"“He who buys what he does not need, steals from himself. “ Swedish Proverb
If you think you’re an auditory learner, making an origami dagger from a dollar bill might make you think again. Without a visual, I was completely lost. I must have paused the YouTube video several dozen times trying to figure this out. This being the “easy” version. Folding cash into a dagger took a lot longer than I’d figured.
What got me going on the dagger as a weapon of self-destruction in the first place? It was a story in the WSJ on how reopening the economy has created a ‘Christmas In June’ mentality, as evidenced by “revenge spending”. I know about profligate spending, habitual spending, and impulse or emotional spending, but Revenge in the driver’s seat was new to me. Here’s what I learned.
Revenge spending (term coined in China) refers to an overindulgence in retail therapy by consumers who have missed shopping at their favorite purveyors due to the lockdown. The shopping-deprived consumer goes on a spree to the delight of the retailer. The higher end the retailer, the more delightful the revenge.
This strange use of revenge begs the question, “Revenge of whom?” The virus doesn't scare easily. The retailers are lapping it up. The broader economy responds gratefully. That leaves the spender. Money acts all friendly and then it stabs you in the back. Knowing the damage a dagger can cause, this one has been unfolded and smoothed so nary a vindictive crease remains.
In trying times, It’s well to remember that the avenger and avenged might be one in the same.