A Mild Defense Of Luxury James Twitchell Summary

In the article "A Mild Defense of Luxury", James Twitchell paints a vivid picture of how luxury is perceived. He gives us a close snapshot about how we fell about luxury in our society. Our society has defined so many materials like clothing, liquor, appliances, furniture, etc., that we have created our own standard when compared to what luxury should be and how can we attain it.

Many years we classified what is considered luxury by having majestic homes and servants. What a big difference from today. These people remained in their own worlds, classifying them apart from others. They created their individual systems independent of the other, while creating an atmosphere that made them untouchable. This type of behavior was passed down from generation to generation.

Upon the birth of the industrial market,
This statement puts a valid defense to luxuries. For example: the television was once owned by the wealthy or fortunate. It was considered a luxury to own a television. Many people looked forward toward achieving the goal of purchasing something that not many people had or were able to afford. This concept or ideology is supported by (Mieses) in the article who says that "luxury is highly dependent on time and place."

Mr. Twitchell states that "To live in a life of luxury is to create a system that relies on social influences." In our society, we will always create a system that relies on the opinions of others. Mr. Twitchell sums up this point concluding "Individuals are social animals who interact with and are influenced by the flock, the tribe, the in-crowd." Society's mindset is to be influenced by each other. Everything we do is affected by someone else. We need each other to survive within our own species. The consumption of goods is how we consider growth and economic