
On making fun of Starbucks and being discerning - neilc
http://www.marco.org/31318747
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weaksauce
I am like this guy with most things. I like good tools. Though one thing that
the author does not mention is that expensive is not necessarily better.

As a student I used a cross pencil because they provided the most comfortable
pencil(The cushion tip is a mandatory feature in my mechanical pencils). Now I
switched to a cheaper draft/matic mechanical pencil that provides a superior
writing experience at a more reasonable price point.

~~~
jodrellblank
Liking good tools isn't the same thing as being an upyourself arse.

Being the most discerning doesn't make you a better person, it just makes you
less happy more of the time. The recent X-Men: Origins film is a good point -
look around the net at some reviews, there's an awful lot of criticism going
on.

I enjoyed it, discerning people didn't. We're both out two hours and the cost
of a ticket. Which is a better situation to be in?

~~~
dkarl
The person who is discerning has a more active and challenging experience.
Plus, a person with critical ability (one step further) can discuss the
experience with another such person. For instance, I can't really talk about a
cup of coffee I just drank, but I can talk about a movie I just saw. That adds
an extra dimension to seeing a movie with someone: talking about it
afterwards.

Of course a lot of the motivation for being discerning, especially in regard
to food and drink, is class aspiration. Money isn't enough. Urban and suburban
Americans engage in a lot of competition to see who can live the most
enlightened and refined lifestyle. It isn't the most productive way that
energy could be channeled, but considering it's an expression of some of our
basest, most ruthlessly hierarchical human tendencies, we could do a hell of a
lot worse.

~~~
jodrellblank
_The person who is discerning has a more active and challenging experience_

Eh? Surely it's more challenging to enjoy a mediocre film than a really
enjoyable one? To create a good picture from a point and shoot camera than a
$4k DSLR? To be happy with a $800 used car is more challenging than being
happy with a $60k luxury car. Isn't it?

~~~
dkarl
Discernment is about perception, about recognizing a difference between
things. It's only harder to enjoy an inferior product if you can discern the
difference.

Discernment can offer some advantages, though. A movie can be bad in
interesting ways, or simply interesting in spite of being bad. Plus, the more
qualities you can appreciate about something, the more likely you are to find
something redeeming about it.

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dkarl
I have a little bit of taste in coffee (not much) and despite not especially
liking Starbucks coffee, I drink a lot of it. When I'm late to work or needing
to wake up to get a bunch of stuff done on my lunch hour, I don't really care
what it tastes like. Starbucks is reliably strong, convenient, and ubiquitous.
When I'm enjoying a nice leisurely morning, I much prefer the stuff I brew at
home, but how often does that happen? Rarely more than two mornings a week.
Likewise, when I want to sit for a while, I strongly prefer the coffeehouse
down the street, but sitting quietly and enjoying myself happens far less than
deciding to sleep in and rush to work.

On another note, I don't understand the connection between Apple and
Starbucks. It seems impossible for someone to think of one without thinking
the other. Why? Starbucks has no snob appeal and no fan base who sincerely
believes it has the best product. McDonald's and Starbucks long ago identified
each other as their primary natural competitors. The only thing I can think of
is the sterile styling and image of superficiality, which is to say, the
connection is made by people who are fans of neither.

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rewind
Not related to the overall point, but I love this quote:

"Apple products are great because Steve Jobs and much of Apple’s upper staff
has exceptionally good taste."

Come on now: dude knows his computer cases and his shiny gadgets, but that
doesn't mean he has universal "good taste". Have you seen his wardrobe?
Well... unless the author of the article wears jeans with no belt and a
tucked-in turtelneck...every day...in which case, he's entitled to his
opinion, I suppose. But I'm guessing not.

I don't personally give a crap what Jobs wears, but let's not label him the
king of good taste because his company produces purty hardware.

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bitwize
If you are carrying around five pounds of camera gear to take vacation photos,
UR DOING IT WRONG.

Today's point 'n' shoots are cigarette-pack-sized and take _fantastic_ photos.
Unless you have e.g., specific lighting or fstop or depth-of-field needs (i.e.
you're an actual pro), you aren't going to need the advantages of pro camera
equipment, and you are making life more difficult by giving yourself more shit
to carry and more knobs to puzzle over when you take a photo.

~~~
weaksauce
I disagree with your statement. Even if all you do is use the camera in auto
mode the ability of the better lens to let in more light will produce the
better picture all other things being equal. If you also have a camera that
has a larger light sensitive "film" area you will also get a better picture
with the same inputs. Size is a factor in the enjoyment spectrum but the
point-and-shoots do not have the clarity and depth that a decent digital SLR
has and that is also a factor in how much you enjoy using your camera.

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tpyo
Why should we have good taste in things, if we are happy with the low quality
stuff?

~~~
jodrellblank
From Calvin and Hobbes: "I find life gets a lot easier if I lower my
expectations to the point where they're already met".

I used to think it was funny, now I wonder if that's the secret behind
Buddhism.

~~~
dkarl
Calvin was talking about his expectations of himself, not of the products he
consumes, a completely different thing morally, though not psychologically,
which is quite unfortunate.

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etherael
of course, there's a difference between being discerning and simply being a
victim of marketing aimed at people who like to imagine themselves as
discerning.

I think this fellow is the later, as evidenced by his cited taste in products.

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badger7
Psych 101 on the perception of perception:

There is a scale that goes much like this: common - undiscerning - discerning
- snob

You are somewhere on this scale. Those below you aren't as sophisticated as
you, and so you're better than them. Those above you are snobs who are valuing
form over function, style over substance, and so you're better than them too.
How lucky for you: You've ended up at _exactly_ the right place on the scale,
everyone else is wrong, and consequently, you have no need to feel insecure.

\--

Worthy of a quick snigger was the mention of audiophiles from a guy who seem
to discern exactly what he's told to discern by advertising.

