Deference grants elites exemption from ordinary rules and norms
Evidence
Another favorable interaction is deference—the right to do as one pleases, at one’s own pace, with few interventions or interruptions. In Roman society, elites reclined at dinner, while children sat and slaves stood. At very high levels, deference can translate into an exemption from regular rules and norms. Old Money American families kept long lines of credit with their grocers and handymen, paying their bills only after weeks of hat-in-hand beseeching. The literary critic Diana Trilling remarks that individuals want to be writers “not only because of the promise of celebrity but also because of what the life of the artist promises of freedom to make one’s own rules.” Pop culture celebrates the heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne for snorting copious amounts of unhealthy substances, including a line of live ants—hedonistic behavior that would surely stifle the career of a middle manager at an insurance company. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 69
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Elites occupy an interconnected world where the usual laws are shrugged off — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 446; Elites flaunt status by absorbing the cost of norm-breaking disapproval. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 217; Nuremberg Principles fail because victors exempt their own elites
Broader Connections
- Nuremberg Principles fail because victors exempt their own elites
#exemplifies(0.85) - Elites occupy an interconnected world where the usual laws are shrugged off
#corroborates(0.83) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 446 - Elites flaunt status by absorbing the cost of norm-breaking disapproval.
#expands(0.78) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 217