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Re:Diamonds Keep Getting Cheaper by sbierwagen on Wednesday November 13, 2019 @04:14PM (#21529650)
>I don't know if it's so much about the money as it is something that she just... wanted.

"Thou Art Godshatter".[1] Long-term fitness-increasing Machiavellian plots are encoded as simple human desires. Indeed, social plays like this one work much better if the host thinks it's something they "just want" rather than some grim manipulative scheme to prove your loyalty.

1: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cSXZpvqpa9vbGGLtG/thou-art-g...

Re:Diamonds Keep Getting Cheaper by btrask on Wednesday November 13, 2019 @05:02PM (#21530116)
You don't sound like a very romantic person. There are other things in the world more expensive than diamonds, but she didn't ask him to buy her a skyscraper or Renaissance painting. Different gifts have different meanings, and it's no less logical than different words having different meanings. People associate specific meanings with specific types of stones, flowers, beverages, you name it. You can't substitute "I greatly enjoy the time we spend together" for "I love you."
Re:Diamonds Keep Getting Cheaper by sbierwagen on Thursday November 14, 2019 @02:05PM (#21538297)
I must admit to some confusion. I am closely rereading my original comment, and I am failing to find where I suggested that buying a skyscraper is the same as buying a ring.