Judgments of taste are acts of social positioning

From Pierre Bourdieu in Wikipedia.  

Bourdieu was a prolific author, producing hundreds of articles and three dozen books, nearly all of which are now available in English. His best-known book is Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste (1979), in which he argues that judgments of taste are acts of social positioning. The argument is put forward by an original combination of social theory and data from quantitative surveys, photographs and interviews, in an attempt to reconcile difficulties such as how to understand the subject within objective structures. 

Judgments of taste are acts of social positioning - interesting to compare and contrast with Rob K. Henderson's Luxury Beliefs work.  

A further thought.  It has been widely observed that the increasing prosperity of the modern era (free markets and competitive capitalism) has made it increasingly difficult to compete for status on material goods possession.  

Henderson's Luxury Belief work argues that established elites defend their social position by cultivating luxury beliefs which

confer status on the upper class at very little cost, while often inflicting costs on the lower classes.

When you can no longer have social station through ownership of material goods, luxury beliefs is a nice ju jitsu, raising yourself and lowering others.  

Then there is always the ancient Roman observation

De gustibus non est disputandum.

"In matters of taste, there can be no disputes."  

Perhaps modern fretfulness is sourced in this conundrum.  Modern capitalism has been very good at raising all boats in absolute terms of prosperity.  It is harder than in the past to establish social position via goods.  

Judgments of taste are an alternative mechanism for social positioning.  Luxury Beliefs are just one form of this, but more broadly there is the effort to establish socially endorsed beliefs over socially denigrated beliefs as a cheap alternative to possession of goods in establishing social status.

But then there is the Roman truism - in matters of taste there can be no disputes.  Believe what you want, beliefs are chosen.  But beliefs have consequences and as note by Kipling, 

The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

You cannot believe yourself into social status because ultimately it is a matter of societal consensus combined with Reality.  There are many beliefs simply incompatible with reality.