Has "politically correct" killed the used audio market?
Previously loved, slightly demo'ed....etc.
Gosh, when I sell the old car I should not list it as "used" ....perhaps "formerly observed", "slightly touched", "once considered", "only driven by a Little Old Lady from Riverside, Ca."
But thankfully no items sold are "used" any longer, really helps my faith in the market.
"Creative writing and the Internet" should be a required course for all "Semi-liberal arts" degrees"
I've had a bit of personal experience with folks who are all in an uproar about "political correctness" and "liberal attitudes".
The ones who express how silly it is that so much care has to be applied to language and how it is used...
Well, as soon as they are spoken to around any given subject in the manner they feel they should be able to speak to someone, they get all bent out of shape. Granted, I am guilty of testing their beliefs around communication and the care that should be extended to another. All I do, however, is speak back to them the way they have spoken to me.
Hypocrisy reveals itself quite quickly and all of a sudden, the manner in which I speak, which mirrors their use of language, is a big problem and they are deeply offended.
Who cares what language is used to described something being sold.
If someone wants to wax poetic about a crappy old piece of audio gear they are trying to sell, good for them - even if it is poorly written and obviously an attempt to try to get rid of something they no longer want.
"In my yearly or every other year call with my cell phone company where I "negotiate" my rate, I tell them at the start of the call, this is my offer based on competition and their public offerings."
I tried to haggle last Feb with my car insurance renewal. Unfortunately, the guy on the other end wouldn’t budge and I hadn’t done the research to check whether the other quotes were like for like eg excess, courtesy car, breakdown cover etc.
It’s definitely a skill worth having, but you’ve got to also put the preliminary work in and tone down any sentiment.
One of my colleagues is particularly good at the business of haggling. She claims she saves hundreds of pounds with all of her various renewals.
Although she’s reasonably polite and friendly on the surface, if pushed she can also get pretty ferocious.
Me, I would start to worry whether the person on the other end of the phone, usually some kid, is having a good day or not. It takes a lot to get me mad, but unfortunately when I do, it also can take a lot to get me calmed down again.
The life and times of a passive-aggressive control freak audio enthusiast?
Well, as they say, life is a lesson. And there’s always the music.
’i tend to agree on all the above... especially the last sentence -- mostly but not always... and we all have the scars from being burnt those few, memorable times’
Me too. I remember buying a portable Minidisc player whose built in rechargeable battery was doa, and a micro system that was ’lost’ in the post, but I think that’s about it. The micro system seller did offer a full refund with no issues.
Now when it comes to buying a car, or a house etc you’re in a whole different game of communication.
With private car sales I’d say look at the seller just as closely as you look at the vehicle.
With houses it’s best to look at written measurements rather than the photographs which seem to be taken with wide angled zoom lenses (as opposed to a more honest 50mm) in order to give an impression of greater size.
It’s strange how the concept of honesty has changed as our ability to manufacture image has increased exponentially.
With the cosmetics industry individuals are now able to transform their image to almost unrecognisable degrees.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it but it’s probably better to acknowledge it rather than deny it.
As John Wayne, or was it Sean Connery, once said when questioned whether it was their real hair, "Yes, I paid for it myself."
When it comes to selling language is important, but what’s wrong with honesty?
Before I sell anything I try to recall all defects and issues and highlight them in the wording.
That usually gives me peace of mind knowing then that the buyer is unlikely to be disappointed.
Whether it’s political correctness, marketing speak, or euphemism, blatant deception through words that attempt to to deflect or mislead are unlikely to deceive the experienced buyer.
It’s far better to work on presentation I feel. That reflects well upon the seller and also enhances the perceived value of the item for sale.
I particularly like those ads on eBay where someone goes to a lot of trouble to highlight a barely perceptible blemish.
Good for them. I like to think that enthusiasts of used audio have a higher than average sense of integrity.
i tend to agree on all the above... especially the last sentence -- mostly but not always... and we all have the scars from being burnt those few, memorable times
’At each step of the journey toward socialism freedoms are lost so that we can "help those less fortunate".’
