Modern individualism democratized what was originally an aristocratic status privilege

Evidence

Originality is thus an aristocratic privilege. In Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche explains, “The ordinary man … waits for an opinion about himself and then instinctively submits to it,” while “it is the intrinsic right of masters to create values.” In our modern world this piece of status logic has transformed into a widely held virtue: everyone should maximize individual difference. From the Romantic era onward there has been a fundamental social belief, writes philosopher Charles Taylor, that “each individual is different and original, and that this originality determines how he or she ought to live.” Whether this ethos emerged from philosophical conviction or raw status logic, it’s firmly embedded in modern life—from the taglines of pickup truck commercials to the lyrics of Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.” We should all “follow our heart,” no matter the repercussions, and always avoid becoming a sheep, clone, or poseur. Modernity has democratized the aristocratic propensity toward individual distinction. But uniqueness remains an easier action for those at the top, which means that the easiest way to resolve the fundamental tension between being original and getting along in society is to acquire high status. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 285

Categorization

• QUESTION: If uniqueness is easiest for those at top, what does this imply about the modern self-help and authenticity industry’s promises to ordinary people?
• SEED: Article angle: the self-help/‘be authentic’ industry as disguised status advice — telling everyone to be an aristocrat while the only real route is to climb the hierarchy.
• XREF: connects to: Modern individualism shifted from freedom-as-such to the value of being this specific irreplaceable self — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 2844; The eighteenth century equated individuality with freedom and assumed natural human equality — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 650; Bourgeois adoption of aristocratic style consolidated, not abdicated, bourgeois class rule — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 189 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The eighteenth century equated individuality with freedom and assumed natural human equality #expands (0.78) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 650
• Modern individualism emerged from the Renaissance-Reformation shift to immanentism #expands (0.75)
• Bourgeois adoption of aristocratic style consolidated, not abdicated, bourgeois class rule #complicates (0.74) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 189
• Modern individualism shifted from freedom-as-such to the value of being this specific irreplaceable self #expands (0.72) — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 2844