Luxury beliefs

From ‘Luxury beliefs’ are the latest status symbol for rich Americans by Rob Henderson. In some ways this is just a reiteration of what is already known, but it is done with a clever marketing twist or word play if you will.

A former classmate from Yale recently told me “monogamy is kind of outdated” and not good for society. So I asked her what her background is and if she planned to marry.

She said she comes from an affluent family and works at a well-known technology company. Yes, she personally intends to have a monogamous marriage — but quickly added that marriage shouldn’t have to be for everyone.

She was raised by a traditional family. She planned on having a traditional family. But she maintained that traditional families are old-fashioned and society should “evolve” beyond them.

What could explain this?

In the past, upper-class Americans used to display their social status with luxury goods. Today, they do it with luxury beliefs.

Indeed. Just this last week I was mentally reviewing the long litany of magical beliefs from the past three or four years which were pretty patently improbable and yet fervently believed - The Trump-Russia Collusion Hoax, the Inequality Obsession, the Disparate Impact Standard, the AGW obsession, the Diversity is Our Strength prayer, the Michael Brown Was Murdered Hoax, the Rolling Stone Rape Hoax, the Rising White Supremacy Hoax, the Gun Regulation Will Solve the Murder Rate fantasy, the Universal Basic Income fantasy, the $15 minimum wage without consequences fantasy, the Better Zoning Will Solve Homelessness fantasy, etc. There is just so much cognitive pollution being mooted about with nary a factual foundation among them.

Much of this is described as a function of virtue signaling and I do think that is an element. Holding progressive ideas which are demonstrably untrue can signal excess virtue as well as tribal belonging.

In Coming Apart by Charles Murray commented about the class paradox - Upper middle class people were both the strongest exhibitors of traditional bourgeoise behaviors as well as the class most likely to denigrate the value of those behaviors.

The Success Sequence (get your education, get employed and stay employed, marry then have children) is one of the better documented sociological phenomenon. It ought to be taught in middle school - You want to be successful and independent? Follow the Success Sequence!

We know the Success Sequence and similar bourgeois behaviors a predictors of good life outcomes. And yet we teach children that anyone can be successful doing anything.

Henderson is leveraging all of this, but Luxury Beliefs is so much a better branding of the whole portfolio of social justice intersectionality ideas with which the very wealthy are adorning themselves and others.

Henderson's explanation for the riot of pre-cognitive misbeliefs:

In the past, upper-class Americans used to display their social status with luxury goods. Today, they do it with luxury beliefs.

People care a lot about social status. In fact, research indicates that respect and admiration from our peers are even more important than money for our sense of well-being.

We feel pressure to display our status in new ways. This is why fashionable clothing always changes. But as trendy clothes and other products become more accessible and affordable, there is increasingly less status attached to luxury goods.

The upper classes have found a clever solution to this problem: luxury beliefs. These are ideas and opinions that confer status on the rich at very little cost, while taking a toll on the lower class.

Very good, Read the whole thing.