Yes, it’s all about shuffling freedoms around. Some will gain, some will lose.
Here in the UK we spend a quarter of our GDP upon welfare, yet many still complain it’s not enough. They seem to be blithely unaware of how the vast majority of the world lives.
Just who is setting this agenda, and why, are important questions we should be asking. Especially right now.
When it comes to selling language is important, but what’s wrong with honesty?
Before I sell anything I try to recall all defects and issues and highlight them in the wording.
That usually gives me peace of mind knowing then that the buyer is unlikely to be disappointed.
Whether it’s political correctness, marketing speak, or euphemism, blatant deception through words that attempt to to deflect or mislead are unlikely to deceive the experienced buyer.
It’s far better to work on presentation I feel. That reflects well upon the seller and also enhances the perceived value of the item for sale.
I particularly like those ads on eBay where someone goes to a lot of trouble to highlight a barely perceptible blemish.
Good for them. I like to think that enthusiasts of used audio have a higher than average sense of integrity.
The 20 year old at the bank is now Vice President of the branch with a card to boot. All salslesmen are associates... not only is my used audio used in a smoke free environment, it’s also drug and disease free.
There is a scale. “Polite, considered, respectful, and honest” is what I’m sure we all aim for. “Politically correct” has been coined for use about speakers who it is thought are trying too hard to address (an often imaginary) harm they think language can do. And beyond PC we have “virtue signalling”. Yuk.
I enjoyed a list that defined terms commonly used on dating sites:
“Good conversationalist” = they never stop talking ”Family-oriented” = their kids are part of the deal ”Well read and educated” = think they are too good for you ”Likes to travel” = you’re going to need money ”Attractive” = average to below average looks ”Curvy” = they are fat
as we can see in our broad society now, truth has gone out of fashion, or at least, it has become a casualty of commerce, greed, hunger for power, what have you
like c-leeds said, don’t confuse marketing words/spin with political correctness
when it comes to audio gear, whether buying and selling, i like it when issues are clearly disclosed up front, with a minimum of ’selling’ verbiage on how good the item is, how good it sounds... if you are i are seriously looking at the item, we already know how good it is...
Politically correct is just jargon that means caring about other people enough to watch what you might say due to desire to not offend others. Its the old “treat others like you would like to be treated yourself” thing. It’s a basic virtue related to good manners. Good manners have nothing to do with politics. Of course that will never prevent people from still being offended on occasion but it’s the thought that counts. Financial transactions have nothing to do with being politically correct. Good ones benefit both sides. Similar to good manners which influence political correctness but different. FWIW.
First time I ever heard the term "pre-owned" was at a lexus dealer perhaps some 30 years ago. Silly me I asked about used cars- I was corrected and told they sold pre-owned cars. The second correction was when I asked about the shared chassis between the ES300 and a Camry. I was told that the Camry borrowed ES300's chassis. Should have known better- in the early 80's I had a summer job at a camera store- disc cameras were popular but the image quality was not good, though Fuji's disc film was finer grained than was kodak's (we processed all film in house but did not sell Fuji film). One day a Kodak rep came in and asked all of us in sales to voice customer concerns. I said customers complain the images a grainy. The Kodak rep told me to tell the customer the images are not grainy, but rather, granular. Like that made a difference. I told customers to buy Fuji film but bring it to us to develop (in that town, we had the only full on-site photo lab).
Actually that "little old lady" had a twin sister in Hoboken, but they had trouble finding any lyrics that would rhyme. They also thought of Peoria and Sheboygan...but with no success.
These terms are marketing terms - they have nothing at all to do with political correctness or politics. I’ll give you an "A" for effort, though, in trying to rope politics into this with your reference to " 'Semi-liberal arts' degrees."
Pre-owned has been a terminology of the car market for decades now. There is also the CPO, certified pre-owned. They're simply terms I wouldn't have a cow over it.
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