Exploring Effective Altruism In An Age of Abundance
Thesis: In order to change society at scale, we must effectively influence culture and help redefine what “status” is in the modern age. This will ultimately completely change the flow of money in society as the new age of status becomes more prominent.
After someone gets the basics covered, food water shelter. They can start to spend on convenience but more often than not; status if what people buy.
This is no surprise, often status actually does have more value than things like first class.
That’s why you see Dior shoes in economy.
It’s not a miscalculation, it’s all calculated.
The real sad part though is that we have been so uncreative with our status symbols.
We created symbols simply of wealth for the sake of wealth.
Remember that app that was $999 early on? It was called “Im rich” and did nothing. That’s what designer is today. Useless expense for materials with patterns that represent pure vanity. Pure spending power gone to pure status.
It’s tasteless… and society is waking up to that fact.
Brands like Gucci are becoming less hip. Designer brands that are in your face are not it.
Designer that’s low-key is now the trend.
Designer is dialing back as consumers replace spending to these models, but this isn’t the end state, a new trump card in status is coming.
The Altruism status.
We see projects who are redefining what status is gaining traction. Ultimately, the more projects that promote this new line of thinking, the more people think others think this way, the more it will become true.
In a subjective culture sense we see IN-YOUR-FACE luxury style goods declining while a push for understated looks are coming forward. Brands such as Gucci are being seen as more oversaturated, and pieces that lack design besides the plastery of the luxury logo on the piece are seen as tacky.
We believe the changing of status will be one of the largest wealth flow transfers. Imagine an individual who is struggling to provide for themselves, eventually however, they begin to thrive. They start a business and after having major success exit for a few million dollars. What is the standard look and lifestyle of this person after this event?
For the most part, most people are living to keep their “social survival mammoth” feeling good. This is the part of the brain which feeds off of status, which defines our place in the social hierarchy. And this is not something I believe we can change, people WILL naturally compete to go up the chain of the social hierarchy, people want to outdo each other, people are competitive, people want to be seen as HIGHER status. It’s truly a given and built deeply into our biology.
This climb, this fight up the ladder is not inherently bad, what’s wrong right now is what we consider to be markers of people who are higher up that ladder. We have been sold a narrative by the luxury and designer corporations, who have massive budgets to win the celebrities over, that designer and luxury clothing IS high status. Those who spend $4k on a designer bag versus one of equivalent quality for $50 are put higher on the status scale. If we can collectively redefine this status symbol as tacky, which has already been changing for in-your-face luxury design brand styles, we will change where the money which pays for status goes.
While projects like Shelter NFT would build a home for a family who would have otherwise never had one before for the same price as a designer bag, it is no replacement for a BAG. People still want to buy a high end item, so instead, a brand which offers that price of bag, that level of quality, whose surplus funds goes towards making that positive change is perfect.
Are we really surprised that we have so many billionaires and multi-millionaires when we are status seeking monkeys who predicate our view of status on financial wealth.
It is only within our subcultures, our communities where this status breaks down and becomes not how much we have, but how much we do for others.
The greatest cause in the world is to cause a natural organic change in the distribution of wealth to the people who deserve it. There are too many bright minds and kind hearts who don’t have enough to even support themselves to push forward their ideas for humanity.
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Company Name: EffAlt
Contact Person: Jack Jay
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Phone: +15208700996
Country: United States
Website: effalt.com