She'll only know you love her if you blow your life's savings on a piece of jewelry
I just heard this awful commercial for some jeweler. Jared's maybe. It's not important. The point is that at the end of the commercial the "real customer" says something like, "I tell her I love her, but when I gave her that ring... well, actions speak louder than words."
Before I go any further with this rant, I feel it's important to clear up a couple of things. First, it was clear from the context of the commercial that this was not an engagement ring. So he's not proposing, just giving his lady love expensive jewelry. Second, although I realize there's a false scarcity and that the tradition isn't nearly as old as the diamond industry would have us believe... yeah, I still want a diamond ring when I get engaged. I point this out only so that you understand that I am not a militant diamond industry hater, and this commercial still appalled me.
Now, yes. Actions do speak louder than words (fear or love, baby, don't say the answer). However, the gift of an expensive piece of jewelry, especially of diamond jewelry, doesn't say "I love you," it says, "I didn't know what else to get you, and girls like jewelry, right? And it's better because I spent lots of money on it, right? So I'm off the hook for a while?"
Do you know what says, "I love you"? Caresses. Kisses. Small, thoughtful gifts that cost little or nothing but mean something. I'm not saying that expensive gifts are bereft of meaning across the board. That's obviously not true, but I hate commercials like this that encourage people (especially men) to break the bank giving empty, meaningless trinkets.
[edit 11:08am: She'll pretty much have to]
Before I go any further with this rant, I feel it's important to clear up a couple of things. First, it was clear from the context of the commercial that this was not an engagement ring. So he's not proposing, just giving his lady love expensive jewelry. Second, although I realize there's a false scarcity and that the tradition isn't nearly as old as the diamond industry would have us believe... yeah, I still want a diamond ring when I get engaged. I point this out only so that you understand that I am not a militant diamond industry hater, and this commercial still appalled me.
Now, yes. Actions do speak louder than words (fear or love, baby, don't say the answer). However, the gift of an expensive piece of jewelry, especially of diamond jewelry, doesn't say "I love you," it says, "I didn't know what else to get you, and girls like jewelry, right? And it's better because I spent lots of money on it, right? So I'm off the hook for a while?"
Do you know what says, "I love you"? Caresses. Kisses. Small, thoughtful gifts that cost little or nothing but mean something. I'm not saying that expensive gifts are bereft of meaning across the board. That's obviously not true, but I hate commercials like this that encourage people (especially men) to break the bank giving empty, meaningless trinkets.
[edit 11:08am: She'll pretty much have to]