The recent reveal by a number of Chinese companies that they were behind the manufacture of goods for high-end luxury brands like Hermes and Lululemon, and that consumers were vastly overpaying for the goods relative to the actual cost of materials and labour that went into their production led me to recall the idea of a Veblen Good, and the role that they play in Conspicuous Consumption.
Of course, the very idea of Conspicuous Consumption leads one to infer that we might have other versions of that formulation. What is the opposite of it? What would that look like? Much like our look last summer at Nescience and Excession, we can break it down…
Conspicuous Consumption: this is the place where your Veblen goods reside, items used for displaying ones membership in the leisure class (and up). The material goods that are part of this are fairly well-studied and understood, but there are some other “lifestyle” options that some might not recognize as Conspicuous Consumption as well. The whole “trad” movement (trad life, trad wife, etc.) would fall in here, as would various overconsumption movements like quiverful or polygamous groups.
And the form of Conspicuous Consumption can vary as well, based on culture: CC in urban areas, with designer goods, may look different than CC is rural ones, where an outsized RV or a boat, or even owning horses, serves the same purpose as having a backyard swimming pool or a kid in hockey (as opposed to soccer or something).
Inconspicuous Consumption: This is where basic needs are met, or if you’re in a luxury market or a higher tax bracket, you have the good sense not to let on too much. This can be where the consumption “just happens”, or it is subsumed in the background, and is just shown through use (I’m thinking of music instruments or computer gear here specifically) and lacks the branded hyper-specific consumption seen above.
Inconspicuous Non-consumption: The land of ghosts, the place of no comment and no return. Of people passing by and saying “not for me”, and go about their lives not doing things. This is fine of course, you’re not owed anything, but it can sometimes be tough on the producers’ side to understand why people aren’t picking up what you’re putting down. Still, this is relatively innocuous as far as positions go.
And finally, the worst:
Conspicuous Non-consumption: This is the the realm of aggro and internet arguments. The land of `1-star Yelp reviews. The place where the haters dwell, where hate-watching was born. A place where the vegan crossfitters who don’t even own a TV will let you know all about their life choices. This place is the worst.
I hate that I’m stuck here.*
But there’s so much of it. Because if consumption is a performative act, then not-consuming something becomes performative as well, as the antithesis of it. I feel like it arises from a desire, and a lack, so there’s likely something very Lacanian about all of it. The desire, of course, is in both wanting something to be better, so choosing not to use it becomes an element of identity, and then a desire for recognition of your explicit choice not to do something, which may be something that the Non-Consumer has chosen on what they perceive to be moral, ethical, ideological, or other grounds.
The decision not to watch TV (as an example), or eat meat, or any of these other actions that are assumed as something that everyone does, as part of the culture one belongs in, needs to be communicated to others (and sometimes reinforced for the self) to let them know about the “rightness” of one’s actions. If one truly didn’t care about using Generative AI (for a different example), one would just go about one’s day not using it, like with the rest of the Inconspicuous Non-consumption above.
It’s the telling that’s the key.
And because it takes on that tone of preaching and/or proselytization, it becomes irksome quickly. Hopefully it isn’t the sole defining fact about one’s identity, and that it can be something that is only mentioned in passing when relevant, rather than constantly shouted from the rooftop.
*: with respect to certain things, like Substack being awful, and Spotify too, and a fair few other things. Feel free to let me know if I get too preachy.