In economics, a luxury good is one for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises i.e. these are goods that are perceived as luxurious by the public simply because they play the role of a status symbol. This definition may include only materialistic (manufactured) goods.
I think it should include our everyday development talks that we find on our news channels, radio shows and even in the privacy of our own living room. The 'our' here relates to an average middle to higher income Indian household who happen to have such conversations. Having grown up in what my grandfather likes to call a liberal family- I have been exposed to several such conversations and have initiated a few myself. In the era of technological advancement, these discussions are not confined to face-to-face interactions but have crossed over to cyber space. Through Twitter, Facebook and Blogs we let the world know how we really feel about the 'plight of the poor'
Is it all just talk (or Tweets)?
It seems so, while we all sit around discussing their plight (because our education allows it) the poor are out there living it. I do not understand this need to typecast deprived citizens of our country as a collective mass called 'poor' -who need rescuing. I am trying to figure out the motives behind people engaged in development work- an experiment to aid an academic paper? A feeling of satisfaction? Or because they genuinely care?
While I ponder over my own decisions to enter the development sector- I would like to say this blog and these words are indeed a luxury good, the demand for which increases as education increases.
I think it should include our everyday development talks that we find on our news channels, radio shows and even in the privacy of our own living room. The 'our' here relates to an average middle to higher income Indian household who happen to have such conversations. Having grown up in what my grandfather likes to call a liberal family- I have been exposed to several such conversations and have initiated a few myself. In the era of technological advancement, these discussions are not confined to face-to-face interactions but have crossed over to cyber space. Through Twitter, Facebook and Blogs we let the world know how we really feel about the 'plight of the poor'
Is it all just talk (or Tweets)?
It seems so, while we all sit around discussing their plight (because our education allows it) the poor are out there living it. I do not understand this need to typecast deprived citizens of our country as a collective mass called 'poor' -who need rescuing. I am trying to figure out the motives behind people engaged in development work- an experiment to aid an academic paper? A feeling of satisfaction? Or because they genuinely care?
While I ponder over my own decisions to enter the development sector- I would like to say this blog and these words are indeed a luxury good, the demand for which increases as education increases.
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