Modern status positions lack explicit rankings unlike medieval hierarchies

Evidence

This episode reveals four crucial lessons about status. First, status denotes a position within a social hierarchy based on respect and perceived importance. The most esteemed individuals, such as King’s Royal Lassie, reside at the top of the hierarchy; average members like Lassie are in the middle; and the least important and least valued are relegated to the bottom. In medieval societies, this hierarchy was explicit: the king and queen at the apex, then aristocrats, then the bourgeoisie, and, finally, the peasants. But as capitalism and democracy enabled individuals to make a name for themselves, status positions became less clearly defined. In the stylish sci-fi world of the animated series Neo Yokio, a “Bachelor Board” displays the official rank of the city’s most desirable unmarried men in clear numerical terms. In real life, we lack a similar authoritative status scorecard for society that would tell us that Malik sits at #41,879 and Janette recently rose to #56,578. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 49