tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post3911766270838515691..comments2023-10-17T15:56:22.827+01:00Comments on Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: Beer, coffee and the middle classesChristopher Snowdonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15963753745009712865noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-11649777717725029622011-01-26T06:55:26.293+00:002011-01-26T06:55:26.293+00:00"The Undercover Economist" comes to mind..."The Undercover Economist" comes to mind. I believe you've read this book, CS.<br /><br />You might recall that near the beginning of the book, Harford discusses how perception is tied to pricing so that people with widely varying incomes can be charged different prices for what amounts to being the exact same thing. For example, Someone who makes $100,000 a year is likely willing to pay more for organic food or highly advertised brand names because it makes them feel better and they can afford it. This is why supermarkets often have a separate section for organic food. It isn't simply put there as a convenience, but also because it prevents someone from being enticed by seeing the lower-priced non-organic items sitting next to them on the shelf.<br /><br />While this probably doesn't apply to most of us when it comes to wine vs. beer, it shouldn't be forgotten that there is no high-price market for beer (that I'm aware of, anyway). We've all heard the phrase, "that's a __ thousand dollar bottle of wine." There's a high end collectors market.<br /><br />But the same is true for whisky to a degree. So, why is just wine the preferred "healthy" alcohol? I would guess that the difference alcohol content serves as a mitigating factor in terms of the perception of wine vs. whisky. Not sure otherwise.<br /><br />I recently was in a waiting room and was reading a copy of Cigar Afficianado magazine. I was surprised, and a bit angered, to learn that high-priced cigar smokers have positioned themselves against cigarette smokers. The claim is that cigarette smoke corrupts the enjoyment of cigar smoke. Talk about elitist delusions...<br /><br />So, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes is considered to be for the proles. People who sip high-priced wine and puff high-priced cigars don't care about sin taxes because they can afford them. And exemptions from anti-smoking laws are made for cigar smoking venues that are never made for cigarette smoking venues.<br /><br />Nicotine is just nicotine when it comes to a cigarette vs. nicotine gum. That never applies though, when it comes to people who smoke $100 cigars.<br /><br />-WSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-72478290823870628312011-01-25T15:48:46.266+00:002011-01-25T15:48:46.266+00:00Well Beer also has the added bonus over other type...Well Beer also has the added bonus over other types of Alchohol as it is mostly water,therefore more diluted so the intake of alchohol is slower ,unless you neck it of course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-9148743037702466512011-01-25T13:49:22.154+00:002011-01-25T13:49:22.154+00:00And of course you now have lots of middle-class pe...And of course you now have lots of middle-class people in the UK drinking "fancy beer", although it doesn't seem to be recognised very much by the <i>Daily Mail</i>.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-52140110099573873342011-01-25T13:24:16.245+00:002011-01-25T13:24:16.245+00:00Some of these doctors genuinely believe that anyon...Some of these doctors genuinely believe that anyone, such as myself, who drinks £3.29 red wine is a down and out. One actually used the phrase "normal people" in a quote about raising the minimum price to £4.50 a bottle. If I earned 100k a year, I'd be spending £7 rather than £3.29 on a bottle. They inevitably lose touch with ordinary life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com