Elite is a loaded term in many circles, especially when used by populists who are simply looking to tar whatever population they feel is that their mob will be happy targeting as enemies. The technocrats of Borealis are sometimes called "elites" by the anarchists, while Saminov makes repeated usage of the term "liberal elite" whenever he's attempting to turn the public against someone he doesn't like, even if they're devoted Party member or a dyed in the wool blue-collar socialist. For many, "elite" means "people I don't like." However, the word has a legitimate definition beyond that, and within the Verge and Bleed that definition takes on a life of its own. These are the aristocrats of democracy, the lords and ladies of the capitalist paradigm: the people who make the megawealthy multibillionaires of the early 21st century look like paupers from the middle ages.
Who the Socialites areWhere the Aristocratic Courts of the Monarchy often have responsibility to their charges and those who are below them and above them in the social order, capitalism has freed these wealthy individuals from that duty. They only owe responsibility to themselves, and while that neoliberal attitude is very outdated in some parts of the Verge and Bleed (such as the Monarchy, where social responsibility reigns supreme and restricts what everyone can do per their rank, or the Imperium, where service to the State is given primacy over short-lived ephemeral goals like individualism), it's alive and well among many socialites - and their hangers-on.
Socialites tend to be a self-reinforcing community, which can produce bubbles where the reality in the bubble looks very different from the reality outside of the bubble - StarMech is an excellent example of this in action. However, when these individuals are useful, which admittedly is very rare, they tend to be involved in culture, either as influencers on culture, artists who capitalized on their art to make culture, or the scion of wealthy elite CEOs who mistake scandal for culture. In many ways, socialites are the engine that drives cultural production, and are the beating heart of culture in a number of ways. Unlike the other groups, socialites aren't a uniform organization, although regardless of culture, there tends to be a number of similarities between socialites across the Verge and Bleed, which can allow for generalizations. The first major factor of note is that these modern elite are not aristocrats and the Monarchy's aristocratic structure is not the same thing as these socialites. The big difference is social responsibility: Monarchy aristocrats have a great deal of it, while socialites have almost none. However, another exception is access; the average serf will never see their lord or lady, while socialites, the glitterati, and the like often interact with their hangers-on and with fans daily through social media and similar services, promoting their "brand" and occasionally indulging a scandal-obsessed media that is always looking for something new to sensationalize. Thus, Socialites can shade into the mega-rich, but the true money rarely seeks the limelight like Socialites do; instead, they're often disaffected children of real money who, because their parents are immortal or close to it, will likely never see any of the actual money that their family has acquired. |
|
What Socialites Want
Above all else, more. More of everything; more fame, more fortune, more recognition, more brand management, more, more, and more. And they want it now; patience is not a virtue for the social elite. This rush to get more attention can create a feedback loop that can only be described as "play stupid games, win stupid prizes," and as a result the extremely wealthy parents of the socialite in question may have to hire outsiders to come and save their idiot scion. Other times, socialites may look for information and dirt on someone that they're against or are looking to undermine - a rival for attention. They are often the deal breakers and makers, and with a single word, can being or end careers. Many are mercurial with this power, and it can engender harsh feelings that result in social backstabbing, loss of face, and other things that a socialite might now to be directly associated with but want to see happen to a rival of theirs. Money is important but it's actually secondary, since like many truly rich individuals, their ability to actually handle money is poor, since they've never had to understand its value and worth. Fame, name, face, and brand management are where it's really at.
What socialites can offer
While a socialite primarily offers reputation, there are some other things that socialites can provide as well, especially for those looking to them for help.
- Favors. Like Aristocrats they can promise the sun, moon, and stars, but sometimes have a hard time delivering; frequency of appearance is Rank +6.
- Immunity. Well known socialites might be able to pull certain strings to help others get immunity.
- Special orders. Often by beseeching their social media networks.
- Training. Primarily in the arts skills, but also in any social skill, especially Fast Talk, Propaganda, Public Speaking, Sex Appeal, and others.
- Transportation. Again, primarily through beseeching their social media networks, but also sometimes through family connections.
