4 ms·

I am curious to know if there is precedent for goods losing their veblen status.

• dredmorbius 2y ago
  Pineapple and aluminium come to mind. Both were considered absolute luxuries in the 19th century. Mechanical watches, perhaps.
  • chronogram 2y ago
    Sugar was a Veblen good, now its superfluousness is the worst part about it.
    • dredmorbius 2y ago
      When and where? AFAIU by the time of British colonisation in the Carribean / West Indies, sugar was cheap and afforded plentiful calories (and caries) to the working class. Along with (relatively) inexpensive tea, the practice of serving boiled water-sugar solution greatly improved health (given the lack of water treatment at the time), reduced alcohol consumption, and provided additional food energy. And that was by the mid-to-late 18th century so far as I'm aware. I'm not aware of any time or place where sugar was considered a luxury item, at least not for any substantial duration (say, excepting famine, economic recession, or war).
• foobarchu 2y ago
  Tulips! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania
  • ric2b 2y ago
    That lasted less than a year, I don't think it even registered as part of the culture or tradition.