Leisure and Culture

Leisure and Culture

What is Conspicuous leisure

Veblen explains that human beings can choose what they do with their time, and this affects the way they perform. He states that previously in the earlier days and societies, people were more concerned with creating something tangible. The main aim was to strive to become productive in all that one did, as this was a labor class that needs to be well defined, and there was a need to create a better society. But as the society grew and people got wealthier, there developed a social class who had all they needed and thus felt no need to ensure their creativity. Leisure is described as any activity that is done, and that does not yield any visible productivity that is tangible. Conspicuous leisure, as defined by Veblen, refers to those activities that people engage in just as a means of displaying their social status. This was a result of the growing social class, and it is purely motivated by social factors, as they always aimed at making other people aware that they have engaged in such activities. Examples include going on long vacations to different exotic places and then bringing back souvenirs so that other people can be reminded of it. As such, conspicuous leisure activities are revered by those who cannot afford them and there aspire to them, yet in this way, they only glorify unproductivity.

Conspicuous leisure in modern America and difference with other cultures

There is no place that conspicuous leisure is more evident than in contemporary American culture, where all people aspire to it. Mostly all middle-class and upper class strive to take a yearly vacation and engage in other conspicuous leisure activities. Another example is the hosting of lavish parties just as a way of showing that they can afford them and also that they can do it better than others. Those who have attained such social status always feel that they have to show it off, and this makes those who follow them, especially on social media to aspire to such a life and envy them. Most of it is done as a means of showing off, and this dramatically contrasts with other cultures that value being subtle. The Asian culture, for example, value subtlety and not showing off as they believe being humble, is the best way to live. They, therefore, rarely engage in conspicuous leisure and let alone let the world know about it as they strive to be productive and communal in all that they do. Americans are seen as a symbol of extravagance ad wastefulness as they show off, especially now in the days of social media, and they are not seen as being productive in any way.

Is wage slavery a problem?

From the creation of the different social classes, it has become evident that there are differences in income and labor. Those in the lower social levels are always looking for better opportunities, but these are not usually available to them, making them dependent on the wages that they make. This situation has caused those who hire them to take advantage and, even in some cases, limit the rights that they have. This is what is referred to as wage slavery, a situation in which people primarily depend on their wages for their livelihood, and this dependence makes them entirely under the mercy of their employers. Indeed wage slavery is a problem in the United States because it has led many people to tolerate bad working conditions. It has also led to the exploitation of labor because the employers feel that the workers have nowhere to go and will, therefore, not leave their only jobs and sources of income.

Constituents of a living wage

The living wage was previously defined as the amount that an individual needs to make to cater for their living expenses. Minimum wage, on the other hand, refers to the different minimum wages that different individuals in different careers are entitled to. The cost of living, on the other hand, is ever-increasing, and this, therefore, threatens the minimum wage in that more needs to be done. A living wage should, therefore, factor b the changes in the cost of living, such as the prices of food, education, and healthcare, to ensure that people live well. It is the minimum income that a worker needs to meet their basic needs, and it needs to also factor in housing and other unforeseen events. Living wage aims to give all workers a quality life since they are always working, and they also need to ensure that they can cater to all their needs. The difference and most important thing between minimum wage and a living wage are that the latter aims at making sure that people live a dignified and quality life where they can take care of all their needs.

The social context of the time

At the time, the social context was one that was built on productivity and work. What people sought to do was make maximum use of their time through working, as they saw this as the only way that they could fend for themselves and create something worthwhile. Based in rural society, recreational activities were not seen as something of importance to the people and especially to the youth, as they were expected to be productive in all that they did. Most of them worked in the farms, and it was therefore imperative that they make the most use of their time to reap maximum benefits. Those in rural areas still felt that they had to stay true to their routines of work and that leisure activities were only ways in which they waste time. Those in urban areas had, however, started to adjust to leisure activities and connecting with people who made them appreciate the value of leisure. There were social classes as established before, but most people saw the need to create a more inclusive society. People were, therefore, learning to socialize more, and interactions become one of the best pastimes. As such, the social context was expanding, and more people saw it as important.

Leisure predictions of the future

The predictions made in the paper in regards to the future of leisure are very accurate, in that they show what is currently happening. With the age of machines, people have more time on their hands, and they are thus able to look for other ways of amusement that will allow them to utilize the free time that they have. This increase in free time has made more people seek out and adopt leisure activities that will not only keep them engaged but also improve their lives away. Women will especially find themselves with more time to spend and interact as most of their house chores will be done by machines, and this will make them more liberal and explorative. As predicted, most of the human population are young people, and they seek out more interactive experiences not only with their peers but with people from different places. Travel was predicted as going to be one of the chief leisure activities, and this is seen today where every individual aspires to take a holiday, whether near or in far-away places as a means of relaxation and enjoyment. This has seen more tourist companies come up and look for ways of attracting more people and getting them to travel.

Demographic trends that sociologists need to be aware of

Sociologists need to understand that a lot of changes are taking place in the world today, especially when it comes to demographic distribution. The first one is the issue of race and ethnicity, and sociologists need to be aware that in any given group, this is going to be a huge factor. More and more people are becoming more integrated, and it is important to also factor in that all of these different groups have different challenges and thus need to be factored in. The other demographic trend is that of gender; in the hat, the number of females is higher than that of males. This, therefore, means that the different activities that are being designed need to be done so in such a way that they will cater to each of these individual groups. Girls may find some activities as being harder on their part and may, therefore, require to be given certain soft activities that are in line with their skills and abilities. The other demographic trend is that of those who are physically able to take part in outdoor and physical activities and those who are not. There are also few class barriers as people are more integrated in the way they interact and the way that they seek out activities that have no class distinction.

Recognizing diversity

Having seen that the demographic trends have greatly changed in all the counties and states, it is evident that there is increased diversity. This is as a result of migration, intercultural integration, the presence of the handicapped and also differences when it comes to religion. As such, the challenge that recreation managers have is to ensure that they factor in all these groups when they are in one place. Managers need to always include the needs of minority groups in all their recreational activities to ensure that they are inclusive and understand the needs that all the different people have. This they do by including leisure activities that are done by the minority groups into the overall recreational activities. The second way that they cater to diversity is by including other leisure activities that are not only restricted to outdoors. In this way, they expand the definition of adventure to more than just outdoor activities. This caters to those who are not physically able to engage in such activities and gives them the ability to interact with the overall group as well. They also strive to make these outdoor leisure activities intercultural and inclusive by looking at all the educational research and ensuring that they are in line with this.