Articles
Charm Pricing
Some irrational things happen right before our eyes and we often fail to notice or take it seriously – even when we know it is happening. Have you ever wondered why so many commodities are priced at .9 or .99? For example, gasoline is not $3.50 per gallon but $3.49.9; or your Whopper Meal is not $8.00 but $7.99. On the one hand logic says, “Yes, I know that $3.49.9 is actually $3.50,” but the real difference is not merely one cent but the psychological effect this has on a consumer. Have you ever looked at your restaurant bill and were shocked by the total? But then you added up the appetizer, entree, drink, dessert and tip and realized all those .99 cent figures had created a false sense of what the meal would actually cost.
In advertising this is called “charm pricing,” I suppose because that fraction of a cent “charms” you into thinking you are spending less than you actually are. This tactic apparently works or else the .99 advertising would have been dropped a long time ago. So, we have all been conditioned by this charade to some degree.
But this principle of ignoring the obvious is operative in other areas of our lives as well. Here are a few examples:
Health destroying vices. Statistically, we all know the carnage from drunk driving is horrendous. The killing of innocent people by drunk drivers is a regular feature of the news cycle, from head-on collisions to smashing into shops and restaurants, from reckless teens drag racing to running down pedestrians.
Yet the beer and hard liquor advertisers pitch their products as harmless and fun. Commercials show outings in nature; friends gathered to watch sports; fine restaurant dining – all made more enjoyable or sophisticated by the alcohol they are consuming. But lest they be held accountable for peddling poison, these companies all virtue-signal in the fine print of their ads: Drink Responsibly. Know Your Limits. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. And society plays along because, truth be known, the world wants to drink no matter the fallout of alcohol. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption …” (Gal 6:7-8a).
The equalization of religions. Whenever Islamic terrorists periodically wreak their havoc upon the world, apologists start spouting how Islam is a religion of peace; that the terrorists don’t represent mainstream Muslims; that Christians are also violent (see the Crusades); etc. This is a phenomenon called “gaslighting.” Gaslighting is trying to persuade others that they aren’t seeing what their eyes tell them they are seeing; it is an attempt to deceive by denying the obvious and/or bullying or intimidating the opposition into submission or at least silence.
What our eyes – and statistics – tell us is that most Muslim countries impose draconian Sharia law with vicious penalties for violations. They oppress women; infiltrate other countries with the intent to subvert them from within; train young children in hatred of and violence toward “infidels”; justify harming innocent people; etc. These things are supported by appeal to the Koran and a desire to convert the world to Islam.
What our eyes – and statistics – tell us is that “Christian countries” are the most generous in humanitarian aid; they are not invading other countries with the intent to destabilize them; they are not planting random bombs, homicidally driving through crowded markets or honor-killing their daughters. And yet … the world issues its irrational platitudes extolling the virtues of Islam while attacking Christianity for its purity, sacrifice, truth-telling, love for children and others who are vulnerable, etc. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (Jn 3:19-20).
Men and women are just the same. Is this what our eyes – and science – tell us? When a male athlete who claims to be a woman wins the competition and stands on the podium with the female losers, does he look the same as his fellow competitors? Well-defined musculature, broad shoulders, height advantage, protruding Adam’s apple, five o’clock shadow, flat chest – usually it is fairly obvious to the casual observer that a man won the competition.
But it isn’t merely about appearances. We are commanded to “Follow the science!” on issues such as Covid, evolution, climate change and other select causes. But when it comes to gender-determination, science is out the window and it’s all about feelings and self-identity. This is in spite of chromosomal specificity of male and female; anatomical, hormonal and chemical differences that affect everything from medical treatments to clothing manufacturing; and emotional makeup that enables psychologists and sociologists to categorize distinctive male and female traits regardless of genetics or nurture or culture. If a body has been mangled in a car wreck, burned in a fire or buried under the ash of Mt. Vesuvius for 2,000 years, medical examiners and anthropologists can determine from skeletal structure whether the person was male or female. “Follow the science!” – unless the science doesn’t support our worldview or irrational behavior.
So, what is the point? Do we not all see these things? Well, no, we don’t all see things as clearly as we should. Even Christians who are not very thoughtful about their world and indiscriminate about their sources of information can be misled. What we may not appreciate is the expertise of the opposition in identifying and exploiting the vulnerability of the consumer, the citizen, the sports junkie, the homemaker, the voter … or the Christian. And if the world can effectively deceive us into rejecting what is obviously true socially, economically or politically, what does that say about Satan’s effectiveness in subverting our souls?
Deceit and lies are the devil’s main weapons: He “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn 8:44). How effective is he? “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 Jn 5:19). What should be our attitude given the danger? “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith …” (1 Pet 5:8-9a). Don’t be fooled by Satan’s “charm pricing.”
