"You do not talk about envy in polite company. That would puncture through a collectively agreed-upon veneer. But envy is such an important mechanism, we must talk about it. So we repackaged it as status. Envy and status aren't the same, but it doesn't matter because there are very few low-status people who don't experience envy. This linguistic trick transposes a Judeo-Christian idea into an amoral domain. It works. We can’t talk about envy, but we can safely talk about status, so long as it's in the abstract and not about a particular person.”
From this
We operate (intentionally and unintentionally) within systems of desire (Girard), hierarchies (status language), group envy (Biblical language).
Girardian explanation:
In contradistinction to being autonomous, rational beings with independent wants, goals, and pursuits, we are more like magnetic-hearts which latch onto the aspirations of our models. In biblical terms, we covet our neighbor’s house, spouse, possessions, and more. Mimetic desire can be good, but it inevitably leads to rivalry.
”We assume that desire is objective or subjective, but in reality it rests on a third party who gives value to the objects. This third party is usually the one who is closest, the neighbor.” It is “The idolization of the neighbor.”
• Mimetic desire is not a new concept. The Reformers spoke of the heart as an “idol factory.” Girard mentions the 10th commandment against coveting. James K.A. Smith, reminded us “you are what you worship”. We are all going to imitate somebody because we were made to worship.