1H ago
NEW
HOT
118 sources
The upper class now signals status less with goods and more with beliefs that are costly for others to adopt or endure. Drawing on Veblen, Bourdieu, and costly signaling in biology, the argument holds that elite endorsements (e.g., 'defund the police') function like top hats—visible distinction that shifts burdens onto lower classes.
— It reframes culture‑war positions as class signaling, clarifying why some popular elite ideas persist despite uneven costs and policy failures.
Sources: Luxury Beliefs are Status Symbols, The Male Gender-War Advantage, Tom Stoppard’s anti-political art (+115 more)
1D ago
3 sources
Political assassinations or highly symbolic murders can function as catalytic events that rapidly concentrate dispersed extremist networks, turning latent online rage into organized recruitment, fundraising, and political energy across a cohort (here: Gen‑Z Right). The mechanism works through viral amplification, martyr narratives, and immediate moral framing that short‑circuits normal deliberative processes.
— If true, a single targeted killing can materially increase domestic political violence risk and reshape party coalitions and policing priorities, so policymakers must treat high‑profile political violence as a national‑security as well as criminal event.
Sources: Kirk Killing: The Radical Right's Reichstag Fire, Politically hysterical Bluesky dork fails to shoot his way through security in latest disturbing Trump assassination attempt, Attack of the killer centrists
2D ago
HOT
22 sources
Once non‑elite beliefs become visible to everyone online, they turn into 'common knowledge' that lowers the cost of organizing around them. That helps movements—wise or unwise—form faster because each participant knows others see the same thing and knows others know that they see it.
— It reframes online mobilization as a coordination problem where visibility, not persuasion, drives political power.
Sources: Some Political Psychology Links, 10/9/2025, coloring outside the lines of color revolutions, Your followers might hate you (+19 more)