According to Henderson, luxury beliefs are ideas or values that confer status on the wealthy, but are not fully embraced or practiced by them. These beliefs are often expressed in a performative way, such as through social media posts or conspicuous consumption of products that signal virtue. The idea is that using luxury goods or positional goods to convey social status is no longer viable in an affluent society, and therefore certain beliefs are used instead.[3] These 'luxury beliefs' convey status for the rich at low costs, while maintaining a social hierarchy because those in lower classes will act out these beliefs, causing them to stay poor.

Critics of luxury beliefs argue that they are often hypocritical and insincere. For example, a wealthy person who advocates for environmentalism while flying on private jets or driving luxury cars may be seen as a hypocrite. Others argue that luxury beliefs are a distraction from more pressing social issues, and that the wealthy should focus on using their resources to make a tangible difference in the world.

Many examples of luxury beliefs have been proffered:

That family stability doesn't matter, and therefore marriage doesn't matter.
That one should send one's children to public schools.
Legalization of drugs.
Defunding police.
That individual decisions don't matter compared to random social forces or luck.
White privilege.
Wokeness.
Immigration policy.
Environmentalism.

@Ryo1 A lot of what you list here, is what I and others, call virtue signaling, in which people posture, and pretend to be more liberal than they really are, by supporting policies that actually cost them nothing and require no personal risk or sacrifice. I rightly call those people, phony liberals...

@TomMcGiverin Exactly, and going back to what the original post says, luxury beliefs signaling virtue (like those examples) is the latest trend among those who want to exhibit their high status because using luxury goods or positional goods to convey social status is no longer viable in an affluent society. Instead, they hold a morally superior position to make their status distinctive. I find such individuals in different contexts reagrdless of political leaning by the way.

I don't know...

The article is about luxury belierfs, and it uses 'defund the police' as an example of that.

I agree, my view on defunding the police, is that we need to demilitarize them, as well as consider spending some of their money on services to people that might reduce crime, such as providing them decent jobs, and community support, education, etc..