Sociologyspeaking topic
Why does a handbag cost thousands? Its function stays the same, yet raising the price increases demand instead of killing it. Why does expensiveness itself become a magnet?
— conspicuous consumption / Veblen goods
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
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- The performativity of gender: are femininity and masculinity natural traits, or roles we perform again and again, every single day?
- The hypodermic needle (magic bullet) model: does the media inject its message straight into the masses? Why does this view of people as a passive, defenseless crowd fall short?
- The concept of false consciousness: why do oppressed groups defend an order that works against them? Are the lenses the system hands us keeping us from seeing our own position?
- Situationships: why do so many modern relationships resist definition, and who benefits from the ambiguity?