{"id":15568,"date":"2022-10-04T16:54:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T20:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=15568"},"modified":"2022-10-04T16:54:37","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T20:54:37","slug":"episode-507-w-david-marx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-507-w-david-marx","title":{"rendered":"Episode 507 – W David Marx"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual Memories Show 507:
\nW. David Marx<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_507_-_W_David_Marx.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: Spotify<\/a> | TuneIn<\/a> | RSS<\/a> | More<\/a><\/p>\n

“I realized I had three questions: How does status affect the behavior of individuals? How did the status struggles of certain groups lead to the creation of new cultural forms? And why does culture change and why does it stick?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>With his new book, STATUS AND CULTURE: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change<\/a> (Viking), W. David Marx<\/a> explores the narrative structure of culture and fashion (not just clothing) and how status is the driver of cultural change. We get into his thesis and why he wasn’t satisfied with the “random walk” or vitality models for how culture changes (and why fashions and taste spread, or don’t), how status is conveyed to people, and why it’s a third rail in most conversations. We also talk about cultural progression and\/or stagnation, the role of the internet in cultural change, how great art gets made and why the omnivore mindset may stymie that, and how understanding the relationship between status and culture may help us build a more equitable world. We also discuss what led him to leave America for Japan, and why Tokyo is one of the best places to live. Give it a listen!<\/a> And go read STATUS AND CULTURE<\/a>!<\/p>\n

“How certain behaviors and objects that are arbitrary in their value take on that value in social arrangements, that’s one of the biggest parts of human life. Yet there’s really not a field in which you learn this.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n