Lee Daniel Crocker [lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net] wrote:
>Ever buy a diamond engagement ring? Anniversary gift? Birthstone?
No, no, and, uh, no.
>Those "traditions" were created entirely by jewelry advertising, and
>are now so entrenched in our society that most people don't even
>realize that.
So the questions would seem to be:
I'd certainly agree that there are such traditions which many people follow, but I think that it's a different issue; people buy diamond engagement rings -- if they do, most people I know didn't want to spend that kind of money on something that isn't really useful -- because they're expected to, not because they see an ad on TV and think 'oh, I think I'll buy a diamond engagement ring today'. Galbraith's theory seems to be the latter; we see an ad on TV and follow the meme to go out and buy a diamond engagement ring even though we're not going to get engaged.
Kids see toys advertised on TV and immediately want them. Most adults -- with the exception of the few people I know who really have more money than sense -- don't. Tradition seems to be a different issue; buying the diamond engagement ring when you get engaged serves a purpose, whether or not that purpose was originally created by advertising.
Mark