The Luxury-Belief Class Has a New Word for Theft

"Microlooting"

In a 1955 essay titled “The English Aristocracy,” novelist Nancy Mitford suggested that as goods became more affordable, England’s upper classes could no longer rely on material possessions to distinguish themselves from the masses. Instead, Mitford wrote, “it is solely by their language that the upper classes nowadays are distinguished.”

Jia Tolentino and Hasan Piker proved this point last month in a conversation hosted by Nadja Spiegelman at the New York Times. It unfolded in a carefully staged loft that signaled taste and status. Ms. Spiegelman proposed a new word for shoplifting: “microlooting.”

Mr. Piker later remarked that “many Americans, I think, are totally oblivious to this political language.” Piker also spent a good portion of the discussion supporting shoplifting only to pull the rug out from under you by saying that of course he would never do anything so lowly. He explained that his father taught him not to steal, so he would never do it. But he moves between indifference and active support for others to do it.

“Stealing” sounds so tawdry. Microlooting is cleaner—a minor offense laundered into a boutique act of political protest. Indeed, much of upper middle class life is about rebranding disreputable behaviors to retain one’s position in the social hierarchy.

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The pattern is familiar. Mitford sorted vocabulary into “U” (upper class) and “non-U.” U-speakers said “vegetables” and “spectacles” and “lavatory.” Non-U speakers said “greens” and “glasses” and “toilet.”

Today, the favored words of the upper class come from a mishmash of therapy culture and human resources. Lazing off at work has become “acting your wage.” Saying no means “setting boundaries.” Infidelity is “ethical nonmonogamy.” Prostitution is “sex work.” Divorce can be called “conscious uncoupling.” Neglecting close relationships is “protecting your peace.” Listening to someone vent is “emotional labor.” Recall that in 2021 the AP Stylebook announced that a “mistress” must now be called a “companion, friend or lover.”

And shoplifting is “microlooting.”

Five years ago, I texted a high-school friend who had been released from prison. “Good news,” I told him. “You’re not an ex-felon anymore, you’re a justice-involved person.” He replied, “Okay Rob, you’re not a college graduate anymore, you’re a classroom-involved person.”

The vocabulary you use indicates your membership in the educated class. A typical working-class American couldn’t tell you what “heteronormative” or “cisgender” means. When people use the phrase “epistemic violence,” what they are really saying is, “I was educated at an expensive college.” The affluent can afford to learn strange vocabulary. Ordinary people have real problems to worry about.

Just as in Mitford’s day, today’s elites likewise spend years at private schools and universities. They absorb the speech patterns, manners, habits and approved opinions of the new upper class. This process shapes them into members of the elite and distinguishes them from everyone else.

Unusual vocabulary fits into what I call “luxury beliefs.” These are ideas that confer status on the elite while inflicting costs on everyone else. Glorifying “microlooting” is a luxury belief because the people praising it aren’t the ones who pay for it. The business owner does. The shopper who watches prices rise to cover the loss does. The broader public does, in the form of locked shelves, shuttered storefronts and entire chains pulling out of the cities that need them most.

The aim for the luxury belief class is both to excuse their misconduct and to enhance their status.

If the action can be framed as political, it gains a kind of moral sheen. Petty theft is recast as virtue. It isn’t enough to get something for nothing. Many members of the luxury belief class want something for nothing plus applause from their peers.

A shoplifter who calls it shoplifting is simply a shoplifter. A shoplifter who calls it “microlooting” is signaling education, upbringing and cultural capital. The clerk restocking the shelf, however, sees it for what it is: theft.

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A version of this article was originally published in The Wall Street Journal under the title “‘Microlooting’ Is a Luxury Belief.”