>"Indeed the conspicuous embrace of 'elite values' by journalists and academics is often little more than an aspirational attempt to remain connected to an economically distant elite...they gave professionals greater scope to manage “postmaterial' concerns that suited their cultural sensibilities..."
In other words, this potential class war is pacified by telling the upper-middle class that they are culturally superior in spite of their increasing economic precarity. Someone in this class who has to take out massive loans, move across the country, and spend $30,000 a year on rent with no hope of ever owning a home in order to have an insecure job in their field must be assured that living this way, combined with a mix of vague cultural markers, is tasteful and elite, and not an empty bag. There may also be a variety of well-funded social movements that pose zero threat to the economic position of the 0.1% to participate in as an activist.
In other words, this potential class war is pacified by telling the upper-middle class that they are culturally superior in spite of their increasing economic precarity. Someone in this class who has to take out massive loans, move across the country, and spend $30,000 a year on rent with no hope of ever owning a home in order to have an insecure job in their field must be assured that living this way, combined with a mix of vague cultural markers, is tasteful and elite, and not an empty bag. There may also be a variety of well-funded social movements that pose zero threat to the economic position of the 0.1% to participate in as an activist.