About two weeks ago, the designated minister, MK Dodi Amsalem, mocked the anti-reform protesters outside the Knesset and claimed that they arrived in Jerusalem in “Mercedes” and wore Rolex watches, even though they were crammed into crowded trains on the way to the demonstration. Amsalem said in his speech in the plenary: “When I saw the demonstration at night, I didn’t understand what was shining there, and in the end I realized that it was the Rolex watches of all the demonstrators. Look how many Mercedes are here today. How are you not ashamed?” Later on he even accused them of favoritism and of being an Ashkenazi elite.
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It is not entirely clear what the claim is here. Do wealthy people have no right to protest against the legal revolution? Does the fact that they are an Ashkenazi elite mean that their protest is less considered? It is clear that there is an attempt to sneer at a certain group of people, but not only is this attempt not successful, but studies show that the new Ashkenazi elite does not meet the criteria of “Rolex” and “Mercedes” at all. On the contrary, it is more than any hallmark of other groups in the nation.
If we go back in time, it seems that the previously consensus status symbols are undergoing a significant change, but not for everyone. Only among certain sections of the people, and in particular among those whom Amsalam calls the “Ashkenazi elite.” How would you recognize a rich person 50 years ago? Probably by the Rolex he wore, by the Mercedes or Ferrari he drove, by the Versace brand he wore or by the carat level of the diamond ring he purchased. And if in the past we identified who belonged to the elite class because of prominent signs, today the new sign of the elites is actually not in prominence, but in consumption that is not eye-popping.
For example, while in the past the elite were characterized by silverware, Rolex watches and Mercedes, today we see that a new elite group with distinct characteristics is emerging. The essential idea that distinguishes the new elite from the old one is the “prominence” (or “shuponi” in advanced Hebrew) which is characterized by the need to inform the environment that you are capable through symbols such as Rolex or Ferrari. This, in contrast to consumption directed by values and ideology such as the consumption of organic vegetables, a subscription to Pilates and the “New York Times” – and other signs that do not overtly transmit status symbols.
Economist Thorsten Veblen published his book “The Theory of the Leisure Class” in 1899. He analyzed the leisure culture of aristocratic societies and found that they are characterized by patterns of behavior whose sole purpose is to demonstrate wealth to the world, a pattern he called the “display economy”. They wanted to show off how rich they are by purchasing brands whose sole purpose is to show the environment that they have the financial ability to purchase these products. His famous example was the silver spoon, which, despite their abject uselessness, people bought because they were a status symbol.
The main idea of the display economy is that consumption is not done with the aim of fulfilling functional needs, but to demonstrate class advantage. At the center of the theory is the idea of a “status symbol” – material evidence of the exorbitant price paid for the product. For example, as soon as we stamped the logo of Nike, Prada or Apple on the shoe, its value immediately increases significantly. These products are seen as “sublime”, because they are not purchased with the aim of fulfilling basic needs, they are outside the considerations of utility.
Take for example, complex manners – this is something that requires leisure: you have to learn how to eat with seven different forks or how to fold a napkin, therefore manners are actually proof of excess money, the possibility of spending time to learn something completely unnecessary. This is something that indicates that you are cultured.
Indeed, one of the significant changes in the perception of success 50 years ago is that in the past people were considered successful if they had free time, and today people are considered successful if they have no time. Celebrities like to brand their success with tweets like “what a shame, I have to fly tonight to New York and from there I have to take off to shoot for the Versace campaign in Vegas, I’m nothing enough – hashtag – I have no life”.
The behavior exemplified by the old elite, the one with the Rolex and the Ferrari, is rooted in evolution. This is a familiar problem known as “Darwin’s headache” or “the peacock’s tail”: how is it possible that the forces of evolution, which are supposed to adapt the animal to its environment in an optimal way, led to the creation of such a magnificent and heavy tail that weighs down the peacock, hinders its movement and increases its chances of being eaten . The answer was that peacocks with fancy tails are more likely to mate during evolution than peacocks with less fancy tails. The tail serves as a sort of declaration by the peacock: “My genes are so good and make me so strong that I can afford to hold onto it.”
The peacock’s tail is a means of communicating certain qualities to the other party such as health, fertility, commitment and dominance. This theory is called BEHAVIORAL SIGNALING, according to which there are external signs that are supposed to be evidence of internal qualities. In the same way, buying certain products also conveys a message to the environment, for example a luxury car that should express a certain social status and financial ability to support. Thus, a diamond ring is also a signal that signals financial capabilities.
Dr. Elizabeth Hecklet wanted to check who these days buys silver spoons, and after interviews she conducted with these people, she found that it is indeed not the top percentile who spends the money on status symbols, but rather people we usually call “shuponi” or show off, who are characterized by lower intelligence And mostly without an academic education. Dr. Halkett found that the expenses of the new elite are on purchases of “inconspicuous consumer goods”.
The people of the upper class did not mention the new and luxurious car in the interviews, but talked about buying organic products, because it is good for health, for the environment, they talked about studies in praise of breastfeeding, they buy hybrid cars, but they do not “consume wealth” like the old elite. They don’t have luxury cars, fancy bags or expensive watches.
They talked about investing in education, nannies, gardeners, housekeepers, pensions, retirement, health care – these are things that people can’t see, yet they are actually much more expensive than a Rolex watch. A shift in spending patterns among the wealthiest Americans is clearly visible—away from the flashy and toward the invisible, like, say, breastfeeding.
In recent decades we see a trend of change in the characteristics of what is perceived as the upper class. Not with everyone of course, but mainly with that new elite who are no longer ready to be caught with “status symbols” anymore. When a group of real estate developers approached me a few months ago, they asked to build a “boutique” residential complex, but they wanted to understand what the look & feel of the complex would be, how to market it and what is currently considered prestigious.
When I asked the promoters if they knew which population group they were interested in targeting, the answer was very clear: they wanted to bring intelligent, high-quality, well-established people to the complex with lofty ideology and values.
So I conducted a study to examine whether it is possible to find consumption patterns by which the desired category can be characterized, and indeed it was found that there are distinct characteristics. The new elite group is first and foremost highly educated, at least a bachelor’s degree, the mothers in this group breastfeed their children, they like to spend money on organic food and Pilates or yoga classes, they believe in sustainability and recycling, make sure to donate regularly, read “time” and are characterized by political correctness and equality as part of their identity.
If in the past the upper class purchased status symbols in order to signal to the world that if I own a Rolex it means I can afford to spend 20 thousand dollars on a watch, today these patterns are seen as vulgar and blue. True, there will still be oligarchs who will purchase private jets and yachts, but this is seen as ostentatious and even a focus of ridicule by the new elite. Part of the change is due to the fact that the material goods that may be signs of wealth on a daily basis have become routine and affordable, because today most families have luxury cars, flat screen televisions and Nike.
The author is a behavioral researcher in the digital age, Reichman University, Herzliya.