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The Arts And Sciences V. Marketers, Demagogues And Other Perils
From falsely anchored prices to bigoted arguments, sometimes all we have left to fight with is a passion for precision.
As old as humans have bought and sold, marketers have framed the price higher than the goods’ worth. Online shopping has taken this to ludicrous extremes, with some services being priced at thousands of dollars only to offer them for a hundred if we act before we think and make the purchase now. This price-anchoring technique has been refined and used in various situations, from loud hawkers tempting passers-by to job candidates embarking on salary negotiations.
Naturally, demagogues are also familiar with the technique. As we do our best to cope with the overwhelm of the Information Age, charlatans have found fertile ground for framing their incendiary and misleading discourses. By mentioning an indisputable fact, they propose a measure aimed at a specific target with no proven agency. Thus, they will express their concern at the rise in crime only to announce with incensed rhetoric that they will tackle immigration once and for all.
As is often the case, art and science come to the rescue. A musician who claims to be proficient with an instrument they have never touched before is only a…