Good grief. Ignorance may be bliss, but it can also be dangerous, no? Obviously, anyone who is aware of monoprice or bluejeanscable would never ever find themselves in a position requiring the extended financing of HDMI cables, but there are billions of uninformed people out there, aren’t there?

Y’know, it really bothers me sometimes: there are people out there making fortunes by selling products that don’t work to all the suckers who are too uneducated to realize that they are being duped. Sometimes I feel as though I ought to he taking advantage and making a fortune myself, but I am just too damn honest! I simply cannot bring myself to knowingly misinform a person, just to make a sale and line my own pockets.

Worse yet though are the people who genuinely believe they are selling a good product (even though anyone educated knows that the product is a scam). Falsehoods are never so dangerous as when they are delivered by an earnest person. Case in point, I know a couple who made over $200,000 last year selling “vitamin water”. They truly believe that it improves peoples health. They swear up and down by it and are convinced it is responsible for helping the husband overcome cancer. Their conviction and genuine belief makes them good sales people and it’s not as though these are evil or malicious folks! They believe what they are saying, they believe the product works, they believe they are helping other people and they are making big money doing something they really think is right! Sadly, with just my limited chemistry and biology education, I know that the “vitamin water” is nothing more than asorbic acid and plum flavouring. There’s nothing to it, it doesn’t improve health, it costs a ridiculous price, but people believe it’s basically magic because so many people know nothing at all about biochemistry. To them, “it might work” and, “you never know”. Well, sometimes you do know! If you have some education.

It’s the same phenomenon with cables. Most people have such a poor understanding of electronics and electricity in general. To them, “you never know”. Maybe that $200 6 foot HDMI cable really does something. Well no. We do know. And we know the only reasio it costs $200 instead of $5 is because you are getting ripped off!

They say, “a sucker is born every minute”. These days, I think it is far more frequently than that! I suppose, if you have no conscience, it is easy to exploit that and make a fortune in the process. But I can’t stand preying on peoples ignorance. Ignorance may not always be bliss, but knowing is almost always painful. I guess that’s why people avoid educating themselves and always hate the smart kids :p

The overpriced cable situation is a sad comment on a lack of real competition in the retail level. TV’s are price matched, and I am sure the stores would be out of business if they did not have some other way to make money.

It is just kind of sad that the pricing becomes so distorted, with no competition even from places like Walmart and Costco to eliminate the gouging taking place from people who don’t know better.

Cables are just wires and insulation after all, not in any way comparable to the complexity and R&D involved in TV’s or Blu Ray players.