Even more basically, who gets to decide what counts as "adequate variety" and what counts as "fake variety"? Coke and Pepsi are apparently identical to Joanna but not to you. Should she get to determine which one you drink (or if you drink colas at all)?
Gil >[was:RE: [PEN-L:27843] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: markets & profit >maximization] > >the key question is whether a socialist economy would provide adequate >variety of consumer products without fake variety. (BTW, Coke does taste >different from Pepsi, but a Dodge is pretty much the same as a Plymouth.) > >Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] >& <http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine>http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Gil Skillman > [<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 1:59 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: [PEN-L:27843] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: > > markets & profit > > maximization > > > > > > The problem with this line of argument is that for every > > seemingly trivial > > example of product differentiation one can come up with, you > > can also point > > to product differences that seem trivial to the average > > consumer/would-be > > voter and yet are critical to some. Some people find no > > difference between > > oysters and mussels; others are deeply allergic only to > > mussels. Aspirin > > is fine for most people but gives some bleeding ulcers. The sugar > > substitute aspartame is a boon to some--particularly > > diabetics--but causes > > migraine-like headaches in others. Personally, I've found > > only one shaving > > cream that doesn't make me sneeze. Etc., etc. In light of > > such cases it > > is perhaps less obvious what products count as "essentially > > identical," and maybe even less obvious that all decisions > > on this score > > should be made collectively. > > > > Gil > > > > >At 01:22 PM 07/10/2002 -0700, you wrote: > > >>Enormous amounts of resources are spent to market products that are > > >>essentially identical. Maybe you don't get phone calls > > from the phone > > >>companies .... > > > > > >Say whaaaaat!!! You don't think there's a difference between > > Pepsi and > > >Coke? .....not to mention the difference between Microsoft > > and Microsoft? > > > > > >I'm shocked! Shocked!!! > > > > > >Joanna > > > > >
