[voyou]

Aren't Medium posts repeating cliched arguments contrasting the author with the supposed superficiality of the masses a pretty clear example of "a tool to elevate your perceived social status"?

[mcphage]

I guess the lesson is, if you can't distinguish yourself by doing X, instead try distinguishing yourself by criticizing doing X.

[stinkytaco]

I've always thought about it as a trait of the young, because I remember feeling this way myself. As I searched for identity one of the ways I found it was by not identifying as something. It's a totally understandable, if slightly immature attitude. I still find myself doing it, however, especially when talking about politics.

It can be a bit toxic, however, and it's probably the major reason I drifted away from "mainstream" reddit. It seemed dominated by young men complaining about tumblr, which was dominated by young women complaining about reddit.

Of course, just reading that sentence, I see I've fallen into the trap.