A luxury belief is a belief held or espoused in order to signal that a person belongs to an elite class.[1]

Origin

The term is a neologism coined by social commentator Rob Henderson in 2019.[1][2][3] It was coined to describe a modern trend among affluent Americans to use their beliefs as a way to display their social status.[4][5] However, recognition of the phenomenon in sociology predates the term itself.[6]

Details

Doug Lemov and co-authors in 2023 described Henderson's concept of the luxury belief as "an idea that confers social status on people who hold it but injures others in its practical consequences."[2] Matthew Goodwin, professor of political science at the University of Kent, explained further in 2023 that such beliefs are held by people "who no longer measure somebody's status or moral worth through money, estates, titles or education but through the new lens of ideas and beliefs."[3]

For example, the belief that marriage and the nuclear family are no better than alternative family arrangements is often cited as a luxury belief.[7][1] In fact, intact families are predictive of positive childhood outcomes, and wealthy families are more likely to stay together , despite potentially espousing the contrary belief.

The term is usually used pejoratively, and critics of luxury beliefs argue that they are often hypocritical and insincere.

In October 2023, former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed in a speech that support for the admission of irregular migrants to the United Kingdom is a luxury belief.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rob Henderson. "Luxury Beliefs Are the Latest Status Symbol for Rich Americans". NY Post.
  2. 1 2 Lemov, Doug; Lewis, Hilary; Williams, Darryl; Frazier, Denarius (2023). Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging. New York: Wiley. p. 125. ISBN 9781119739999 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 Goodwin, Matthew (2023). Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics (ebook). Penguin Random House. p. 118. ISBN 9781802062274 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Lewyn, Michael (October 11, 2023). "'Luxury Beliefs' and Urban Planning". Planetizen. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ Pondiscio, Robert (December 9, 2021). "Education's enduring love affair with "luxury beliefs"". Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Abelson, R. P. (1986). "Beliefs are like possessions". Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour. 16 (3): 223–250. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5914.1986.tb00078.x.
  7. ↑ Patrick Parkinson (2022). "Marriage and Luxury Beliefs at the United Nations". Vol. 66, no. 1. Quadrant Magazine. p. 34-39.
  8. ↑ "Braverman suggests support for immigration is a 'luxury belief' and claims 'hurricane' of mass migration is coming – as it happened". The Guardian. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
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