Paleoconservative Samuel Francis has asserted that we live under anarcho-tyranny — both anarchy (the failure of the state to enforce the laws) and, at the same time, tyranny (the enforcement of laws by the state for oppressive purposes)
Borepatch cites the anarchy of a recent DC beating and the tyranny of a public school principal denying the valedictorian her diploma, because she said hell in her valediction.
He cites a familiar source on signalling and counter-signalling before explaining in more detail:
The Principal and Superintendent are moderately low status positions — petty functionaries responsible for a couple hundred workers — and not even their workers, since the school isn’t their company that they started with their own capital. The result is that we would expect the displays typical for low status officials — this sort of thing, in fact.
Compare and contrast to the “Superintendent” of a private school, who is very likely to be the owner of the school. Not only would that person not be so entirely clueless as to the consequences of his actions to his future prospects of prosperity, as a business owner he would likely be considered a medium status official. His signalling will be aimed at differentiating himself from low status officials.