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The Rise of Conspicuous
          Authenticity
•Andrew Potter
•Managing Editor, Ottawa Citizen
•apotter@ottawacitizen.com
My Argument
My Argument (II)


The search for authenticity has become a
 form of status-seeking, and is the
 successor to "cool" as the dominant status
 good in contemporary urban culture.
Stages of status-seeking

1. Conspicuous Leisure

2. Conspicuous Consumption

3. Conspicuous Rebellion ("cool")

4. Conspicuous Authenticity
Veblen on the Leisure Class
Two human instincts

Instinct of workmanship: An appreciation for
 useful and efficient work and skill

Predatory Instinct: Pride, status,
 dominance, exploitation
Leisure Class
Vestigial Leisure
Conspicuous Consumption


What mattered was showing that you had
 material success.

- big house, big car, big lawn, big barbecue
Keeping up with the Joneses
The rise of cool


By the late 1960s, the values of the
 counterculture had taken hold.

Everyone wanted to be hip, edgy,
 alternative, cool
Cool as Political


What made cool political was the critique of
 mass society

Society as a cultural system of social
 control and conformity. To resist, you
 formed a counterculture
Beats
Hippies
Anti-globalization protesters
Gangsters
The end of cool

What killed cool?

Answer: The internet

The idea of a culture and economy that was
 opposed to the mainstream ceased to
 make any sense
Flash Mobs
The End of Cool
The Search for Authenticity

We live in a world of artificiality, fakery,
truthiness

Reality TV, Facebook “friends”, rampant
plagiarists, suburban sprawl, lying
politicians...

Life seems increasingly packaged, shallow,
alienating
The Age of “Authenticity”
•Between 2005 and 2008, John Zogby
found:
  “a deep-felt need to reconnect to the
  truth of our lives, and disconnect
  from the illusions that everyone from
  advertisers to politicians makes us
  believe are real”

  People are looking for “authenticity”
Authentic as opposed to what?

As opposed to modernity

Secularism -- the disenchantment of the
world

Liberalism -- political individualism

Capitalism -- the market economy
What is authentic?

Nostalgia for childhood and "old ways"

Fetish for poverty, or the exotic

Love of “nature”, “the environment”

Visceral dislike of markets, marketing,
 consumerism, the cash nexus
Authentic Royalty
Autentico Cuba
Authentic yoga in authentic
           cuba
Conspicuous Authenticity
The key now is to show that you are socially,
environmentally, and spiritually conscious

But the same Veblenian dynamic is at work:

Organic everything
Local everything
Artisanal everything
Authentic Rugs
Authentic Living
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12
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Oplg andrew potter_20.03.12

  • 1. The Rise of Conspicuous Authenticity •Andrew Potter •Managing Editor, Ottawa Citizen •apotter@ottawacitizen.com
  • 3. My Argument (II) The search for authenticity has become a form of status-seeking, and is the successor to "cool" as the dominant status good in contemporary urban culture.
  • 4. Stages of status-seeking 1. Conspicuous Leisure 2. Conspicuous Consumption 3. Conspicuous Rebellion ("cool") 4. Conspicuous Authenticity
  • 5. Veblen on the Leisure Class Two human instincts Instinct of workmanship: An appreciation for useful and efficient work and skill Predatory Instinct: Pride, status, dominance, exploitation
  • 7.
  • 9. Conspicuous Consumption What mattered was showing that you had material success. - big house, big car, big lawn, big barbecue
  • 10. Keeping up with the Joneses
  • 11. The rise of cool By the late 1960s, the values of the counterculture had taken hold. Everyone wanted to be hip, edgy, alternative, cool
  • 12. Cool as Political What made cool political was the critique of mass society Society as a cultural system of social control and conformity. To resist, you formed a counterculture
  • 13. Beats
  • 17. The end of cool What killed cool? Answer: The internet The idea of a culture and economy that was opposed to the mainstream ceased to make any sense
  • 19. The End of Cool
  • 20. The Search for Authenticity We live in a world of artificiality, fakery, truthiness Reality TV, Facebook “friends”, rampant plagiarists, suburban sprawl, lying politicians... Life seems increasingly packaged, shallow, alienating
  • 21. The Age of “Authenticity” •Between 2005 and 2008, John Zogby found: “a deep-felt need to reconnect to the truth of our lives, and disconnect from the illusions that everyone from advertisers to politicians makes us believe are real” People are looking for “authenticity”
  • 22. Authentic as opposed to what? As opposed to modernity Secularism -- the disenchantment of the world Liberalism -- political individualism Capitalism -- the market economy
  • 23. What is authentic? Nostalgia for childhood and "old ways" Fetish for poverty, or the exotic Love of “nature”, “the environment” Visceral dislike of markets, marketing, consumerism, the cash nexus
  • 25.
  • 27. Authentic yoga in authentic cuba
  • 28. Conspicuous Authenticity The key now is to show that you are socially, environmentally, and spiritually conscious But the same Veblenian dynamic is at work: Organic everything Local everything Artisanal everything
  • 29.