Power structure meme

A Power Structure Meme is an idea or meme whose main reason for existance is to reinforce a Power Structure.

This reinforcement can happen in a number of different ways. An example is the Arbitrary Requirement which serves as a clear boundary defining group membership. Those who do not adhere to the Arbitrary Requirement are excluded from the group; those who do adhere to it reinforce the power structure in the following ways: (1) the level of sacrifice necessary in order to adhere to the Arbitrary Requirement adds to the perceived value of group membership; (2) adherence to an arbitrary rule, i.e. a rule which does not innately make intuitive or logical sense, enhances the ability of the power structure's rule-makers to impose further arbitrary rules. Further, the arbitrary requirement itself is often designed to mark group members in some visible way, which leads to a sense of unity among group members (often in association with a feeling of being ridiculed or repressed by those not in the group), further thickening the dividing line between members and non-members.