Word: objectness
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...natural flair for it. On his very first day in the classroom, one of his young charges threw a sandwich at another kid. McCourt picked it up and ate it in front of the class, while the students watched, stunned. He had taught his first lesson: an object lesson in what it means to survive starvation...
...which they administered painkillers, and when they told patients the drugs had been bought at discount, they were actually less effective. That's kind of terrifying. The response to a discount is profound in the human brain. What is less profound is the response to actually owning that object once you get the discount. We strive to get that deal, but we tend to devalue the object after we purchase it. For many things, the biggest charge we get is that transaction itself. Retailers and marketers strive to make us think we are scoring good deals. They make you think...
...does it mean to be a Coach bag? What does it mean to be North Face parka? These companies manufacture things specifically for their outlet stores, and they rely on their brand to carry that signal of value. So you have to think about that: If you like this object, whatever it is, if it seems to suit you or fit your needs and appears to be good quality or good value for price, then go ahead and buy it. But don't buy it because you're motivated by the brand and think your getting a good deal...
...store and think about it. Freud said there are two parts of our thinking system. The primary process is the impulsive, playful, I've-gotta-have-it-now side. The second is the more thoughtful, contemplative side. Get that secondary process going. Think about why you want this object - this particular MP3 player, this particular screwdriver. Is this really going to do the job for you? And you know, if people start thinking that way, I think it can have big impact...
...Evangelical” (along with many other German, American, and British figures) that makes the pilgrimage to his grave shorn of the formalities of commemorative splendor and ostentation. Here, when one encounters a distinct lack of assured beautification, it does not seem for lack of intent to celebrate the object, or its meaning. Or perhaps it is because, apart from a lone sprig of daisies strewn by the plaque, previous devotees had placed plastic Bic pens and pencils by his name, maybe in the innocent and poignant hope that his brilliant literary genius might be conferred back to them...