Rank
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
Title
"You there! Fetch my drink." Upper Class High Society Minor Elite Major Elite Hyperelite Major Hyperelite Lesser Oligarch Oligarch Major Oligarch |
Advantages
Rank 0; wealth cannot be below average starting wealth Rank 1, Appearance (Any Positive), Charisma 1, Filthy Rich Rank 2, Charisma 2, Multimillionaire 1, Propaganda IQ-1, Public Speaking IQ-1; Free +1 Status [0] Rank 3, Appearance (Handsome/Beautiful), Charisma 3, Multimillionaire 2 Rank 4, Charisma 4, Multimillionaire 3, Propaganda IQ, Public Speaking IQ Rank 5, Multimillionaire 4 Rank 6, Multimillionaire 5; Free +1 Status [0] Rank 7, Multimillionaire 6, Social Regard (Oligarch); Free +1 Status [0] Rank 8, Multimillionaire 7; Free +1 Status [0] Rank 9, Multimillionaire 8; Free +1 Status [0] |
What makes Wealth"Wealth" is a nebulous concept in the Verge and Bleed, where things are post-scarcity. In many post-scarcity dirigiste economies there are still distinctions between the haves and have nots, although that distinction is much tighter than it has been in centuries past, with the wealthy and powerful often acquiring their wealth through businesses and starting up corporations. However, these start-ups and hypercorps are not the key to wealth. The key to wealth is family ties, and many socialites are simply the dispossessed heirs of what can conservatively be called "old blood" - families that haven't turned a profit or made an income since the middle ages or earlier. These families have acquired such great wealth that it becomes unfathomable; even some nations can't match their fortune. They become so wealthy that the idea of money stops having meaning, and they alone can control entire markets. This is what it means to be truly wealthy within the Verge and Bleed: to be so wealthy that money itself literally loses its meaning. |
History of Socialites
While there has always been an elite ruling class for as long as there have been humans, but the difference between the present and the past is that in the past, that wealth was guaranteed to transfer to the successive generations, because death would eventually stick its oar into the family and end the life of the patriarch or matriarch or whoever. With longevity treatments, mind uploading, and numerous other technologies, this isn't the case anymore. Now, someone has literal centuries to collect wealth, while their dispossessed scions can no longer look forward to getting that money once their parent (or, as is often the case, great-great grandparent) dies. What this means that they have wealth and privilege but lack social responsibility. With the rise of social media and personalized fandoms, the scions of many of these oligarchs have gone on to live large, making names for themselves through scandal and social media influence.
It can't be sure when the first real socialite movement formed; the Yellowstone Demarchy and Le Belle Epoque are often implicated as firsts and while it's likely true they played a role, the movement appears to have arose on all of the major worlds save for those directly under the control of the God AIs, where a wholly different social psychology was emerging as a result of the God AI influence. Post-Ascension Crisis and with the rise of the meta-empires and the stellar nations, socialite cliques have only become more common, as new generations of wealthy elite are born with no potential future of ever acquiring the wealth that they live off of. While a handful of these individuals often seek out fame and wealth in other areas, most simply hold parties, galas, balls, and social gatherings where they can indulge in gossip, scandal, and other influence, all so the social media create and people can consume stories of the glitterati.
It can't be sure when the first real socialite movement formed; the Yellowstone Demarchy and Le Belle Epoque are often implicated as firsts and while it's likely true they played a role, the movement appears to have arose on all of the major worlds save for those directly under the control of the God AIs, where a wholly different social psychology was emerging as a result of the God AI influence. Post-Ascension Crisis and with the rise of the meta-empires and the stellar nations, socialite cliques have only become more common, as new generations of wealthy elite are born with no potential future of ever acquiring the wealth that they live off of. While a handful of these individuals often seek out fame and wealth in other areas, most simply hold parties, galas, balls, and social gatherings where they can indulge in gossip, scandal, and other influence, all so the social media create and people can consume stories of the glitterati.
Socialite Culture
While local culture very much influences socialite culture, socialites are also very much a culture on their own. They often share so many overlapping features regardless where they come from that some sociologists toy with the idea of classifying them as a distinctive major culture, similar to skimmers and spacers. They tend to value appearance, wealth, social media presence as well as reputation; fortune is nice but fame is better, since fame is the scarce commodity. To this end, they often live carefully groomed lifestyles, with every life choice carefully planned to gather as much social media attention as possible, whether it through through hate views (some socialites appear to exist for no other reason than to be hated) or through cultish devotion to the individual's personality (and often times, both at once). Socialites often have a very keen sense of the public, and are often skilled public orators, marketers, and memetic engineers, keeping a close eye on their reputation and how many headlines mention them. Since they are functionally immortal and don't have anything better to do, having all their needs and wants meant, they can devote their time and energy to chasing those five minutes of fame, and milking the most out of them as possible. Some may even have practical skills beyond that ∎