On Conspicuous Consumption

Dear Michelle,

I'm sure you've noticed that many people insist on spending more money than they really need to. They are often buying totally unnecessary items, which may fall into one of several categories. There are some things that are purely decorative (knick-knacks, figurines, posters and other wall hangings), some that have a super-specialised function that can be performed by other items (salad-shooters, for example, which serve only to slice and shred vegetables, even though that can be done perfectly well by other more mundane tools), some that are nonessential but people think are required (such as televisions, mobile phones, video game consoles, and home stereo equipment), and some that are simply frivolous and pointless (a lot of clothing falls into this category).

This rampant consumerism is called "conspicuous consumption." It is, in essence, spending money simply to show off that you have money to spend. Simply put, it's the wealthy rubbing their wealth in the noses of the less well-off. "I have so much money that I can afford to throw it away on unnecessary stuff like huge cars that get 2 miles per gallon or less!" is the message they're trying to convey.

Of course, money isn't the only thing that people spend in their quest for conspicuous consumption. They also waste time. The idea is that they're suggesting "I am so wealthy I can afford to stand around here accomplishing nothing of any use whatsoever." A perfect example of this is golf. Of all the sports that have ever been created, none has as ridiculously an unbalanced ratio of time spent doing nothing to time of activity.

The point in all this is that you will eventually find yourself in a situation where you are tempted to buy something that you really and truly don't need, just because you can and it passingly catches your fancy. I would recommend that you analyse anything you want to do or to buy, and decide if you really need it. For that matter, when you get the urge to throw something away, you should contemplate whether this urge is rooted in the item's having outlived its usefulness, or if it's simply no longer "in style." You can save a lot of money this way, and that money can be spent on more reasonable pursuits, such as a vacation or a hobby about which you are truly serious. And if nothing else, you can always donate the extra money to charity, so that people who can't even afford food will benefit from those people who really do have more money than they need.