The Nation argues that we don't really have any real political debates among the candidates. In fact, what passes for "debate" is "idiotic": What passes for a political debate in the United States today is little more than dueling sound bites. The Republican candidates were restricted to sixty-second answers to…
The subtitle of "Protest Songs Rise Again," from the recent edition of Rolling Stone (May 3-17, 2007 issue): "Everyone from Ozzy to Maroon 5 weighs in on the worst president ever." According to this article, rock has now entered "its most politically charged phase since the late Sixties." Tom Morellos's new solo…
Mathematician John Paulos has been working hard to help us imagine the amount of money spent to invade and occupy Iraq. Many experts suggest that it has cost $700 billion in direct costs and probably twice that much if you include the indirect costs. Others estimate the cost at $2…
The Washington Post reports on Obama's willingness to address issues that afflict many African American communities: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is delivering pointed critiques of the African American community as he campaigns for its votes, lamenting that many of his generation are "disenfranchising" themselves because they don't vote, taking rappers…
In his new book, The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption (2007), Gad Saad serves as a tour guide, draws connections from human biology to the purchasing decisions of human consumers. He strongly advocates that no explanation of consumer behavior is complete unless that explanation considers human evolution–we always need to consider “ultimate” explanations as well as “proximate” explanations. Saad has me sold, and I’m only halfway through his book. I don’t buy $40 books every day, but this book delves into a topic that fascinates me. Also, I must’ve felt deep in my bones that buying this book would make me more attractive to potential mates (or something like that). Bottom line: I bought the book, I’m reading every word of it and I’m marking up the margins ferociously. It is a terrific collection of ideas, collected and presented by Saad, who is a talented writer and thinker.
One section of the book is titled “Gift giving As a Means of Creating and/or Solidifying Bonds.” I wanted to share some of the ideas from that chapter.
Saad begins by recognizing that the “economic repercussions of the giftgiving ritual are enormous.” That people are so willing to participate in store sponsored events (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, secretary of state, etc.) “is a testament to our innate drive to engage in a reciprocal exchanges.” Very few gifts are given without an expectation that something will be coming back in return, someday, courtesy of today’s beneficiary. Saad gives the example of friends who treat …
