Aristocracy & Censorship

[wasp]

that was interesting but I feel like distinctions should be made between delta and beta because their style of aristocracy is vastly different, so naturally their style of censorship is going to be different. betas administer & receive direct commands, whereas deltas fluctuate between inferiority & superiority

beta is more social and structured, interactive and hierarchical. it's shaped like a pyramid where there's a clear divide between the upper and lower levels. beta's criteria is more "objective" than delta's criteria because beta's aiming for a collectivist unit that moves toward a common goal that's beneficial to the members of said collective, when in fact it's most beneficial to the few at the top. beta is collective aristocracy. everybody agrees with / adheres to this chain of command, therefore beta employs direct forms of censorship, you can tell by how they interact with each other which members are at the top and which are "scapegoats" (to steal strat's terminology) and everybody else in between. you'll administer and receive direct commands. their criteria tends to exemplify Se and Fe stereotypes insofar that it's about social and physical prowess, attractiveness, $$$ (not in the Te sense but in the Se sense where you've got an expensive house, therefore you must be loaded) and sense of humor which adheres to the rowdy and inclusive atmosphere, as well as the lengths you'll go to support the collective's initiatives, which includes how well you adhere to your respective position and how willing you are to climb up the ranks whilst operating within the restrictions set forth by the preexisting beta hierarchy. but not only do betas distinguish between the higher and lower levels within this hierarchy, they also distinguish between members who exist within and outside this hierarchy. just imagine a less satirical example of fight club in real life, you're either on board with tyler durden's ideology... or you're not, because in beta there's a sense of devaluing the self in favor of the collective (which is why they usually allow themselves to be subject to the "initiation process" without much complaint) which is why they clash with delta's brand of aristocracy, even though, in a sense, delta devalues the self in a similar manner but it's for a different endgame

now how they interact with those who don't meet their aristocratic standards is quite different because with beta it's a little more direct, like I mentioned above, because their initiation process takes place in public, here you're condemned for not submitting to the chain of command, for refusing to climb from a lower position into a higher position, even more so if you actively impede the collective's initiatives by asserting your own individuality, especially if they directly conflict with the collective's initiatives. "what do you mean you don't like/hate [x]?" this is where you'll find the direct censorship mentioned in the OP: "shut up", "who are you?", and "you have no leverage here, learn your place!" now for those who DO adhere to the beta chain of command, it's subservience to your position, if you're in a lower position then you immediately accept the commands of someone in a higher position, but if someone from a lower position tries to enforce the same commands, your response is brushing them off and/or asserting your higher position with adamancy

whereas delta is more individualistic in how they express their aristocratic inclinations, yet their ultimate goal is still the collective. delta's criteria is highly personalized, which is what distinguishes them from beta, but they're just as exacting in how they alter their treatment of individuals based on this personalized criteria. delta treads a fine line between democracy and aristocracy in that sense, because their hierarchy is loose and malleable, as is the nature of delta, more accurately that is the nature of Fi and Si, there is no such thing as a delta collective. if anything the closest we get to seeing a delta collective is their inclination toward the "greater good" (which I know sounds pretentious, but it's not meant to imply that all deltas are moralistic, it just means that - in contrast with beta, which is more about how you impact society and other people, tangibly and emotionally, within the group's respective ideology - in delta it's about how little impact you have on anybody else's initiatives while pursuing your own initiatives). beta is about the strength of the collective, whereas delta is about the strength of the individual. delta is aristocracy of the individual. in the case of delta STs it's about practicality and diligence, work ethic and knowledge base, whereas with delta NFs it's about creativity and perspective, humanistic understanding and emotional self-control. deltas are usually attracted to creative, talented, and successful individuals, like an impressive yet still unknown painter, which has little bearing on where that painter lies on any social hierarchy. here you're either impressive or interesting - as an individual - or you're coldly overlooked and/or dismissed. there's another level which, after determining that you're worthy on an individual basis, deltas are prone to splinter off based on similar interests (movies, music, books, of the obscure and "niche" nature) or life experiences, which is how delta separates between who's "in" and who's "out"

deltas are more inclined to employ cold dismissals or just outright avoidance, their form of censorship manifests as a cold, detached attitude toward those who don't meet their aristocratic standards. imagine somebody in a beret scoffing at you after you just revealed that you've never heard of his favorite obscure band from england with only 100 youtube views, because in delta it's more about associations that exist outside any solidified hierarchy, "oh he hasn't heard of my favorite band, but she has, therefore she's more deep and cultured than that guy." [shoots dismissive glare] or how you hold / express yourself in a group setting, whether it's school or work, it's more about your way of being. now this one's a little tricky because they're not subservient per se, but if deltas encounter somebody they perceive as a high quality individual, there's a sense of preemptive inferiority, like "this guy is a well-renowned artist, whereas I'm just an amateur painter." or alternatively they're the well-renowned artist and they encounter someone who's just an amateur painter, then they feel it's within their right to speak down to them, to give them unsolicited advice, like they're the teacher and the amateur painter is their pupil

there's probably a less verbose way of outlining their differences but it's difficult to put into words, but that's one thing that strat outlined beautifully