What is Cultural Capital and how do you acquire more of it?

[Philip J. Fry]

This might seem out of left field for The Board Room but, I swear, this is key for "macro-level strategy and execution."

So, I wrote "What is Money and How do you acquire more of it?" the other month and it takes about the financial side of capital. Now I'm going to talk about the social side of capital. This video summaries Cultural Capital very well.

To recap the video, basically, cultural capital is the formal education someone has, personal education they took up themselves, and the status symbol items they have, which can be nice shoes. (but IMO the best social status symbol anyone can have is a cleaning lady... love it!).

The idea behind cultural capital is that cultural capital creates financial capital. Let me explain.

Let's say someone goes to a private liberal arts university in the North West. There, they meet other people, some of whom are upper-middle class and they talk about politics and so forth and developed a habit of drinking coffee and a good taste for coffee as well as social trends. They then take this knowledge and go to... Brooklyn, where they serve specialty coffee. Because they know the culture and social trends, the coffee shop takes off and they turn their social capital into financial capital. Their coffee shop is also frequented by people who have liberal arts degrees, knows a lot about social trends, and are also well off.

People who grew up in the inner city and are black and didn't go to such a "privileged" school and didn't have the time sipping coffee while reading political philosophy readings wouldn't share this experience and wouldn't be able to make a hip, cool coffee shop and therefore lack the cultural capital and could not turn the cultural capital into financial capital.

For another example, let's say someone is from the country and grew up as "trailer trash." He tries his hard to go to law school and goes to a tier 3 law school. It isn't Harvard Lab but Cooley Law. He lacks the refinement, manners, and interests that people who went to tier 1 law school has, since he didn't grow up in such a house hold. Instead of knowing the types of wine and what pairs good with what food, he drinks Miler Light. Instead of bonding over being on the rowing team, he bonds over being beaten by his dad. Instead of going to Aspen, Colorado to ski in the winter for vacation, he goes to no-longer cool places like Tampa, Florida and gets a motel by the beach.

While financial capital can be amassed, social capital is something that you have but can't buy. Because of this, the Tier3 law school lawyer won't be able to get a job at a prestigious law firm, since he lacks the refinement and cultural fit to fit in there. He is forever held back, by his social class and lack of social capital.

This goes even deeper to someone's accent, style, mannerism, and way with money. Southern accent in New England? You're viewed as dumb and uncultured (sorry). When people talk about investments and you talk about putting money under the mattress? You're an idiot (sorry). When people talk about expatriating and you talk about how you can just jump the boarder and it'll be ok, you're a criminal from Detroit (... Dave...).

So, just as it is important to amass financial capital, it is also important to amass social capital. Social capital is what opens doors.

Questions:
* How can you acquire more social capital in your life? What learnings from books or experiences or trends or education would you need and how can you get that?
* What is social capital?
* How has it affected you positively or negatively in the past? What did you learn from this? What would you do differently now?

For me, it is painful to know that some parts of my life were hard, just because I lacked the social capital at the time :'-( But I'm glad I went to CU-Boulder, where it was filled with rich hippies and I learned their ways. I also went to West Point Prep and it was filled with rich people too. I am forever grateful for all that have taught me, in passing.

 

[eliquid]

I'll disagree.

There are too many "exceptions" on both sides to deem that social capital creates financial capital.

Phil Robertson is what you would deem "trailer trash" southern accent nobody who drank Miller Light.

I'm pretty sure he has more money than everyone on this forum combined. Created a patent for the duck call.

Made his whole family rich way before the show and fame. That money was leveraged into the show and fame they have now. In this sense, he created financial wealth without cultural capital or social advantage.

I could name a lot of other rednecks like this, but I don't want to derail the thread.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

I'll disagree.

There are too many "exceptions" on both sides to deem that social capital creates financial capital.

Phil Robertson is what you would deem "trailer trash" southern accent nobody who drank Miller Light.

I'm pretty sure he has more money than everyone on this forum combined. Created a patent for the duck call.

Made his whole family rich way before the show and fame. That money was leveraged into the show and fame they have now. In this sense, he created financial wealth without cultural capital or social advantage.

I could name a lot of other rednecks like this, but I don't want to derail the thread.

