I don't understand this actually lost at conscpicuous leisure. The point of status games is to signal power that could destroy a potential opponent. Wearing a heavy gold necklace does it (it could pay for hit men). Having a lot of leisure time not. Maybe I am just too used to people playing the aggressive kinds of status (gym-grown muscles are another good example of a could-destroy-you signal) but a signal without teeth - a signal lacking the demonstration of potentially dangerous power - does not seem like something to me that is supposed to work. What am I missing? Why didn't all those conspicuous leisure guys (or later contrarians or authentics) just walk around with gold jewelry for example?
I don't understand this actually lost at conscpicuous leisure. The point of status games is to signal power that could destroy a potential opponent.
If you think status signalling reduces to a threat of force, you are missing out on the most important parts. Cooperative signalling and in-group/out-group signaling are extremely important.
Wearing a heavy gold necklace does it (it could pay for hit men).
Gold chains are a lousy symbol as they are easy to fake and actually pretty cheap by first world signalling standards. Hence they are currently only us...
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