From cupcakes to private jets, how the quest for status drives culture

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 30 August 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What is culture, where does it come from and why does it change? W. David Marx, author of the new book Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change, says the answers come from our desire for prestige. Marx tells guest host Elise Hu how status has historically worked to drive trends like gourmet cupcakes or dark wash jeans, how the internet can lead to cultural stagnation, and ways we can redefine status to build a more equitable society.

Status and Culture is out Sept. 6.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR.
0:02.5	I'm Elise Hugh.
0:05.5	Culture.
0:06.4	We're part of it.
0:07.2	We spread it.
0:08.0	And it means a lot of things to a lot of people.
0:10.9	Culture is one of the most difficult
0:13.2	and probably the worst word in the English language,
0:15.9	because it covers so many things.
0:18.8	That's author W. David Marks.
0:20.7	He made understanding culture.
0:22.6	What it is, how it works, and why it's so powerful.
0:25.9	The central exploration of his latest book, Status and Culture,
0:29.9	how our desire for social rank
0:31.8	creates taste, identity, art, fashion, and constant change.
0:36.6	Well, y'all, we happen to be a show about popular culture
0:39.9	and we're pretty cool.
0:41.0	At least we think we are.
0:43.6	But how do things become cool?
0:45.2	What drives that?
0:46.7	And then what makes them become uncool or go away?
0:50.0	I mean, the example that I would always go back to
	...

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