The Theory of the Leisure Class

The Theory of the Leisure Class is a book, first published in 1899, by the American economist Thorstein Veblen while he was a professor at the University of Chicago.

Implications to society

Veblen outlined a number of consequences of this social order. To name a few:

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• The subjugation of women. As women were once used as "trophies of war" by barbarians, in modern times, the housewife also served as a trophy to show off a man's success. By not allowing their wives to take outside professions, a man could show off her conspicuous leisure as proof of his status (Veblen didn't consider housecleaning useful), and spend money on his wife through conspicuous consumption.
• The growth of sports such as football. Veblen argued that, while sports could be advantageous to the community (The physical vigor acquired in the training for athletic games - so far as the training may be said to have this effect - is of advantage both to the individual and to the collectivity), it was merely a side effect (relation of football to physical culture is much the same as that of the bull-fight to agriculture), and that the true reason for the popularity of sports were their usefulness as means of displaying conspicuous leisure.
• Religion was a group expression of both conspicuous leisure and consumption. A church, to Veblen, was simply a waste of building space, and the clergy a group paid to do nothing useful.
• Such things as manners and etiquette were nothing but practices of conspicuous leisure with no practical value.

Even Veblen's supporters disagreed with many of these assertions. Moreover, many of these views reflected (and excused) Veblen's own personal habits. To wit: Veblen's house was often a mess, with unmade beds and dirty dishes; his clothes were often in disarray; he was an atheist; and he tended to be extremely blunt and rude while dealing with other people.

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Also, Veblen, unlike many of his colleagues, came from a relatively poor background, the son of immigrant farmers. His disdain for luxuries and high society reflects this upbringing. Unable to speak English until he attended college, he tended to view American society as an outsider, even though he was a natural-born U.S. citizen.

Related Topics:
Immigrant - English

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