>Charities, if you're listening, here's an idea: create uniquely identified jewelry (bracelets, necklaces) marketed as devotional donations
This is actually a very interesting idea. It has I guess a few complications--are we comfortable with making generosity a commodity? I'm not at all, actually--but at the very least it would be preferable to diamond rings.
Just needs the right marketing behind it to nullify that. Sell these pieces of charity jewelry to the public as not only ways to flaunt your wealth, as diamonds are, but also a way to flaunt your moral superiority.
Forgive me if I don't trust _marketing_, of all facets of society, to nullify that.
As much as I think it'd be a great alternative to diamonds, my feelings on the matter have quickly been drawn to the same cynicism about diamonds.
It's a problem that we want to flaunt our wealth, _however_ we do it. It's the root problem.
The diamond industry is flawed because it's acting exactly as desired: to fulfill our need for vacuous display.
And flaunting your moral superiority? Well, that's not as bad as flaunting your wealth, but only because it's less practical. People notice and _hate_ when you're morally superior.
Isn't that a sad commentary? That when bragging about morals is more easily attacked than bragging about wealth?
There's something interesting in how when the social drive to appear wealthy approaches appearing moral, it is diluted and weakened. Just mere contact with the idea of morality is enough to lose our respect for the egregious use of wealth.
This is actually a very interesting idea. It has I guess a few complications--are we comfortable with making generosity a commodity? I'm not at all, actually--but at the very least it would be preferable to diamond rings.