Luxury beliefs are costly to attain.

It’s true that in 2020 anyone on the street could have said, “Defund the police.” But you don’t automatically acquire status simply by repeating the slogan. You have to say it in a way that communicates your level of education, upbringing, and cultural capital.

It’s similar to knowing a lot about wine. You might be able to fool someone momentarily by mentioning a particular vintage. But if I ask why you like that wine, you need to be able to elaborate in a certain way. The same is true of luxury beliefs. You can’t just say, “Defund the police.” If I ask why, you have to talk about interlocking systems of oppression, violence interrupters, the history of abolition and slavery, and so on. You have to be able to communicate the belief in a specific language.

The only way to do that is by passing through certain institutions, having certain kinds of jobs, and being immersed in particular social environments. There is certainly a group-membership signaling component here. But the audience is primarily affluent, college-educated, credentialed people. Those are the people these signals are meant for.