... I had a feeling you'd reply to this.

Anyways, this theory is apolitical and Cultural Capital is not just about high culture. It can be low culture too.

So, to re-explain it for you, Phil Robertson has cultural capital. He knows "trailer trash" culture (ie low culture), hunting culture, and southern culture. He then capitalised on it by making a better duck call, which he sold to people like him. He also used his fame to become a celebrity, which created more capital for him.

You don't have to be a city slicker to have cultural capital. You can be a red neck and capitalise on it too.

The thing is, there wouldn't be a recent immigrant or a collared person selling stuff to other red necks. That person would not have cultural capital. It isn't racial, it is just how culture is. It's like how you don't see white people opening up sushi places often. People just expect the sushi to be bad then.

Also, to let you know, you're an anti-intellectual. You dislike intellect but intellect is apolitical. [mod snip] You can just say "This is right because God said so and there's no higher power than God!" That is actually a very strong philosophical argument and it is one of the oldest philosophical argument and the oldest political philosophy position. People just don't say that nowadays but it has been like that for eons... and if you say this in Academia they'll chase you out! But that is because they don't have good counter arguments (lol).

 

[eliquid]

... I had a feeling you'd reply to this.

Anyways, this theory is apolitical and Cultural Capital is not just about high culture. It can be low culture too.

So, to re-explain it for you, Phil Robertson has cultural capital. He knows "trailer trash" culture (ie low culture), hunting culture, and southern culture. He then capitalised on it by making a better duck call, which he sold to people like him. He also used his fame to become a celebrity, which created more capital for him.

You don't have to be a city slicker to have cultural capital. You can be a red neck and capitalise on it too.

The thing is, there wouldn't be a recent immigrant or a collared person selling stuff to other red necks. That person would not have cultural capital. It isn't racial, it is just how culture is. It's like how you don't see white people opening up sushi places often. People just expect the sushi to be bad then.

Also, to let you know, you're an anti-intellectual. You dislike intellect but intellect is apolitical. [mod snip] You can just say "This is right because God said so and there's no higher power than God!" That is actually a very strong philosophical argument and it is one of the oldest philosophical argument and the oldest political philosophy position. People just don't say that nowadays but it has been like that for eons... and if you say this in Academia they'll chase you out! But that is because they don't have good counter arguments (lol).

What could have been helpful is rewording your examples.

You specifically said in the first OP -

"People who grew up in the inner city and are black and didn't go to such a "privileged" school and didn't have the time sipping coffee while reading political philosophy readings wouldn't share this experience and wouldn't be able to make a hip, cool coffee shop and therefore lack the cultural capital and could not turn the cultural capital into financial capital."

But in the rebuttal, above you mention it can be low culture once I pointed it.

You need to rethink your examples for the future because in your inner city black example, you end it with "could not turn the cultural capital into financial capital" which kinda basically reads the only cultural capital is high culture. You would want to reword it to include they lacked the high culture one, while potentially possessing a different type.

Who says I'm anti-intellectual?

Just because you've read some forum posts I make, you deem me anti-intellectual?

Do you think I undermine science-based facts and the pursuit of theory and knowledge? Ha

Science can be wrong you know...

 

[secretagentdad]

This threads pissing me off.
I'm struggling to reply to you cuz you didnt leave any room for discussion.
I want to argue for the sake of arguing though cuz you came out bagging on miller lite

I don't think cultural capital is something you possess per say.
More like something you channel to the best of your ability.
Outside of lessons learned it really just comes down to influence and your ability to wield it.
That's going to correlate more with your personal social stats and capital contributions to in groups than anything else.

 

[eliquid]

This threads pissing me off.
I'm struggling to reply to you cuz you didnt leave any room for discussion.
I want to argue for the sake of arguing though cuz you came out bagging on miller lite

I don't think cultural capital is something you possess per say.
More like something you channel to the best of your ability.
Outside of lessons learned it really just comes down to influence and your ability to wield it.
That's going to correlate more with your personal social stats and capital contributions to in groups than anything else.

There is plenty of room to discuss, but Miller Lite is shitty.

It's on par with PBR, Natty and Keystone.

