Christmas Gifts - The inefficiency of markets?
These days I get a lot of posts, memes, and videos from friends about how Christmas gifts are inefficient and we should stop giving each other gifts.
Let me explain:
The argument is this: Your mom is trying to be super cool again and was creative in her gift giving, and you get something under the tree that is not only useless to you, but was way too expensive and you have to fake a smile.
What an inefficiency!
We should stop giving each other things to avoid wasting money.
Economists should do something about it!
Then they come to me for solutions! Since I have an economics background, they want insights.
What would an economist do? What would be the best way to allocate resources?
Your solution: Cash or gift cards.
At least that is not wasted money. With cash, you can get what you want. Since the giver does not have perfect knowledge of your needs and desires, he can give you money and you can choose what to buy for yourself. We would solve Hayek's information problem!
This is a great solution, right?
FUCK NO! These short-sighted would-be economists...
The purpose of the gifting
Why do we give gifts at all at Christmas?
We do it to show compassion. That we care about the other person. The person is important to us, important enough to sacrifice something. Sacrifice resources or time. The sacrifice is the real gift, not the material thing you receive.
Surely sacrificing your time and energy for something the other person does not like is still a sacrifice and not something we should strive for. But why then my outrage at the cash and gift cards?
Because its a cheap shot! If the other person is important enough for us to sacrifice something, why not start by showing interest in the person to appreciate what the person would like. Since the goal of the gift is liking the other person, why not try to make a real effort?
Jordan B. Peterson would be against buying gift cards! Damn it, it is your responsibility to find out what the other person would like. Cash and gift cards just signal no interest in that person. Sure, they can spend the money on whatever they want. And if there is no bigger goal, like saving money for a bigger purchase a person cannot give, so you want to collect money from people to make a big purchase, it just means you are lazy!
Likely most people are too stupid by this point and disconnect the social science of economics and philosophy. But both belong together. You cannot separate one from the other. So get your act together and ask for inspiration if you have no clue! Getting an amazon shopping list link for the person you want to gift is better than a gift card!
Or try to really care about them and find out what they would like.
Conclusion
Giving random things is a waste and shows no interest in you.
Gifting cash and gift cards is better than random stuff but still crap because the person who wants to signal sacrifice did not go the long way and realy scrafing time and energy to figure out what you would like.
That is why we make a wish list for Santa, so he does not disappoint us!
So go out and hand out wish lists!
And take your time and think carefully about what they would need!
This way, you will not only be singing the sacrifice, but you will have real commitment and be the hero of Christmas with the best gifts!
Hayek and Peterson would approve of you (not the best AI, but at least none of them are black or female! That alone took me a while)
