The Curious Case of Zohran Mamdani
When decrying privilege gets you privilege
Zohran Mamdani will likely become New York City’s next mayor.
The 34-year-old embodies a fresh start. Although Mamdani comes from privilege, he champions the underdog. He is a self-described “democratic socialist”.
Given his background, how sincere can he be?
Mamdani comes from elite circles.
His father is a professor at Columbia University. His mother is an acclaimed filmmaker. From birth, he has been surrounded by wealth, education, and social influence.
This separates him from the struggles of most New Yorkers. He shares their progressivism, but not their problems.
Mamdani presents himself as a grassroots fighter for equality, but there is a disconnect with his actual roots.
He compensates for this mismatch through charisma.
Mamdani does appear sincere in his beliefs. He supposedly “uses his privilege for good”. Despite it, he tries to be “one of the people”.
“We are all in this together” is the message.
Mamdani holds convictions that do not fit his heritage.
In social psychology, self-perception theory may explain how this came about.
Humans often infer their identities from their behaviour. Mamdani is a long-time progressive, hence he has come to believe in what he does (even if he initially did not). It results from long-term ideological activism.
That is why he can preach what he never practiced.
This paradox is characteristic of progressive elites.
To this class of people, the self-perception mechanism is a tool to remediate hypocrisy. When confronted with the inherent contradiction between their privilege and their egalitarianism, they frame it as a way of helping others: “We use our privilege for good”.
One sentence transforms them from hypocrites into moral agents.
It relates to psychologist Rob Henderson’s thesis on luxury beliefs.
Luxury beliefs are beliefs typically used in the upper echelons of society. They garner status for those who proclaim them. By announcing progressive views, for example, you get to appear sophisticated and therefore elevated.
Essentially, you can sustain inequality by preaching equality.
Initially, signalling luxury beliefs may be opportunistic.
But continued indulgence changes that. In accordance with self-perception theory, progressive elites become what they do. It may be performative at first, but repeated behaviour internalizes their convictions.
It shapes a somewhat robust identity.
This is why the privileged decry privilege so often.
Ironically, it does not reduce inequality; it amplifies it. Mamdani stands with the downtrodden. But, evidently, that allows him to climb the social ladder.
Even if not the leading intention, it serves him well.
His politics have earned him admiration, money, and power. Mamdani denounces hierarchies, and the more he does, the more he rises within them. He gets to realize his ambitions while never admitting to them.
Being appointed mayor would be the coup de grâce.
This is how progressive elites veil their self-interest.
By denouncing power, they sustain it. By opposing it, they preserve it. They preach change, and as a result, nothing ever changes.
The hypocrisy is blatant, yet subtle.
Mamdani is a sincere socialist, or at least he thinks he is. He is genuinely aligned with the cause, but he inhabits a system primarily designed to enhance his position. His rise is a direct manifestation of extreme inequality.
By preaching “we are all the same”, he is destined to become top dog.
He exists in a feedback loop.
Step one: veil the fact that you are privileged through egalitarian politics. Step two: win moral standing. Step three: allow for that moral standing to translate into social standing (or: privilege).
It is a useful game.
Luxury beliefs are how you win favour within elite circles.
Performative egalitarianism is a requirement for in-group membership (and therefore career advancement). If you adhere to the belief system, you are welcome. If you do not, you are expelled.
Dissent is unacceptable, which means group identity fuses with ideology over time.
The result: a weird paradox.
Progressive elites worship inclusion, but exclude those who do not. They preach diversity, but homogenize their social circles. They preach equality, but do so to climb the social ladder.
They inhabit a world of contradictions.
Zohran Mamdani is the ultimate contradiction.
With slim qualifications, he is on course to become mayor of America’s largest metropolis at the age of 34. If so, he will hold one of the most powerful executive offices in the land. Therafter, he will remain a prominent Democrat.
How? By preaching equality.
Not bad for someone who advocates equality for all.
He perfectly embodies the inherent contradictions of modern leftism.
Part of him is sincere. But in the end, his tactics expand his power, more so than the people’s. Egalitarian in ideals, privileged in practice.
The outcome, not the intention, matters.
Mamdani’s convictions are real; the problem is that he cannot credibly defend them.
He comes from higher up and is about to soar a whole lot higher. Somehow, he does so by acting like a casual guy. It is charming; just incoherent.
Luxury beliefs exist to cement hierarchies, not to level them.