The
conspious consumption
Moh Yasir Alimi, A RESEARCHER AT THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL PLURALISM, DEMOCRACY AND
CHARACTER BUILDING AT SEMARANG STATE UNIVERSITY
Sumber : JAKARTA POST, 19 Desember 2011
The
revelation of inflated bank accounts belonging to low-ranking civil servants
and corruption charges levied against young politicians challenge us to examine
the sociological fabric that underlies corruption in Indonesia.
The fabric has provided cover to the young politicians and bureaucrats to disregard the anti-corruption campaign waged by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Corruption suspects and convicts have held sway in the media, desensitizing the young about other human problems reported in the news, such as poverty, more than 21,000 decrepit schools, the denial of healthcare to poor people in East Java and the suicide-by-self-immolation of a student protester.
The immersion of youth in corruption has broken many hearts, especially those who rely upon the idea of “fresh blood” as a strategy for curbing national leadership crises.
Many young politicians have become ensnared in corruption and are now rotten eggs that should be discarded. Look at the House of Representatives, where young politicians are confidently and outspokenly attempting to eliminate the KPK.
Like the young politicians, the young bureaucrats do not want to be left behind and want to get rich fast. Without the knowledge and approval of the supervisors, the rookie civil servants could not have accumulated such large amounts of money.
There are two possible ways the bureaucrats could have obtained such high bank balances.
First, they might have operated projects through shell companies prepared by their bosses to channel projects from the ministry.
Second, they might have connected contractors with their bosses and reaped money from “entertainment” packages.
Ministries are the cash cows of political parties and civil servants who work in ministries led by politicians are richer than those run by experts.
In ministries that are not controlled by politicians, high-ranking bureaucrats hold budget power and do not necessarily pay ransom to political parties.
One can easily see that the amount of money amassed by young civil servants does not represent the total amount of money in circulation. Many transactions are conducted in cash, or laundered in the form of houses, property, land, cars and luxury goods under the names of family members or close friends.
The young are doing dirty work, despite anticorruption campaigns, because of the high pressure for “conspicuous consumption”, that is, the continuous display of status or wealth taking the shape of luxury consumer goods typically purchased in the cathedrals of consumption in Jakarta or Singapore.
Conspicuous consumption is a phrase coined by Thorstein Veblen to indicate new practices of consumption where the new rich display what they have to gain public admiration.
According to Veblen, the rich think that their previous leisure activities do not demonstrate their status enough. By purchasing luxury cars, big houses and the most advanced flashy gadgets. they can display their social status and renew their self worth.
In conspicuous consumption, wealth and its display become the measure of the status of a person. In some circles, it is required in order to maintain the good opinion of others and as badge of group membership for a particular social status.
Sociologically, conspicuous consumption is learned through advertisements, family and particularly peer interaction.
In the circle of politicians, showing property and expensive cars in interaction among politicians has become the measure of success, self worth and social status.
As the lifestyle of the affluent becomes a frame of reference, young politicians endeavor to emulate the super-rich people who lead political parties.
Interaction with rich, seasoned politicians drives the young politicians to join the ranks of successful politicians and reach the state of normalness as defined by the most affluent politicians.
In that pattern of peer interaction, politicians tend to become a group of consumers and agents of conspicuous consumption rather than representatives of their constituents. The legislative body is no more than the house of conspicuous consumption.
The war on corruption does not seem to scare people because the pressure to show status and achieve happiness through the possession of luxury goods intensifies.
Social studies observe the downsides of consumerism. Conspicuous consumerism weakens solidarity, democracy and the legitimacy of the government.
A group of researchers from the University of Minnesota recently observed that conspicuous consumption is driven by the desire for short-term mating motives.
They suggest that “flaunting status-linked goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources”, but also about “part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating.”
With conspicuous consumption, corruption has reached its level of perfection. Whereas inflated accounts are a form of corruption by power abuse, consumerism is corruption of soul.
