Why would social status be a zero-sum game? My brain only has room for a few hundred celebrity factoids. Some are good, some are bad. If I see a lot of headline

Why would social status be a zero-sum game? My brain only has room for a few hundred celebrity factoids. Some are good, some are bad. If I see a lot of headlines about Mel Gibson being a nutcase, my opinion of celebrities (and the world in general) tends to be lowered. Social pecking order is zero-sum, but social status isn't. In some places (New York?), everyone has a low opinion of most other people. In other places (Canada? Some parts of California?), people generally treat each other with respect.