Thursday 15 October 2009

Why Are You So Greedy?

The most stupid question I have ever heard on national television. It simply indicates that the BBC have no idea of the concept of the market, and of choice and freedom.

Anne Robinson was talking to the Marketing Director of Centre Parks holiday park company on Watchdog, the consumer-affairs programme on BBC1. She was trying to claim that it was some sort of dreadful offence that Centre Parks charge people far more in the school holidays than outside. She was livid, and went through a whole host of random complaints. She showed no hint of understanding when the Marketing Director pointed out that they were full at that time, so people must feel that it is value for money, and she went on at him about the additional charges they make for their activities.

The funniest part was failing to see the irony when people started saying that they had gone or would go elsewhere due to the price at Centre Parks. That is their choice – they are not forced to go to Centre Parks, or to indulge in extra activities when they are there. It is their choice to pay what Centre Parks’s choose to charge.

This shows the core problem with the BBC. They are an insular organisation, where charges and pay are not related to choice or to freedom but to some arbitrary concept of “fairness”. Oh, and that they think that paying Jonathan Woss £6 million a year has any relation to fairness.

Update: this self-righteous piece of ignorance is online now.

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2 comments:

Nicole said...

It's not just the BBC. Most all the major media networks have a problem grasping the concept of supply and demand. And that in a free market, no one is forced to purchase X brand instead of Y brand. Price too high? Go somewhere else. In a free market you have that choice. Greed is ultimately punished in the free market system by less demand for your product as people go elsewhere to get what you are selling. Only in systems where the consumer has no other choice does greed play an evil role. Like in systems where the government dictates what phone company, cable television company, utility company, etc, you can use. Then there is a reason to complain about pricing, customer service, anything - you have no other choice but to use X company. And when you have a reason to complain and demand a change be mandated, chances are, some bureaucrat who set up the system in the first place won't let it be changed because he is making far too much money.

North Northwester said...

Hmm, taking the kids to cheap mountain biking and super-pool swimming holidays...as a human right?
The terrorised masses of the Gulags and the death camps should hear such drivel, marvel at its shallow self-righteousness, and HAUNT the silly mare.

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