.1 In modern society, culture is never a single monolithic entity but instead an ecosystem of interlinking cultural subunits always in the state of dynamic interaction.

The creative class takes influence from Old Money, artists, countercultures, and minority subcultures, and through the mechanism of retro , often embrace outmoded forms of culture from the mainstream and rural groups — e.g "granny" glasses, hunting camouflage as streetwear.

1.3.3 Oppositional taste worlds prefer conventions that are openly antagonistic to the mainstream — e.g. bikers, Bronx gangs, and punks all brandished swastikas in the 1970s.

Upper-middle class professionals center their tastes around discovery of interesting and superior goods.

To maintain ecosystem health, we must reject the cynical “poptimist” framing of culture as a mere vehicle for entertainment and commerce and instead promote the benefits of constant cultural refresh.

Countercultures tend to be educated middle-class individuals who self-isolate based on alternative value systems — e.g. hippies, radical political movements, religious cults.