Tuesday 20 October 2020
The polyester caste
Over recent decades it has become increasingly obvious that sumptuary laws never really disappeared. They evolved into expensive brands, fashions and patterns of consumption the common folk couldn’t afford. It wasn’t illegal for them to ape their betters but they couldn’t afford such conspicuous consumption.
Although copies of posh brands could be just as good in some cases, there was always a negative social cachet in pretending to be what you were not. Even in modern times, situation comedies such as Keeping Up Appearances made that quite clear.
However, in recent decades it also became obvious that economic growth, automation and manufacturing ingenuity could lead to a situation where it was not possible for upper castes to stay ahead of the game in an entirely convincing way. To deal with that we now have a political ethos where the covert message is essentially a psychological sumptuary law much of it based on the political notion of equality.
Not equality with elites of course - we are still not supposed to ape our betters, otherwise there would be no point to a caste system. Climate change, political correctness and the coronavirus debacle reflect the operation of covert sumptuary laws. Do not consume, despise achievement and accept the imposition of a police state in response to a relatively mild pandemic. Do not ape your betters is the timeless message.
The main tool of modern sumptuary laws has been clear for years – environmental activism with climate change at its core. The climate narrative is essentially a political totem by which consumption and lifestyles are to be tightly regulated downwards. That’s your lifestyle and mine regulated downwards – not theirs.
The ultimate climate goal appears to be some general level of consumption which is unambiguously inferior to that of the elites. A sumptuary law in all but name. Vicuña versus polyester and we are the polyester caste.
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5 comments:
Thus the useless expensive battery cars that they can permit charge or even disharge when they want. With hefty battery disposal charges.There will be a good reason why certain vehicles can still run for more than 150 miles on something stored in a tank. An expensive H2S which suits those who live in London. Restrictions on meat farming with exceptions.
Homes to be all electric, but very small for efficiency reasons, with smart meters so that stuff can be switched off when the wind speed is too low or too high, with exceptions of course.
Nah. Couldn't happen.
Cynical? Moi?
And I'm not a rabbit.
Excellent post. There was an interesting little set of factoids from research published on Tim worstall's blog.
https://www.timworstall.com/2020/10/we-are-all-so-surprised-by-this-arent-we/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=we-are-all-so-surprised-by-this-arent-we
Apparently, climate scientists fly more frequently than their peers in non-climate subjects. The higher your status within the eco-nonsense movement, the more privileges you get.
This moves the debate about 'why are they doing this' into new territory. It might be, of course, that we need to be controlled so we are docile and softened up for some massive global scam like controlled immigration, or famine, etc. But it also makes perfect sense to see this as a set of sumptuary laws. We have been getting above ourselves. Visiting exotic islands. Eating superb food. Driving luxury vehicles. Things that are supposed to be minority tastes.
What is a "sumptuary law"?
I have no idea.
And I'm prepared to bet that 99% of other people have no idea either.
Frank, see the following link for a summary:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/sumptuary-law
Of course, apropos the current Covid hysteria, it won't be any great surprise to be informed that the Scots went much further along this road than their somewhat less totalitarian southern neighbours!
Doonhamer - it amazes me what people will accept. Mazda recently announced an electric car with a range of 124 miles, but presumably they did some research telling them people will buy it.
Sam - yes there is probably much to be said for the primitive aspects of all this, as if we are seen from on high as getting above ourselves. I ask myself if I'd fly all over the place as a senior climate scientist and maybe the answer to that is - if I didn't I wouldn't be in that position.
Frank - with hindsight I should probably have added a link - it is an interesting aspect of social history and worth looking up.
Unk - thanks for the link. I didn't know about Scotland limiting the use of pies and baked meats to those who held the rank of baron or higher. "The toffs ate all the pies" would be true in that case.
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