6 ms·

‘Veblen’ Review: Scourge of the Elites

40 points by amanuensis 6y ago

neonate 6y ago
https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi
- cwp 6y ago
  Can't resolve that domain name.
  - yorwba 6y ago
    You're probably using Cloudflare's DNS. https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-1-1-1-1-not-resolve-archive-is https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-...
    - cwp 6y ago
      Hmm. No, just my ISP's DNS resolver. I guess they don't support EDNS either...
  - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
    That domain is blocked in some countries. Different solution: curl https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/veblen-review-scourge-of-the-elites-11606504616|sed -n '/\"sub-head/p;/title>/p;/<p>/p' > 1.htm firefox ./1.htm
  - acmdas 6y ago
    Interestingly, using Cloudflare's dns this morning around 0900 US Eastern time, I got through just fine. And a few hours ago, using DNSWatch, I was able to get through. Trying to muddle through what was happening, I found this: https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-1-1-1-1-not-resolve-archive-is https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-... Clearly, Cloudflare was resolving it this morning, and it isn't now. Just why, hard to say. I have other things to do, so that's where I bow out...
  - dredmorbius 6y ago
    Try any of: https://archive.today/8brwi https://archive.today/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.fo/8brwi https://archive.fo/8brwi https://archive.li/8brwi https://archive.li/8brwi https://archive.vn/8brwi https://archive.vn/8brwi https://archive.md/8brwi https://archive.md/8brwi https://archive.ph/8brwi https://archive.ph/8brwi List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive.today https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive.today Cloudflare is in a grudge match with archive.today: https://community.cloudflare.com/t/archive-is-error-1001/18227 https://community.cloudflare.com/t/archive-is-error-1001/182...
resoluteteeth 6y ago
Veblen's theory of conspicuous leisure is underrated compared to his more well known theory of conspicuous consumption but it's odd that this article gives the "competitive wonkery often displayed on Twitter" as a modern example rather than something more obvious such as posting pictures from exotic vacations on instagram or facebook.
coward8675309 6y ago
Here's a thought: Open source project contributions can function as a Veblen good. Made to display or assert status and to communicate that you produce intellectual property in such bulk that you can afford to give it away. Surely open source contributions occur for many reasons but I'm inclined that the above is an important one.
- Kinrany 6y ago
  Some people can afford to give away all of their output, so that's not a good signal.
  - WJW 6y ago
    Wouldn't that make it a very good signal for "conspicuous consumption" purposes? "I don't need to charge money at all for the software I produce" definitely seems like a Veblen-worthy signal to me, since it implies that the statement-maker is already rich.
- gumby 6y ago
  I suppose they can function as such but I doubt it's a particularly common case. Here are a couple of alternative models: 1 - I have no vehicle for monetising my output so I will use it as advertising, maybe just to my friends. Quite a number of people built a reputation this way (while earning a living some other way). This is how Justin Bieber became famous too. 2 - I need this feature / bug fix in some program I use so if I can get it into the main project I will then continue to be able to use it as that program is updated without having to keep patching it in myself. In this case the open source approach makes your own efforts cheaper in the long run. 3 - I want to move a market and by removing a barrier to adoption (cost) I can "flood the zone" and crowd out other approaches. This has worked for various infrastructure (first gcc (and then lvm); most notably Linux, etc), and is now used as an offensive weapon to build moats and scorched earth defenses around large companies. Plus of course the simple "I wanted this and it would be fun if others did too" for something that's simply not big enough to be a fully sustaining product. Or the sheer fun of collective activity, which really is no different from playing on an amateur soccer team. Playing soccer with your friends on the week end isn't really ostentatiously demonstrating that you have some leisure time, and Vleben didn't claim it was, even when we are all aware that there are others struggling so much that they have no leisure time at all.
sitkack 6y ago
My economist professor that required us to bring a dictionary to class everyday also made us read Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class. Thank you!
inglor_cz 6y ago
Some Twitter accounts definitely remind me of long-forgotten Veblen. Not conspicuous consumption, but conspicuous virtue.

