The moral duty to be unique is really a top-of-hierarchy status duty

Evidence

While there may be a philosophical origin to this obsession with individual distinction, these demands also match the internal logic of status structures. Emulation requires imitating the group above you, but for those at the top of the hierarchy, there should be no one to imitate. A good indication of having super-high status, then, is being able to get away with distinctive acts. The moral duty of self-actualization is actually a status duty: individuals at the top of the hierarchy must pursue unique behaviors and distinctive choices. The suits of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak didn’t just use custom wool but had pinstripes that spelled out his name in Arabic. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 173

Categorization

• CANDY: Mubarak’s suits had pinstripes spelling his name in Arabic — a delightful cocktail-party fact.
• XREF: connects to: Realizing one’s unique image is a moral duty — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 2895; Foisting uniqueness on everyone is itself a cruel status demand — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 298; The ‘be yourself’ mandate disadvantages those outside privileged attributes — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 287 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Realizing one’s unique image is a moral duty #expands (0.92) — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 2895
• Schleiermacher made individual uniqueness itself a moral imperative #exemplifies (0.85) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 539
• Foisting uniqueness on everyone is itself a cruel status demand #complicates (0.82) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 298
• The ‘be yourself’ mandate disadvantages those outside privileged attributes #complicates (0.80) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 287