Status now fragments into group-specific capitals even as consumption failure still marks inferiority

Evidence

With an expansion in the paths to high status over the last century, there is no longer a single body of cultural capital. There is a Hollywood entertainment mogul way of being high status that is distinct from that of Texan oil magnates. But within each status group, members still must conform to particular conventions to maintain their standing. “The failure to consume in due quantity and quality,” economist Thorstein Veblen writes, “becomes a mark of inferiority and demerit.” — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 159

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Status hierarchies are perceived unevenly and sharpen with community inculcation — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 885; Achieved status remains heavily dependent on ascribed group membership — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3161; Status congruence across capital forms entrenches inequality despite meritocracy — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 90 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Low-status individuals seek local status in splinter groups while still competing globally #exemplifies (0.85) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 305
• Status congruence across capital forms entrenches inequality despite meritocracy #expands (0.80) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 90
• Status hierarchies are perceived unevenly and sharpen with community inculcation #expands (0.78) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 885
• Status hierarchies dampen conflict by limiting cross-group comparisons, yet cannot explain rapid social change. #complicates (0.76) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2695
• Achieved status remains heavily dependent on ascribed group membership #qualifies (0.72) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3161
• Identity shifting to a higher-status group risks poorer well-being and distrust for mixed individuals #exemplifies (0.71) — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or Neither, 74