From: mark@unicorn.com
Date: Mon Jan 25 1999 - 09:43:34 MST
Lee Daniel Crocker [lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net] wrote:
>Ever buy a diamond engagement ring? Anniversary gift? Birthstone?
No, no, and, uh, no.
>Those "traditions" were created entirely by jewelry advertising, and
>are now so entrenched in our society that most people don't even
>realize that.
So the questions would seem to be:
1. Are people buying them because of the advertising or the "tradition"
2. Just how much of people's budget consist of such items, rather than
those they really want?
I'd certainly agree that there are such traditions which many people follow,
but I think that it's a different issue; people buy diamond engagement rings
-- if they do, most people I know didn't want to spend that kind of money
on something that isn't really useful -- because they're expected to, not
because they see an ad on TV and think 'oh, I think I'll buy a diamond
engagement ring today'. Galbraith's theory seems to be the latter; we see
an ad on TV and follow the meme to go out and buy a diamond engagement
ring even though we're not going to get engaged.
Kids see toys advertised on TV and immediately want them. Most adults --
with the exception of the few people I know who really have more money
than sense -- don't. Tradition seems to be a different issue; buying the
diamond engagement ring when you get engaged serves a purpose, whether or
not that purpose was originally created by advertising.
Mark
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:02:55 MST