4 ms·

The right way to shake this industry would be to obliterate it completely. Finding another useless piece of glass and selling it for $$$ is not shaking anything

The right way to shake this industry would be to obliterate it completely. Finding another useless piece of glass and selling it for $$$ is not shaking anything.

lotsofpulp 7y ago
Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing. Unfortunately, based on my experience of how people’s brains work, that is quite an uphill battle.
- zhte415 7y ago
  > Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing. On this note, a book recommendation: The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. Thorsten Veblen, 1899. More relevant now than ever. From Wikipedia, a short summary: > a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the social stratification of people and the division of labour, which are social institutions of the feudal period that have continued to the modern era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_the_Leisure_Class https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_the_Leisure_Clas... I believe he coined the phrase Conspicuous Consumption.
- paganel 7y ago
  People over here in Europe are not that hung up on diamonds. Not saying we don’t care about status symbols, because we most certainly do, just wanted to point out that it’s definetely doable to “eliminate” diamonds from the “status showing” game.
- bonoboTP 7y ago
  While status symbols exist everywhere, this specific obsessing over diamond rings and being "shamed" if you don't get one is pretty US-specific. In Hungary, for example, many couples just get simple, golden rings without any gemstone. A wedding ring traditionally isn't supposed to be flashy here.
mhb 7y ago
Maybe replace it with something that also consumes energy and produces nothing of real value. Maybe call it cryptocurrency.
- CrazyStat 7y ago
  So the new engagement ring diamond will be a piece of glass with a bitcoin wallet containing 1+ BTC microetched on it?
- oiasdjfoiasd 7y ago
  ^ guy who missed the boat.

The right way to shake this industry would be to obliterate it completely. Finding another useless piece of glass and selling it for $$$ is not shaking anything.

lotsofpulp 7y ago

Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing. Unfortunately, based on my experience of how people’s brains work, that is quite an uphill battle.

zhte415 7y ago
> Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing. On this note, a book recommendation: The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. Thorsten Veblen, 1899. More relevant now than ever. From Wikipedia, a short summary: > a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the social stratification of people and the division of labour, which are social institutions of the feudal period that have continued to the modern era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_the_Leisure_Class https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_the_Leisure_Clas... I believe he coined the phrase Conspicuous Consumption.
paganel 7y ago
People over here in Europe are not that hung up on diamonds. Not saying we don’t care about status symbols, because we most certainly do, just wanted to point out that it’s definetely doable to “eliminate” diamonds from the “status showing” game.
bonoboTP 7y ago
While status symbols exist everywhere, this specific obsessing over diamond rings and being "shamed" if you don't get one is pretty US-specific. In Hungary, for example, many couples just get simple, golden rings without any gemstone. A wedding ring traditionally isn't supposed to be flashy here.

mhb 7y ago

Maybe replace it with something that also consumes energy and produces nothing of real value. Maybe call it cryptocurrency.

CrazyStat 7y ago
So the new engagement ring diamond will be a piece of glass with a bitcoin wallet containing 1+ BTC microetched on it?
oiasdjfoiasd 7y ago
^ guy who missed the boat.