Anatomy of the Leisure Class: From Veblen to Modern Elites

This article provides a thorough analysis of Thorstein Veblen's theory, shedding new light on the origins and persistence of the leisure class in the contemporary world. The author guides the reader through the historical emergence of elites, from the birth of private property and the division of labor to the contemporary mechanisms of visibility management in the information society. The text unmasks the psychological foundations of prestige, such as envy-generating comparisons and symbolic predatory behavior, pointing to their crucial role in maintaining status hierarchies. The analysis encompasses both the institutional manifestations of leisure in politics and the media, and the evolution of archaic patterns of domination that, under the guise of modernity, still define the functioning of contemporary privileged groups.