The Black Pearl story

[TBRS1]

There is a specific shellfish that produces pearls that are a deep black color. Prior to the late 50s, they were considered worthless because people only wanted the classic white pearls.

A guy takes a look at some of those worthless black pearls and thinks "Hey - I can sell those!"

So he buys up a whole bunch, real cheap, and heads to New York where he talks a well known jeweler.

They put the pearls on some necklaces and stuff. These go on display in the store window with a big sign that says "Exclusive! Exotic Black Pearls! First time ever offered!"

The necklaces have price tags twice as high as the white pearl necklaces.

Black pearls become the rage of the season. Even today they cost more than white pearls (white pearls are dyed black as counterfeits, in fact). In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow's ship was named "The Black Pearl."

Not long ago a similar thing occurred with diamonds.

"Off color" diamonds were junk, and ground up for industrial uses. Yellow ones were, uhm.. "Urine diamonds," while brown ones were, uhm... "Excrement diamonds."

Now they are "Canary diamonds," and "Chocolate diamonds."

People are funny. The black pearls, canary diamonds, and chocolate diamonds actually are quite beautiful.

Why did people have to be tricked into seeing it?

 

[Outdated]

People are funny. The black pearls, canary diamonds, and chocolate diamonds actually are quite beautiful.
Why did people have to be tricked into seeing it?

Fashion.

Most people are sheeps and want to be part of the flock. They'll follow trends without ever stopping to think about wether or not they like it. They want to look the same, sound the same and eat the same foods no matter how uncomfortable or unhealthy that might be. They'll look for public influencers and and follow whatever they're told. They'll also follow one news source fanatically and simply go with whatever that tells them to because it's easier to let someone else do their thinking for them and make their decisions for them and allows them to feel validated for abdicating their responsibilities for the world they live in.

Fact: If a dog chases a sheep over the edge of a cliff the rest of the flock will follow it to see where it went.

When I was a little kid living on the Murray River we used to dig up mussels a lot, Mum liked eating them and they made good fish bait too. We often found pearls in them, squarish oblong things a dirty brown colour, it's a very silty big river. As little kids they were fun to play with and parents were happy to let the kids play with them knowing they'd all be lost somewhere by the end of the day. Now they're fashionable and quite expensive.

 

[TBRS1]

Fashion.

Most people are sheeps and want to be part of the flock. They'll follow trends without ever stopping to think about wether or not they like it. They want to look the same, sound the same and eat the same foods no matter how uncomfortable or unhealthy that might be. They'll look for public influencers and and follow whatever they're told. They'll also follow one news source fanatically and simply go with whatever that tells them to because it's easier to let someone else do their thinking for them and make their decisions for them and allows them to feel validated for abdicating their responsibilities for the world they live in.

Fact: If a dog chases a sheep over the edge of a cliff the rest of the flock will follow it to see where it went.

When I was a little kid living on the Murray River we used to dig up mussels a lot, Mum liked eating them and they made good fish bait too. We often found pearls in them, squarish oblong things a dirty brown colour, it's a very silty big river. As little kids they were fun to play with and parents were happy to let the kids play with them knowing they'd all be lost somewhere by the end of the day. Now they're fashionable and quite expensive.

I dunno. That's the cynical take. It's often true, though.

My take is that many people really don't feel confident enough to step off the beaten track, but if somebody comes along who does - they get to show people a beautiful thing that was invisible to people before (sometimes that pays off).

I think this is what all good artists do. It's most clearly done by photographers who catch the everyday wonders that escape others.

 

[Tiffany Kate]

The person (or sheep) who steps off the beaten track or sets the trend is the bellwether.

Originally, you put a bell on the lead wether in your flock of sheep so you could find the flock even when they were out of sight.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I find that sheeple are quite handy at convenience stores. I come in the store for an item, and when I have it, I see that the check out line is 8 to 10 people deep, and no one is using the self-checkouts. So I go straight to the self checkout do my thing and leave with no wait.
90% of the time in those situations, by the time my transaction is done, people have left the line at the cashier, and started to use the self checkouts.
At first I figured it was because the self checkouts were new, and that soon I wouldn't be able to just walk up and use one without waiting. But years later now, it's still the same. No one uses a self checkout until they see me do it.
Many thanks to the sheeple!

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I have fortunately never been a follower, always liked my own path. Drove wife nuts when I drove more like changing routes. more scenic or faster. Do not get lost easily. use mental maps. Like variety. Do not like crowds or following them.