Rob Henderson describes luxury beliefs as status symbols for the Western elite. For example, although the wealthiest people in the USA tend to come from families with both a father and mother present, they nonetheless promote the idea of single-parent households, or even the child-free life.
Indeed, wealthy elites follow the principle of do as I say, not as I do. But what Henderson perhaps failed to see is that these beliefs serve as a economic barriers to entry. The wealthy of medieval Europe guarded their castles with moats. Modern corporations guard their market shares with luxury requirements such as diversity, equality, inclusion, and carbon-neutrality.