40 points by amanuensis 6y ago

neonate 6y ago

https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi

cwp 6y ago
Can't resolve that domain name.
- yorwba 6y ago
  You're probably using Cloudflare's DNS. https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-1-1-1-1-not-resolve-archive-is https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-...
  - cwp 6y ago
    Hmm. No, just my ISP's DNS resolver. I guess they don't support EDNS either...
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
  That domain is blocked in some countries. Different solution: curl https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/veblen-review-scourge-of-the-elites-11606504616|sed -n '/\"sub-head/p;/title>/p;/<p>/p' > 1.htm firefox ./1.htm
- acmdas 6y ago
  Interestingly, using Cloudflare's dns this morning around 0900 US Eastern time, I got through just fine. And a few hours ago, using DNSWatch, I was able to get through. Trying to muddle through what was happening, I found this: https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-1-1-1-1-not-resolve-archive-is https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/135222/why-does-... Clearly, Cloudflare was resolving it this morning, and it isn't now. Just why, hard to say. I have other things to do, so that's where I bow out...
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  Try any of: https://archive.today/8brwi https://archive.today/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.is/8brwi https://archive.fo/8brwi https://archive.fo/8brwi https://archive.li/8brwi https://archive.li/8brwi https://archive.vn/8brwi https://archive.vn/8brwi https://archive.md/8brwi https://archive.md/8brwi https://archive.ph/8brwi https://archive.ph/8brwi List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive.today https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive.today Cloudflare is in a grudge match with archive.today: https://community.cloudflare.com/t/archive-is-error-1001/18227 https://community.cloudflare.com/t/archive-is-error-1001/182...

resoluteteeth 6y ago

Veblen's theory of conspicuous leisure is underrated compared to his more well known theory of conspicuous consumption but it's odd that this article gives the "competitive wonkery often displayed on Twitter" as a modern example rather than something more obvious such as posting pictures from exotic vacations on instagram or facebook.

coward8675309 6y ago

Here's a thought: Open source project contributions can function as a Veblen good. Made to display or assert status and to communicate that you produce intellectual property in such bulk that you can afford to give it away. Surely open source contributions occur for many reasons but I'm inclined that the above is an important one.

Kinrany 6y ago
Some people can afford to give away all of their output, so that's not a good signal.
- WJW 6y ago
  Wouldn't that make it a very good signal for "conspicuous consumption" purposes? "I don't need to charge money at all for the software I produce" definitely seems like a Veblen-worthy signal to me, since it implies that the statement-maker is already rich.
gumby 6y ago
I suppose they can function as such but I doubt it's a particularly common case. Here are a couple of alternative models: 1 - I have no vehicle for monetising my output so I will use it as advertising, maybe just to my friends. Quite a number of people built a reputation this way (while earning a living some other way). This is how Justin Bieber became famous too. 2 - I need this feature / bug fix in some program I use so if I can get it into the main project I will then continue to be able to use it as that program is updated without having to keep patching it in myself. In this case the open source approach makes your own efforts cheaper in the long run. 3 - I want to move a market and by removing a barrier to adoption (cost) I can "flood the zone" and crowd out other approaches. This has worked for various infrastructure (first gcc (and then lvm); most notably Linux, etc), and is now used as an offensive weapon to build moats and scorched earth defenses around large companies. Plus of course the simple "I wanted this and it would be fun if others did too" for something that's simply not big enough to be a fully sustaining product. Or the sheer fun of collective activity, which really is no different from playing on an amateur soccer team. Playing soccer with your friends on the week end isn't really ostentatiously demonstrating that you have some leisure time, and Vleben didn't claim it was, even when we are all aware that there are others struggling so much that they have no leisure time at all.

sitkack 6y ago

My economist professor that required us to bring a dictionary to class everyday also made us read Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class. Thank you!

inglor_cz 6y ago

Some Twitter accounts definitely remind me of long-forgotten Veblen. Not conspicuous consumption, but conspicuous virtue.