How many choices is too many choices? Our notions of freedom and liberty are tied up in the idea that more choice is always a good thing. More clothing options from more designers so we can differentiate ourselves, make us unique. A multitude of brands for every food item to satiate the exact craving of the moment. Branded goods we can flash in public to signal status.
But we never talk about industries where too many choices is a feature that ultimately leads us to decisions we aren’t remotely equipped to make. An endless menu of insurance providers and options isn’t really benefiting us. Most of don’t understand what the options mean and what we really need. It is complexity that weighs against our will. There are also a million different places to squirrel away money and even more people bent on convincing us what is most sensible. Almost nobody really knows anything.
We have limitless choices in all areas – some we can easily make and others where complexity make us prey for grift. There’s something uniquely American about our reverence for choice, liberty, and freedom, even when it’s used against us. We collectively tip our cap to the person who has masterminded a scam and profited from our negligence. We admire it. Make TV shows and movies from it. Package and export It to the rest of the world as entertainment.
GLAZ 