Could this possibly explain people being put off by homeless people, etc.?
Because they are breaking norms (wearing nice clothes, being clean, etc.) they are seen as demonstrating high status, but they clearly are not. So they are exceeding their status and should be shunned?
That is why I say: Selfishness signals status.
The inference goes: surface features → detecting the presence of optimization for self-pleasure → high status
It could have also gone: surface features → detecting poverty/incompetence → low status
But the former is what I mean by “selfishness”.
I think it might be more basic like: x gets away with breaking norm y → x is high status. But alright
Could this possibly explain people being put off by homeless people, etc.?
Because they are breaking norms (wearing nice clothes, being clean, etc.) they are seen as demonstrating high status, but they clearly are not. So they are exceeding their status and should be shunned?
It is the getting away with it part that suggests high status. Not getting away with it is low status to the extreme!
There are two levels of “getting away with it.”
That is, while they may not be “getting away with it” in other people’s eyes, they aren’t appropriately embarrassed by their extreme low status.