Vulgar things: Moral dilemmas of luxury consumption in an unequal society

TL;DR

The paper explores how luxury consumption by political elites in South Africa's highly unequal society is seen as immoral and fuels public anger.

Contribution

The paper introduces a moral critique of luxury consumption by political elites in the context of extreme socioeconomic inequality.

Findings

Luxury consumption by political elites is perceived as hypocritical and offensive in a context of widespread poverty.

Luxuries become 'vulgar' when they are seen as proceeds of theft or mismanagement.

Public display of luxury persists despite its moral and social costs.

Abstract

There are discussions in South Africa, the world’s most unequal society, about the morality of consuming and displaying luxuries. Anger is especially directed at political elites eager to display their expensive trappings, while others can barely survive. This article considers the negative consequences of conspicuous consumption in South Africa by analysing instances of discontent being directed at political elites and their possessions of luxury brands. I argue that such luxuries can become ‘vulgar’ in unequal South Africa especially when consumed by political elites thought to be hypocritical, when positioned within socioeconomic crisis and when regarded as the proceeds of theft. Ultimately, luxuries that remain detached from effective redistribution, which helps to soften tensions that arise from social hierarchies in human societies, become egregious. Finally, I consider why, despite their vulgarity in South Africa, many political elites continue to publicly display luxury goods.

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