3 ms·
Except for the white elephants, which were designed specifically as anti-gifts.
by Yoric 10mo ago
Except for the white elephants, which were designed specifically as anti-gifts.
- woooooo 10mo agoEven a deliberately bad gift as a gag shows some effort and socialization.
- godelski 10mo agoDepends how you do white elephant... But still, a good gag gift takes effort. It's not like you walk into a random store and pick the first thing you see. The whole aspect of stealing gifts demonstrates this. It'd be pointless if the gifts were all low grade garbage. They'd be effectively fungible. Yet the theft part it is critical to making white elephant fun. Regardless if you're doing gag gifts or good gifts.
- Yoric 10mo agoEr... white elephants were not gag gifts. A white elephant is a gift that you cannot refuse, cannot regift, and is so expensive/complicated to take care of that it will become your primary concern for the rest of your life.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 10mo agoWell, yes, but it also means a gag gift; I'd hazard a guess that >99% of uses of the term in the past several decades have been of the "gag gift" persuasion. There are many white elephant parties thrown by people who care little for history. Even then, intentionally ruining someone's financial life requires more care and attention than telling an AI agent to perform random acts of kindness (so far).
- Yoric 10mo ago> Well, yes, but it also means a gag gift; I'd hazard a guess that >99% of uses of the term in the past several decades have been of the "gag gift" persuasion. There are many white elephant parties thrown by people who care little for history. Is this an Americanism? I've never heard "white elephant" used with such a meaning. > Even then, intentionally ruining someone's financial life requires more care and attention than telling an AI agent to perform random acts of kindness (so far). Absolutely.