They serve the insecurities of those who make them.
Exactly.
But, in the end, cultural nuances and emotionally retarded people wins because of popular support
Which speaks to the people who follow and support them. The majority are not intelligent, and 50% are less than average. But average doesn't mean "smart enough# either. We aren't very advanced as a species, but we can make some pretty clever tools.
If someone has utter love for ones culture, let there be no compulsion.
Instead, culture is filled with obsessive compulsives.