On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 15:15:49 -0000, Paul McKerley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I can think of a couple considerations: as long as the choices aren't
> fatal, then the bad feeling resulting from a bad choice is part of the
> learning process. If you choose the wrong frozen broccoli in a market
> society, you can choose another variety the next day. Keep trying and
> eventually you'll feel good.
But the thesis is that it isn't true. Broccoli may not be the best
demonstration of this. Think more like the computer market - suppose
you really need a new computer and agonize over the choices. Then next
month feature xyz comes out and you have this feeling like you're
missing something. (The article that started this identified two sort
of psychological poles, depending whether you felt this regret or
not.)
Don't forget there's a cost to all the choice too. By the time I've
tried all the 10 current choices, there are a couple more out there.
And don't forget the 7 kinds of okra, etc. I'm paying effort to keep
track of all these differences, but they don't really add up to all
that much. (I'm sure it was easier to shop for cars in Henry Ford's
day - I'll take one model T, black; cars are certainly better now, but
buying a new car is more work too:)
My sister lived in Thailand for a couple years; she had a huge
adjustment coming back to the states and feeling overwhelmed just
looking at all the cereal choices in the grocery store.
> The other consideration is that in many cases decisions still need to
> be made--the question is, who shall make them? In market societies the
> ideal is that the person most affected by a decision is the one who
> makes it and is responsible for the outcome.
That's the problem too, isn't it? Each supplier wants you to make one
more decision. This creates an explosion of choices. And like most
everybody else, I'm out there trying to create more choices for people
too.
--
Bill Wake [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.xp123.com
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