SNL on the front lines of struggle, more in the ongoing war against science, and in the "so dumb they couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery" department...
So, yesterday I was bitching about the variety of prices of a specific product and, surprisingly I got a couple of emails explaining to me that I did not understand that, on a boat, gear is a safety concern so buying the best is all about s-a-f-e-t-y. Also that you get what you pay for.
OK, maybe I wasn't clear... The item in question for sale at different stores was the exact same bit of gear, All the same model built by the same company, and all having the very same manufacturers suggested retail price of $22.95. Seriously, how can anyone think that someone charging $49 for a $23 item makes any kind of sense at all?
It's not a safety issue. It is, however, a greed issue on the part of the sellers who are, for want of a better word, gouging.
It is also an issue for us if we have been trained/indoctrinated in consumerist-speak to the point that when confronted with the same exact item at two very different prices that the knee-jerk reaction is to buy the more expensive because... you know... "you get what you pay for and umm, you know... safety" part of the brainwashing kicks in.
In point of fact, the very idea that folks would write to defend this sort of abuse of customers by a bunch of vendors smacks of the same kind of logic that makes battered spouses or children defend their abusers and it's more than obvious that at some point consumerism is no longer just about buying stuff but over the edge of being a disease.
Of course, there's a simple cure for this kind of thing. All you have to do is do a little research on the stuff you need, know what it should cost, and become a smart consumer. It will save you lots of money and strike fear into the hearts of greedheads everywhere.
Rant over.
Listening to Mirel Wagner's very interesting Ramones cover
So it goes...
Gorge Express
1 hour ago
