least to walk and talk like one. Waste is rapidly becoming taboo. People seeking higher status are now looking to attack the areas of waste in our society, or at least act like they want to. Don't get me wrong, I think that people who, out of a sense of morality and commitment, try to leave the world a better place than they found it, have a special place in heaven. I also believe that people who make a big show out of their verson of morality and by extension their class status are really no better than what they are complaining about. I am not sure this helps anything, maybe I just needed get this out of my head.
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You're right in the sense that there is still a bourgeois mentality around. As you pointed out, the upper class is always having to defend themselves and their actions from any other class. Marx would have agreed, and used this constant defense as an attack on the bourgeoisie. However, I am not a fan of persecuting the rich for their success, I know that if I had worked hard to make my money, that I wouldn't be happy with people complaining about how I spend it. For example, let's say a poor person wins the lottery. He's going to buy himself a new truck, etc, BUT I highly doubt he's going to be sending a large portion of this money to charity. Wealthy people on the other hand, (granted in an attempt to face lower taxes) donate a sizable portion of their income to charitable events. No one complains about how a person who wins the lottery spends their money (and they didn't even earn it), but society holds wealthy people to a different standard, even though they've certainly worked hard for their money. I've gotten slightly off topic, sorry for ranting.
ReplyDeleteI think you've got a point about how we've still got this consuming nature about our society and since the rich have the most money, they consume the most. However, what I find super interesting is the whole "keeping up with Jones'" mentality where people are trying to look like they're higher up on the social ladder than they really are. It's like all levels of society feel this urge to look good, almost like the majority of people fit into the "petty bourgeois" moniker. I think the massive amounts of non-mortgage debt that Americans have racked up shows that we like to appear better off than we are.
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ReplyDeleteI think that your notion that waste is becoming less acceptable in society is an interesting one and certainly true for some circles of society. However, as you also point out, I think that consumption still equates to status in many circles. (To think of just one example, the Super Sweet Sixteen show on MTV where parents spend small fortunes to ensure that their child has an incredible 16th birthday party.)
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