MarcO Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 (edited) Of course, it appears you the person in question did want the shoes in the first place:Person A took Person B shopping to "a new pair of shoes" and ended up buying 2 pairs of shoes, total cost $540. Person B only saw the total when it was rung up. Seems to me that right there at the register would have been a good time - for that mystery person - to say "you know, thanks but I cannot accept these shoes that you are buying for me to wear to your events because they represent less than a South African family's annual income. There can be no substantial difference between $100 shoes and $300 shoes". And then, of course, that person should insist that the gift-giver donates the money they would have spent on you them to a charity, of your the gift recipient's choosing, of course. [color:purple]It is a gift after all. Edited December 12, 2006 by Guest details emerge like drips from a faucet..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokonon Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Consumerism begins and ends with the consumer.No' date=' "consumerism" begins with "consumer" and ends with "ism."Aloha,Brad[/quote']bradm for president! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJFH Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Well there has to be an area of reasonableness.Obviously we need shoes' date=' clothes etc. Obviously we need enjoyment, celebration.So I figure there has to be a line, what's ok and what's not ok. $100-$150 seems to be acceptable in most people's minds for a good pair of shoes that you're going to use. But the leap to $250, or over $500 for two pairs of shoes is excessive. And seriously, what's so superior in a $300 pair of shoes as opposed to a $100 pair of shoes?A guitar at $800+ seems fine to me. You cant get a high quality cheap guitar. Thats art, and also often a one-time or at least rare-ish buy. [/quote']I think it would be a bit harder to explain to a "starving child" that you spent $800+ on a guitar because it's "art" as opposed to $250 for a pair of good quality shoes that are practical and that you will wear for a long time?So my "area of reasonableness" is rediculous? Isn't it better than nothing though? Did I use "rediculous" anywhere in my response? I only responded that I myself would have a more difficult time justifying the $800 guitar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalacePrincess Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 i think it is incredibly tacky and rude this person is openly complaining about a gift they've received. the fact they were there when it was purchased completely negates any reasonable stance they may have had. if they have such a problem with the "political implications" of expensive shoes, then they should quietly donate them or sell them and donate the money. not go around with a big "woe is me, however will i live with myself if i wear these jimmy choos!" lament. complaining about how horrible it is to be given $250 shoes is just as bad as bragging about having $250 shoes.i don't even understand this story. at what sort of event will it even matter if this person is wearing expensive shoes? is this like a sugar daddy/trophy wife situation? or is this like a parent saying "birkenstocks are not appropriate shoes for christmas mass, now you have no excuse" kind of thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 kitkat, i totally get where you are coming from...jennifer and i have a really hard time shopping for anything anymore because of all the various ethical dimensions of voting with your $$. getting groceries is an ordeal, christmas doubly so. i've realized that not everyone has this approach, which is why products made by companies that behave abhorrently sell well.i am so lucky to not have a conscience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questcequecest? Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 i don't understand what's so special about an $800 guitar. sounds pretty standard to me. possibly even on the cheap end.my most expensive footwear ever was probably my first (or second) snowboarding boots. airwalk halfpipe's, about $200US. ..bought 'em at the b side in burlington, vt. back in highschool. i still have those fuckers and i still use 'em. i need new boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phorbesie Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 hehehei finally traded in my 15 yr old burton air boots last year (which i also had to go to the states for back then). the new boots feel so good! do it! funny how my new boots cost half of what the old boots cost 15 yrs ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asparagus Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 If they were mine... I guess I have a different perspective because I grew up in South Africa. The last thing I want to is get Velvet thinking I'm judging him for his Armani suit, or Bouche for his Prada hand-bag. Thanks Timouse. I appreciate someone getting me here. Just curious, how is your perspective different than others here, because you grew up in South Africa? I think that there are a lot more people here that 'get you' than you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I would have a hard time enjoying those shoes, knowing that they cost more than the annual income of many families in South Africa.Try and think about the fact that in Japan or Norway these shoes cost less than a day of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I would have a hard time enjoying those shoes' date=' knowing that they cost more than the annual income of many families in South Africa.