All institutions fake founding traditions to raise internal status.
Evidence
The fact that an image or style is founded on fictional references or that mythical characters are mixed in with real ones is immaterial. Appropriating (and manipulating) a worthy tradition of some sort is a common practice which all institutions undertake to raise their status in the eyes of their members and strengthen internal cohesion. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 342
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: Close to Hobsbawm’s invented-tradition thesis; also dovetails with the reader’s manufacturing-trust angle on legitimacy-building.