> The problem with that argument
> The problem with that argument
> Everybody can be high status if they care to define status in terms of the things they're good at.
I'm arguing that you don't get to define status for yourself, so there are limits to how you can distinguish yourself and still claim status. You have to be graded on a recognized dimension of status. That makes it virtually impossible for everyone to be high status.
Also, certain dimensions of status are far more universal than others. I don't care how much you can bench press, you're going to be almost universally seen as lower status than a handsome, movie-star actor. Those dimensions of status are so widespread that you really can't define your way past them.
And it works in reverse too...certain dimensions are almost universally unrecognized. For example, I can hold my breath for just over 8 minutes. That puts me in elite company and people are almost always impressed by it. A couple of decades ago, going that long without breathing would have met the medical definition of death despite my never having lost consciousness. But I can assure you that it confers basically zero status, no matter how much I'd like it to.
You could learn to free dive in a couple of weeks and use your capacity for breath holding to get yourself on most countries' national team (doubt that would cut it for the US team, but you could win some regional meets). Being a national athlete confers decent status, more so if you pick up a medal.
From a quick Google for an example, the current NZ and 4th global women's record for women is 7 minutes 45 in static apnea [1], and she easily beat the men's champion, so 8 minutes would presumably be very good. I'm basing the mapping from "apnea capability" to "free diving capability" off what a free diving friend told me.
(I don't disagree with the rest of your point.)
[1] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&obje...
I basically came to freediving too late in life to ever be world class in any of the disciplines. The funny thing is that, when it comes to status, what little my freediving training has gained me has come from the associated weight loss.