the meaninglessness of capitalization and the foibles of unconsidered conformity

i see no need for it. is there any reason for it other than convention? because that is no reason. i am bending somewhat lately on the names of authors and the titles of books and movies and songs; things that need to be clearly set apart as distinct works as opposed to my free-floating thoughts.

while we are speaking of convention, to do things simply because it is what others have done is the same as saying, “i would like to be part of the herd, to do without thinking for myself. i do not mind being manipulated into doing things that have ramifications that i will not bother trying to understand”.

diamonds come to mind as an example of such a thing. i see no use for them. have you reasoned it out and come to a valid conclusion for why they are valuable to you personally? is a diamond really prettier to you than moissanite (“moissanite would often fool a jeweler into thinking it was a natural diamond”)? is a diamond really pretty to you objectively, or because you’ve been influenced to believe it should be? if anyone does find objective worth in diamonds and other sparklies, i would quite like to know what it is. the following article i found illustrates the methods of manipulation and the reasons behind it.

“From 1880 De Beers were able to control the supply (and price) of diamonds but how were they going to control demand during a period when sales began dropping dramatically (up to 50%) in the 20s and 30s onwards through the great depression?

Just as platinum started to become popular in diamond engagement rings, diamonds were becoming less valued. Platinum was banned for all but war use during WWII and so the platinum diamond engagement rings as we know them today almost died out.

The answer to the problem was a new marketing campaign commissioned by De Beers that began in 1947. Perhaps you’ve heard the slogan “A Diamond is forever”? This was to mark the beginning of a change in the history of the engagement ring.

Subsequent campaigns would convince families to hold on to their diamonds as family heirlooms… and it worked! Used diamonds were not being released back into the industry which in turn created the demand that De Beers were seeking.

Jewelers were unofficially educated by De Beers to instruct men that two to three months personal wages were an ideal price to pay for the diamond engagement ring.”