In that kind of crisis, bureaucratic reform cannot fix the problem without character reform and leadership, which has the capacity and capaciousness to guide the nation to the importance of contentment.
The next national leader should be one who is not enslaved by his or her desire and one who can say with confidence that “happiness is not in things; it is in us”. ●
The fabric has provided cover to the young politicians and bureaucrats to disregard the anti-corruption campaign waged by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Corruption suspects and convicts have held sway in the media, desensitizing the young about other human problems reported in the news, such as poverty, more than 21,000 decrepit schools, the denial of healthcare to poor people in East Java and the suicide-by-self-immolation of a student protester.
The immersion of youth in corruption has broken many hearts, especially those who rely upon the idea of “fresh blood” as a strategy for curbing national leadership crises.
Many young politicians have become ensnared in corruption and are now rotten eggs that should be discarded. Look at the House of Representatives, where young politicians are confidently and outspokenly attempting to eliminate the KPK.
Like the young politicians, the young bureaucrats do not want to be left behind and want to get rich fast. Without the knowledge and approval of the supervisors, the rookie civil servants could not have accumulated such large amounts of money.
There are two possible ways the bureaucrats could have obtained such high bank balances.
First, they might have operated projects through shell companies prepared by their bosses to channel projects from the ministry.
Second, they might have connected contractors with their bosses and reaped money from “entertainment” packages.
Ministries are the cash cows of political parties and civil servants who work in ministries led by politicians are richer than those run by experts.
In ministries that are not controlled by politicians, high-ranking bureaucrats hold budget power and do not necessarily pay ransom to political parties.
One can easily see that the amount of money amassed by young civil servants does not represent the total amount of money in circulation. Many transactions are conducted in cash, or laundered in the form of houses, property, land, cars and luxury goods under the names of family members or close friends.
The young are doing dirty work, despite anticorruption campaigns, because of the high pressure for “conspicuous consumption”, that is, the continuous display of status or wealth taking the shape of luxury consumer goods typically purchased in the cathedrals of consumption in Jakarta or Singapore.
Conspicuous consumption is a phrase coined by Thorstein Veblen to indicate new practices of consumption where the new rich display what they have to gain public admiration.
According to Veblen, the rich think that their previous leisure activities do not demonstrate their status enough. By purchasing luxury cars, big houses and the most advanced flashy gadgets. they can display their social status and renew their self worth.
In conspicuous consumption, wealth and its display become the measure of the status of a person. In some circles, it is required in order to maintain the good opinion of others and as badge of group membership for a particular social status.
Sociologically, conspicuous consumption is learned through advertisements, family and particularly peer interaction.
In the circle of politicians, showing property and expensive cars in interaction among politicians has become the measure of success, self worth and social status.
As the lifestyle of the affluent becomes a frame of reference, young politicians endeavor to emulate the super-rich people who lead political parties.
Interaction with rich, seasoned politicians drives the young politicians to join the ranks of successful politicians and reach the state of normalness as defined by the most affluent politicians.
In that pattern of peer interaction, politicians tend to become a group of consumers and agents of conspicuous consumption rather than representatives of their constituents. The legislative body is no more than the house of conspicuous consumption.
The war on corruption does not seem to scare people because the pressure to show status and achieve happiness through the possession of luxury goods intensifies.
Social studies observe the downsides of consumerism. Conspicuous consumerism weakens solidarity, democracy and the legitimacy of the government.
A group of researchers from the University of Minnesota recently observed that conspicuous consumption is driven by the desire for short-term mating motives.
They suggest that “flaunting status-linked goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources”, but also about “part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating.”
With conspicuous consumption, corruption has reached its level of perfection. Whereas inflated accounts are a form of corruption by power abuse, consumerism is corruption of soul.
In that kind of crisis, bureaucratic reform cannot fix the problem without character reform and leadership, which has the capacity and capaciousness to guide the nation to the importance of contentment.
The next national leader should be one who is not enslaved by his or her desire and one who can say with confidence that “happiness is not in things; it is in us”. ●
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