4 ms·

I recalled this joke after reading your comment, one guy working in finances asks another guy working in finances: - How much did you pay for your tie? - $40

by hospes 8y ago

I recalled this joke after reading your comment, one guy working in finances asks another guy working in finances: - How much did you pay for your tie? - $400 in the store next door. - They tricked you! Store across the street sells the same tie for $800. If you are paying 10K for an engagement ring and I can buy the same exact engagement ring for 1K, it is just matter of time when your ring will loose it's "social show off value", because "everyone" will have similar rings. I think after some time De Beers or a company similar to theirs will find for rich and/or overly emotional people something else very expensive to buy to show their "love". It is just a social signal "my ring is better than yours" => "my male ape is better than your male ape" => "I am more superior". People are social animals, social signals are very important for them, they'll always find a way to send social signals: super expensive cars, shiny things, handbags for $5K, golden iPhone for 18K, ... Look at luxury industry, it is booming.

Kadin 8y ago
Except that people rarely show off engagement rings once they're married. It's not about the ring, it's about the expense. The same purpose could be served by just piling up twenty-dollar bills and setting them on fire, and the person with the biggest pile of bills to set on fire would be the highest status. There are cultures historically where stuff like that was common: generally as sacrificial offerings, but same thing really -- if you can afford to sacrifice a horse, in a culture where a horse is really valuable, it means you're really fucking serious about whatever you're doing, or so rich that you can do it casually, one of the two.
- kolpa 8y ago
  Sacrificing a horse at least served the purpose of feeding the priests. > serious about whatever you're doing, or so rich that you can do it casually or, the common case: bluffing and setting up for a financial and relationship disaster down the road.

by hospes 8y ago

Kadin 8y ago

Except that people rarely show off engagement rings once they're married. It's not about the ring, it's about the expense. The same purpose could be served by just piling up twenty-dollar bills and setting them on fire, and the person with the biggest pile of bills to set on fire would be the highest status. There are cultures historically where stuff like that was common: generally as sacrificial offerings, but same thing really -- if you can afford to sacrifice a horse, in a culture where a horse is really valuable, it means you're really fucking serious about whatever you're doing, or so rich that you can do it casually, one of the two.

kolpa 8y ago
Sacrificing a horse at least served the purpose of feeding the priests. > serious about whatever you're doing, or so rich that you can do it casually or, the common case: bluffing and setting up for a financial and relationship disaster down the road.