As a non-us-er, I am shocked to see that people actually believe that somehow their chosen one's love is held for ransom by Debeers and must be bought out with

As a non-us-er, I am shocked to see that people actually believe that somehow their chosen one's love is held for ransom by Debeers and must be bought out with X salaries. It is so sad that it is possible to socially engineer customs for whole societies, influencing highly intelligent and well-educated people, which customs profit not said people but small corporate entities. At the same time, it is a very useful example and a pointer to important questions about many other beliefs perpetuated by manipulation and profit.