[/quote']Try and think about the fact that in Japan or Norway these shoes cost less than a day of work.and if that doesn't work you can get mad at Japan or Norway for flaunting their affluence and get a glimpse at how the rest of the world sees us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I have long come to the conclusion that you can't tell people how to spend their money (from watching friends and family waaaayyyy more solvent than me, and thinking in terms of comparison: "that-dining-set-you-bought would-be-the-downpayment-for my-house" sorta thing.) You can still (quietly) judge them ...we all do this, but you can't really make their purchases make sense to yourself. And funnily enough, it often works the opposite way too: how many times have you heard the whispered gossip about so-and-so making X salary and still wearing that "ratty old" whatever it is to be critisized because surely s/he can afford better. it comes down to inividual taste, priorities, choice, etc. etc. If you're motivated to be an ethical consumer, or less of a consumer overall, the best one can do is lead by example (and gentle reminders) such as this thread does...bringing these issues into discussion by all means, if the price of a gift feels excessive and the receiver can't therefore enjoy the gift for the images it rasies of what that money could DO for others, then the receiver should return/refuse the gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-towns Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lara Posted December 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 If they were mine... I guess I have a different perspective because I grew up in South Africa. The last thing I want to is get Velvet thinking I'm judging him for his Armani suit' date=' or Bouche for his Prada hand-bag. Thanks Timouse. I appreciate someone getting me here. [/quote'] Just curious, how is your perspective different than others here, because you grew up in South Africa? I think that there are a lot more people here that 'get you' than you think. Thats reassuring Asparagus. Seriously. And no, the shoes aren't mine. End of topic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nattyMatty Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Christmas Isn't the Same anymore. I don't even know what harvesting a christmas tree has to do with it. I think it is a made up holiday. I don't think jesus was even born on that day. Its always been comercialized. Its nice to feel the love when you give someone somthing they really want and see there face. It was nice as a kid getting presents and santa claus, I believed in him longer then all of my friends. It bothers me seeing christmas song exploited. I Wish soo bad that there is one day when there will be a holiday in which all the world would share and set aside all difference and just enjoy one day out of the year. ANd trade gifts and everyone has a full belly. If you think about all the ppl that don't have enough money to give a gift and are too depressed to figure out how to make one. It is really sad. And all of the ppl that will have hunger pains on that day cuz they don't have food available. I think christmas could be one of the worst days for people with envy of people that are enjoying christmas. When i saw that they had pornographic christmas balls to hang on the tree that was the straw that broke the camels back for me. I will still celebrate christmas because everyone around me is. But if you ask me the comercializm has gone way too far and if they put half the money they do into trying to sell us healthy ppl plastic bullshit. I think there might be a few less hungry sad envious people. nattyMatty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 As I understand it, Jesus was born in the summertime but the date was selected because of a pagan holiday that nobody wanted to give up, so they just changed the focus of the pagan holiday to be Jesus' birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 As I understand it, there is no actual proof that there ever was a historical Jesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phorbesie Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 minimum # of checkpoints that joseph and mary would face today on their journey from nazareth to bethlehem: 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Depends on what you consider actual proof. There are several references to him outside of the bible, enough to convince mosy experts that there was an historical Jesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nattyMatty Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I believe in jesus and if he saw the way the world is now. He would be begging to be nailed to the cross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSeasJim Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Christmas had lost much of it's luster for me until I had a child. Now it's fun seeing how excited a 4 year old kid gets who believes in Santa. I miss those days. I remember when I was a kid I would be sick with excitement on Christmas eve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nattyMatty Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Yea SSJ, I have a little one on the way and ill be really really happy to share these moments and ill never let any of the other crap change my mind, Although im going to try and eduacate my child on the true values of christmas too. Its going to be really cool too see my child in 3-4 years freaking out ripping the paper all off and having a blast with all the stuff and figuring out how batterys work and stuff. Yea That makes me smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanada Kev Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 (edited) Christmas had lost much of it's luster for me until I had a child. Now it's fun seeing how excited a 4 year old kid gets who believes in Santa. I miss those days. I remember when I was a kid I would be sick with excitement on Christmas eve. I hear ya. I get to be a bit of a crumudgeon (sp?) around this time, and it is usually focussed around having to do too many things, and get presents for the few people that we exchange with now. It really is all about the kids. I, like you, have the joy of the holiday returned when I see my 2 and 4 year olds get so freakin' excited about this time of year. I can't wait for them to open their (controlled number) of gifts this year Bonus: i get to play with all of them too . Later . . . Kanada Kev =8) Edited December 14, 2006 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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