"The Theory of the Leisure Class"

After reading the designated pages I had some idea of what Thorsten Veblen was trying to show his readers. After doing some more research into the entirety of the "The Theory of the Leisure Class" it became more apparent to me how this relates to our economics class. I enjoyed reading reviews and then relating their ideas to what I had read. Thorsten Veblen combines philosophy and economics and I found coined the term "conspicuous consumption" which basically means you don't buy because you NEED something you buy because you WANT something. You want to show your status through the goods that you purchase. One establishes an identity in society through the goods that you purchase and how others perceive has a lot to do with how you view yourself. The pages that we read for Rizzo illustrated how each job is classified and what the status of that job entails as an individual in society. Some of the issues brought up are no longer relevant to today's society but it was interesting to read and reading reviews and thoughts on Veblen's book helped me gain more of an understanding of what was being said and how these ideas relate to class, society, as well as trade!