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"Any reasonable person wouldn’t feel liberated by a $50 fork, but constrained by it. One wouldn’t be able to help but worry: is it being cared for correctly, is

"Any reasonable person wouldn’t feel liberated by a $50 fork, but constrained by it. One wouldn’t be able to help but worry: is it being cared for correctly, is my friend going to mess it up when absentmindedly tapping the table with it, is it going to get dropped or stepped on if a dance party erupts in the kitchen? After all, it is the perfect fork, what if something happened to it to make it… not perfect?" This is why, whenever I get something new and "perfect", I damage it in some slight way (nothing that hurts the functionality or will ultimately destroy the product). Every car I've owned gets a nick in the paint to remind me that it's just a "thing" and not to take it too seriously.

apike 14y ago
Indeed. I don't intentionally damage new things, but people are often surprised that I don't agonize over keeping my phone, car, or laptop looking brand new. The idea of a scratched Honda sort bothers people, but idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? A Audi with some scratches is a very nice car, and an iPhone with some scratches is a very nice phone.
- Domenic_S 14y ago
  > [the] idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? Because other people worry about it when buying a used Audi. And the obscene cost to repair auto paint. A carelessly placed shopping cart or thoughtless lean against the car in riveted jeans can cause thousands of dollars of damage.
  - apike 14y ago
    I fon't think resale value is why most worry about it, but ptobably some. If scratches decrease resale value so much, it seems those in the market for a luxury car should seek out a scratched one.
    - Domenic_S 14y ago
      There's the rub -- dent/paint repair costs dealerships next to nothing. They often have a guy on staff to do it. So dealerships won't sell scratched/dinged luxury cars, they'll repair them for pennies and mark them up.
  - maegget 14y ago
    But then you may end up worrying about scratching anything you own. Your phone, your leather lounge, your car, etc. I guess there is a line-in-the-sand, probably around some dollar-value. I don't care if I scratch the aluminium case of my iPad, but I do mind if I scratch the paint of my relatively new car. My parents-in-law are protective of their lounge. I don't mind. But I let my kids go crazy jumping on my own lounge, because I don't mind that either.
- ricardobeat 14y ago
  bumperless/caseless iPhone. Living on the edge!
robryan 14y ago
New carpet is a big one, with people that insist not wearing shoes on it. If I do put new carpet in a house one day I will be making an effort to treat it exactly the same as the old stuff I have been using.
- geekstrada 14y ago
  Kind of depends on the use case doesn't it? If you buy new carpet for a house that you are going to own for another five years, sure, step in an oil puddle and walk all over it. But if you have replaced the carpet to sell the house then it might make sense to tread lightly.

apike 14y ago

Indeed. I don't intentionally damage new things, but people are often surprised that I don't agonize over keeping my phone, car, or laptop looking brand new. The idea of a scratched Honda sort bothers people, but idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? A Audi with some scratches is a very nice car, and an iPhone with some scratches is a very nice phone.

Domenic_S 14y ago
> [the] idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? Because other people worry about it when buying a used Audi. And the obscene cost to repair auto paint. A carelessly placed shopping cart or thoughtless lean against the car in riveted jeans can cause thousands of dollars of damage.
- apike 14y ago
  I fon't think resale value is why most worry about it, but ptobably some. If scratches decrease resale value so much, it seems those in the market for a luxury car should seek out a scratched one.
  - Domenic_S 14y ago
    There's the rub -- dent/paint repair costs dealerships next to nothing. They often have a guy on staff to do it. So dealerships won't sell scratched/dinged luxury cars, they'll repair them for pennies and mark them up.
- maegget 14y ago
  But then you may end up worrying about scratching anything you own. Your phone, your leather lounge, your car, etc. I guess there is a line-in-the-sand, probably around some dollar-value. I don't care if I scratch the aluminium case of my iPad, but I do mind if I scratch the paint of my relatively new car. My parents-in-law are protective of their lounge. I don't mind. But I let my kids go crazy jumping on my own lounge, because I don't mind that either.
ricardobeat 14y ago
bumperless/caseless iPhone. Living on the edge!

robryan 14y ago

New carpet is a big one, with people that insist not wearing shoes on it. If I do put new carpet in a house one day I will be making an effort to treat it exactly the same as the old stuff I have been using.

geekstrada 14y ago
Kind of depends on the use case doesn't it? If you buy new carpet for a house that you are going to own for another five years, sure, step in an oil puddle and walk all over it. But if you have replaced the carpet to sell the house then it might make sense to tread lightly.