 

[secretagentdad]

Now that's just cruel.
Consider me trolled.

 

[Jesse]

The thing is, there wouldn't be a recent immigrant or a collared person selling stuff to other red necks.

Was there a typo or something here, or am I just seriously misunderstanding what you were trying to say, because this statement seems a bit off the mark.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

What could have been helpful is rewording your examples.

You specifically said in the first OP -

"People who grew up in the inner city and are black and didn't go to such a "privileged" school and didn't have the time sipping coffee while reading political philosophy readings wouldn't share this experience and wouldn't be able to make a hip, cool coffee shop and therefore lack the cultural capital and could not turn the cultural capital into financial capital."

But in the rebuttal, above you mention it can be low culture once I pointed it.

You need to rethink your examples for the future because in your inner city black example, you end it with "could not turn the cultural capital into financial capital" which kinda basically reads the only cultural capital is high culture. You would want to reword it to include they lacked the high culture one, while potentially possessing a different type.

Who says I'm anti-intellectual?

Just because you've read some forum posts I make, you deem me anti-intellectual?

Do you think I undermine science-based facts and the pursuit of theory and knowledge? Ha

Science can be wrong you know...

... I didn't explain it clearly in the OP and it wasn't your fault for misunderstanding it. Ok. Glad you spoke up. And you're welcome for these posts! Cheapest education you'll get (lol)

This threads pissing me off.
I'm struggling to reply to you cuz you didnt leave any room for discussion.
I want to argue for the sake of arguing though cuz you came out bagging on miller lite

I don't think cultural capital is something you possess per say.
More like something you channel to the best of your ability.
Outside of lessons learned it really just comes down to influence and your ability to wield it.
That's going to correlate more with your personal social stats and capital contributions to in groups than anything else.

Well, dude, if you just live in one culture and don't move out of that culture and don't sell to people in another culture, it really isn't a thing. However, if you move to another country, it is. Or, if you want to sell globally or to different cultures, even within the same country, it is.

There is plenty of room to discuss, but Miller Lite is shitty.

It's on par with PBR, Natty and Keystone.

I moved to Germany. We have the best beer in the world here but when I was in the US, Keystone light in the keg was one of my favourite. PBR for the can.

Was there a typo or something here, or am I just seriously misunderstanding what you were trying to say, because this statement seems a bit off the mark.

Oh, not "collared" person but "coloured person". A black person wouldn't have the cultural capital to sell hunting gear to white guys, for example.

Good discussion here ^^

 

[Boy]

I'm glad I just heard about this and not sooner because it's about the dumbest concept ever.

"Hey, people that are part of a group know what that group wants and/or needs and provides it to them. They can because they're also part of that group, so they know what they're doing."

 

[harrytwatter]

I think I got all the cultural capital I need to survive from blood (family) and time (childhood friends). I lump all the "capitals" in one bucket and money in the other. So I got these two buckets you see, one that feeds the machine and keeps the lights on and another one that feeds my soul and keeps the blues away. Hollywood says the later is all that matters but Hollywood is full of a bunch of hypocrites. Nobody likes living in the dark. Miserable and suicidal loaded people show that you can't have just all of the former either, leaves holes empty which will ultimately drive you crazy if you only attempt to fill them with shiny objects.

My cultural capital is good to last me the rest of my life I think. My capital capital is not though and is what I'm currently most focused on acquiring.

 

[JOoa0ky]

The social capital video just reeks of socioeconomic status but dressed up in another way to make it sound fancy.

I think it's best to just keep it simple... find a problem and go solve it. You'll be rewarded for it.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

I'm glad I just heard about this and not sooner because it's about the dumbest concept ever.

"Hey, people that are part of a group know what that group wants and/or needs and provides it to them. They can because they're also part of that group, so they know what they're doing."

It sounds dumb if you explain it like that with that attitude but it is also why someone who isn't from a well off family can't get into a prestigious law firm, since they didn't have the unwritten knowledge of how to fit into a prestigious law firm.

If you're contempt at selling stuff to just your current social class, you have nothing to worry about. People who want upward mobility do.

I think it's best to just keep it simple... find a problem and go solve it. You'll be rewarded for it.

