Status dynamics let hegemony persist without any conspiracy

Evidence

The “neutral” model of cultural diffusion is neutral: humans randomly imitate one another without any consideration of hierarchy or privilege. Status, by contrast, adds an uncomfortable political valence to every trend and custom. Despite ideals of equality, fraternity, and liberty, high-status groups wield greater influence on the public’s choices, values, and perspectives. The lessons in this book lend credence to the Marxist idea of hegemony, which is defined by the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies as “the shaping of the society’s culture in the image of that of the dominant class.” Through hegemony, the bottom of society comes to see self-interested bourgeois values as the natural order of the world. Status principles reveal that creating and maintaining hegemony requires no shadowy conspiracy—just individuals and institutions in capitalist economies gravitating toward behaviors that boost and protect their status. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 810

Categorization

• XREF: Connects the viral-contagion critique back to ch2 and links status theory to Marxist hegemony. — connects to: Status seeking acts as an invisible hand generating culture — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 25; Status congruence across capital forms entrenches inequality despite meritocracy — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 90; Situations reproduce hegemony yet remain not fully determined by it — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 879 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Situations reproduce hegemony yet remain not fully determined by it #expands (0.85) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 879
• Groups act to preserve status differentials even without material gain #corroborates (0.82) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2761
• Groups can gain status without changing objective resources #corroborates (0.80)