That's true for instances like all those Indian engineers who moved to the US who became CEO of tech companies like Microsoft or Google but, IME, a lot of people get jobs just because they fit in and are nice. They might not solve any problems at all.

 

[secretagentdad]

The unwritten knowledge part of “prestigious law firms” is that they’re team bad guy.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

I think I got all the cultural capital I need to survive from blood (family) and time (childhood friends). I lump all the "capitals" in one bucket and money in the other. So I got these two buckets you see, one that feeds the machine and keeps the lights on and another one that feeds my soul and keeps the blues away. Hollywood says the later is all that matters but Hollywood is full of a bunch of hypocrites. Nobody likes living in the dark. Miserable and suicidal loaded people show that you can't have just all of the former either, leaves holes empty which will ultimately drive you crazy if you only attempt to fill them with shiny objects.

My cultural capital is good to last me the rest of my life I think. My capital capital is not though and is what I'm currently most focused on acquiring.

... you're desperate for money. Got it.

This is why I left the US. People there just want money and will never have enough. The innovation that results are quite stupid.

Compare this to Sweden, which gave everyone free high speed internet in the 90's, and there was a kid who liked downloading music on Napster and decided to make a company that facilitated free music called Spotify.

American businesses just reek of desperation and trying to make a buck in a society where it is everyone for themselves, trying to get a basic standard of living.

I'm so happy I moved out.

The unwritten knowledge part of “prestigious law firms” is that they’re team bad guy.

Yeah, they probably eat out of a silver spoon and don't know what want is. So terrible.

 

[harrytwatter]

Compare this to Sweden, which gave everyone free high speed internet in the 90's, and there was a kid who liked downloading music on Napster and decided to make a company that facilitated free music called Spotify.

I'd move to Sweden if I could.

.. you're desperate for money. Got it.

I'm sorry mate, but where are you getting "desperation" from? I live quite comfortably but not as securely as I'd like. This does not equate to desperation.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

I'd move to Sweden if I could.

I'm sorry mate, but where are you getting "desperation" from? I live quite comfortably but not as securely as I'd like. This does not equate to desperation.

Yeah, life in Europe is nice.

I got it from "My capital capital is not though and is what I'm currently most focused on acquiring."

There's two definitions of "desperate" from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/desperate. One is that you're in a bad situation and you want to change it. The other is that you want or need it very much.

You said you want money very much.

 

[harrytwatter]

Yeah, life in Europe is nice.

Hard to emigrate there as an American though. If it were a viable option I'd do it in a heart beat and then wouldn't be forced to focus on capital so much because I'd have some actual safety nets.

You said you want money very much.

I'm sorry but I did not say that. Don't conflate "most focused on acquiring" with "wanting money very much". My statement was that my cultural capital is sufficient but my monetary capital is not, hence that is where I'm focusing my attention. Do I "want" to be doing this? Hell no...

 

[timaay]

I disagree to the premise of cultural capital limiting opportunities as with the example of the redneck lawyer not "being able" to join up with a prestigious law firm. Honestly, I hate flowery terms and made up theories to explain simple concepts.

The redneck lawyer most likely chooses NOT to join a prestigious law firm because he dislikes their idea of decorum and interaction in the work place or whatever other social category you'd like to put to it. BUT... BUT.... that does not mean that there is not a redneck type lawyer who looks at the prestigious law firm and says, 'hey i want to be apart of that' and THUS he assimilates himself into the culture and most likely dominates it.

He figures that he wants to get into the prestigious law firm, understands the path... transfers to a better law school after he gets into his lower tiered one and gets funneled right where he wants to go.

To me, it's simply a matter of choice. He chooses to be the redneck lawyer and serves that class and achieves great financial success -OR- he realizes he wants the upper crust, fancy pants stuff and he navigates the system to get himself there.

Earlier i said he could get into the prestigious law firm and dominate, because once he's there his southern accent and redneck routes are charming, notable and a clear differentiator drawing people to him since he's earned his place there. It works for him, not against him.

I used to work in big pharma and had a senior higher up who was always known for wearing combat boots with his suit to meetings. He rose up the corporate ladder and was known for the eccentricity. It worked in his favor.